High-Protein Foods for Wound Healing

Topic Overview

How does protein help with wound healing?

Your body needs protein to help build and repair muscle, skin, and other body tissues. Protein also helps fight infection, balance body fluids, and carry oxygen through your body.

When you have a wound that's healing, think of food as medicine. Eat a balanced diet with enough calories and plenty of protein.

How much protein you normally need each day depends mostly on your weight and how active you are. You may need to eat more protein to help a wound heal. Your health care provider or dietitian can advise you on the right amount of protein you need.

What are high-protein foods?

High-protein foods include lean meat, poultry, and fish. A serving of these foods is about 3 ounces. That's about the size and thickness of a deck of cards.

Protein isn't just found in meat. You can also get plenty of protein from eggs, dairy and soy products, beans, nuts, and seeds. Dietitians of Canada recommend that adults, who have chronic wounds like pressure sores, should have 1.25-1.5 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight.

**Examples of high-protein foods** ^{footnote 1}
Food	Serving size	Protein (g)
Meats
Beef, ground, extra lean	2½ ounces (75 g)	23
Pork loin, lean centre cut bone-in chop	2½ ounces (75 g)	20
Fish
Salmon, coho, wild	2½ ounces (75 g)	17.5
Tilapia	2½ ounces (75 g)	19.5
Tuna, light, canned in oil, drained	2½ ounces (75 g)	22
Poultry
Chicken, breast, roasted	2½ ounces (75 g)	23
Turkey, breast, roasted	2½ ounces (75 g)	24
Turkey, ground	2½ ounces (75 g)	21
Eggs and Dairy
Cheese, cheddar	1 oz (50 g)	11.5
Cheese, cottage, 2% milk fat	1 cup (250 mL)	25
Egg, whole	1 large	6
Milk, skim, 1% or 2% milk fat	1 cup (250 mL)	8.5
Yogurt, fruit, low-fat	¾ cup (175 mL)	7
Beans and Soy Products
Baked beans with pork, canned	¾ cup (175 mL)	10
Black beans, canned	¾ cup (175 mL)	11.5
Soy beverage, original and vanilla	1 cup (250 mL)	6.5
Tofu	¾ cup (175 mL)	12
Nuts and Seeds
Almonds, dry roasted	¼ cup (60 mL)	7
Peanuts, dry roasted	¼ cup (60 mL)	9
Peanut butter, smooth	2 Tbsp (30 mL)	7
Sunflower seeds, dry roasted	¼ cup (60 mL)	6.5
Wheat germ, toasted	¼ cup (60 mL)	9