What are your favorite sources of protein for building lean muscle that don't cost too many calories?

JJ Virgin4x NYTimes Best Selling Author, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Fitness Hall of Famer

How to choose the best protein powder

17 Jun 2025 · 1 min

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0:51

JJ Virgin recommends clean animal proteins like 90/10 grass-fed beef, 99/1 turkey, and chicken breast for building lean muscle. Skip protein powders with added sugars and pick ones that are mostly protein, nothing else.

Questions this video answers

Grass‑fed, grass‑finished beef (90/10 ground beef), 99/1 turkey (99% protein, 1% fat), chicken breast, shrimp, scallops, lobster, plain non‑fat Greek‑style yogurt with no added sugar, and protein powders that are primarily protein with no added sugars.

Chapters

What are your favorite sources of protein for building lean muscle that don't cost too many calories?
So if you want to get cranked up on your protein without creating a bunch of calorie overload, the easiest thing to do is get clean, lean protein sources. So things like grass-fed, grass-finished beef, but I get the 90/10 ground beef. I'll get the 99/1— that's 99% protein, 1% fat— of turkey. I'll eat chicken breast. I love things like shrimp and scallops and lobster. These are super lean sources of protein. And then nonfat Greek-style yogurt is amazing. It's loaded with protein. Make sure you choose one that doesn't have any added sugar. Of course, it's gotta be plain. And of course, protein powders work really well here, but you really want ones that don't have added sugars and are mainly protein.