Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

Ranking my favorite protein sources!

18 Jul 2026 · 2 min

Watch on YouTube

1:47

In this solo YouTube commentary, the presenter ranks various protein sources on an S‑F tier scale based on their suitability for muscle‑building athletes. Meat (fish, turkey, chicken, beef, pork) is placed in the S tier because it provides complete amino acid profiles, high protein density, and additional nutrients. Dairy and eggs (cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, cheese, milk) occupy the A tier; they are also complete proteins but contain more fat, making them slightly less optimal for pure protein goals. Plant‑based proteins are assigned to the D tier; while they can be combined to achieve completeness, the presenter argues that meeting the high protein demands of athletes solely with plant foods is difficult, though vegans can still succeed. Protein powders and bars (whey, whey isolate) fall into the C tier, viewed as useful supplements to hit daily targets but not a replacement for whole‑food sources. The speaker emphasizes a hierarchy that prioritizes whole animal protein, followed by dairy/eggs, then supplements, with plant proteins considered less efficient for rapid muscle growth.

Chapters

Ranking my favorite protein sources S to F, starting with plant-based proteins. Plant-based proteins are proteins that come from plants. I'm gonna put this in the D tier, and here's why. You can combine plant-based foods together to create complete proteins, but the issue is athletes are wanting to get bigger and faster and stronger and put on muscle, and that requires a lot of protein. And it's going to be really tough to get all of their protein needs from these plant-based foods alone. If you're vegan, obviously that's a different story. That's why I didn't put it in the last place or anything like that. You can still get there if you need to. The second protein sources that I recommend are protein that comes from the animals. This is going to be your dairy products and your eggs. So think cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, normal cheese, milk. I'm gonna put those in A tier. They're not completely at the top because eggs and dairy are also high in fat, which is not a bad thing. But if we're just talking purely about protein and their sources, they are a complete protein. They will give you the right building blocks that your muscles need to put on muscle. These are so close to my S tier, but there's just one other protein source that I would put above this, and that is the number one protein source that I recommend, and that is the animal itself, the meat from the animal. Examples of this is going to be fish, turkey, chicken, beef, pork. Those are some of my personal favorites. The reason why it is an S tier is because it is a complete source of protein. It'll give you the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to how much protein is actually in there, and there's additional nutrients in here that your body needs to stay healthy and strong as well. And then last is a little bonus: protein powders and protein bars and different protein supplements. I would put that in the C tier. I really like a lot of protein powders, specifically whey or whey isolate. I think those are awesome. I those can be an awesome supplement to help hit your protein goal. However, I don't like when people put those above meat and real food. So I would say real food first, and then you can also throw in a protein shake during the day to hit your goal.