04/22/2026
PSA LONG READ BUT A GOOD ONE!
This one label trick quietly ruined half the foods in my pantry.🤣
If you’ve been grabbing “high protein” this and “high protein” that assuming they’re helping you hit your goals, we need to talk.
The add a zero hack is the simplest way I’ve found to figure out if a food is actually a good protein source or just marketing dressed up in a pretty label.
Here’s how it works:
→ Look at the grams of protein on the label → Add a zero to the end (multiply by 10) → Compare that to the calorie count → If calories are at or below that new number, it’s a solid protein pick
Fage 0% Greek yogurt has 17g of protein and 90 calories. 17 becomes 170. 90 is well under 170, so it passes easy. That’s why it’s in my fridge on repeat.
Fairlife skim has 13g of protein and 80 calories. 130 vs 80. Passes.
Costco rotisserie chicken. Around 28g of protein and 140 calories per three oz serving. 280 vs 140. Blows it out of the water.
Now the ones that sting.
→ That protein bar with 10g of protein and 210 calories. 10 becomes 100. 210 is double that. It’s a candy bar with a few extra grams tossed in.
→ Peanut butter. 7g of protein and 190 calories per two tablespoons. 70 vs 190. That’s a fat source, not a protein source. Great for calories, not for hitting your daily 150g.
→ Most cheese sticks. 6g of protein and 80 calories. 60 vs 80. Borderline at best.
→ Almonds. 6g of protein and 170 calories per ounce. 60 vs 170. Snack food, not protein food.
Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. You walk through a grocery store and your brain is doing math on every label in the aisle.
This matters because if you’re trying to hit 150g of protein a day at 1,800 to 2,000 calories, you cannot afford to burn 200 calories on a snack that gives you 6g. Those numbers have to work for you, not against you.
Save this so you can remember exactly how to do it.
