Protein, fats, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals, calories and food composition explained with practical context.
Many canned fish provide roughly 20–27 g protein per 100 g drained. Sardines, salmon, and mackerel tend to contribute more EPA and DHA; bone-in sardines add calcium. Sodium, packing oil, and tuna species can materially change the choice.
Beans, oats, canned seafood, canned tomatoes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains stand out because they pair long shelf life with protein, fiber, unsaturated fats, or micronutrients. Their real value comes from how easily they combine.
Freezing itself does not destroy nutrients. Peas, corn, green beans, broccoli, spinach, and berries can retain vitamins and minerals at levels comparable to refrigerated fresh produce; meat and poultry change little nutritionally. Blanching and storage explain many differences.
Beans and lentils combine protein, fiber, long shelf life, and low cost. A cup of cooked lentils has about 18 g protein, while chickpeas and many beans provide roughly 14–16 g per substantial serving. Dry legumes usually minimize cost; canned legumes buy convenience.
One large egg provides about 6–7 g protein and 70–80 calories; three large eggs provide roughly 19 g protein. Eggs are not always the cheapest protein, but they combine moderate cost, convenience, high-quality protein, and micronutrients.
Very lean foods tend to lead: shrimp, cod, water-packed tuna, and egg whites provide roughly 21–24 g of protein per 100 kcal; chicken breast is around 19 g and nonfat Greek yogurt about 17–18 g. The ratio is useful for calorie planning, not as a complete measure of food quality.
Raspberries, blackberries, artichokes, and broccoli rank very high for fiber per calorie; chia and legumes deliver large amounts in denser, more substantial servings. Look at both fiber per 100 kcal and fiber per serving.
Eggs, dairy, meat and fish provide all nine essential amino acids in favorable proportions, and so do plant foods such as soybeans, tofu, tempeh and quinoa. But “contains all nine” is not a magic dividing line: most food proteins contain many or all of them in different amounts. What matters is whether indispensable-amino-acid amounts, digestibility and total dietary protein meet your needs.
Amino acids are the building blocks the body uses to make proteins. Nine are essential in healthy adults—histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine—because the body cannot make enough of them. They come from both animal and plant protein foods, and they do not all have to come from one food or one meal.
Dates are dried fruit, so they concentrate both energy and sugar. Medjool dates provide about 277 calories, 66–67 g of sugars and 6.7 g of fiber per 100 g. Two large dates, roughly 48 g, contain about 133 calories, 32 g of sugars and 3.2 g of fiber. They offer more than sweetness alone, but they are not a low-sugar fruit.
Per 100 g, Medjool dates provide about 277 calories, 66–67 g of sugars and 6.7 g of fiber; granulated sugar has roughly 387 calories, 100 g of sugar and no fiber. At equal weight, dates contain less sugar and energy because they also contain water and fiber. That makes them a more complete food, not an unlimited sweetener: 20 g of dates still has about 55 calories and 13 g of sugars.
Dates and raisins are both concentrated dried fruits. Per 100 g, Medjools have about 277 calories, 66–67 g of sugars and 6.7 g of fiber; raisins have roughly 299 calories, 59 g of sugars and 3.7 g of fiber. In a 30-g serving, that is about 83 calories and 20 g of sugars for dates versus 90 calories and 18 g for raisins. Dates provide more fiber; raisins are not automatically higher in sugar by weight.