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Boxing food rankings

The best meat and meat products for boxers

All 584 meat and meat products from the official UK food dataset, ranked by all-round score. Liver, Liver, Liver lead the group. Open the full explorer to rank them for making weight, bulking or maximum protein instead.All 584 meat and meat products, ranked by Super Score (%Protein per kcal x Nutrient Density x estimated Satiety, each normalised 0 to 100). Switch goals in the explorer to re-rank for cutting, bulking or maximum protein.

Meat is the most contested food group in boxing nutrition: at its best it is protein-dense, iron-rich and genuinely useful for recovery; at its worst it is processed, high in saturated fat and calorie-heavy.

Organ meats lead this group by a wide margin. Liver in particular scores very high on both protein per calorie and nutrient density because it carries iron, B12, folate and zinc alongside its protein. For a boxer managing hard training and the risk of anaemia, a small portion of liver once or twice a week is one of the most efficient nutritional choices available.

Lean cuts of pork, chicken breast and turkey score well in the upper half of this group. They are easy to prepare, high in protein and relatively low in fat. Lean beef mince and steak also rank solidly. The pattern is simple: the leaner the cut and the plainer the cooking, the better it scores.

The lower half of this group is dominated by processed meats: sausages, salami, bacon, pate and ready-made meat products. These score poorly because a large share of their calories comes from fat and salt rather than protein. They are not off limits but treat them as a treat, not a staple. The best use of this food group is to build meals around plain lean cuts and cook them yourself.

#	Food	All-Round score	% Protein/kcal	Nutrients	Fullness
1	Liverpig, raw	74.3	76%	91	76
2	Liverchicken, raw	64.0	77%	77	76
3	Livercalf, raw	61.4	70%	83	74
4	Porkfillet medallions, grilled lean	56.9	96%	50	84
5	Kidneylamb, raw	55.2	74%	69	76
6	Kidneyox, stewed	55.0	71%	70	78
7	Kidneyox, raw	54.6	79%	64	77
8	Liverlamb, raw	52.5	59%	84	74
9	Porkfillet medallions, grilled, lean and fat	51.8	89%	49	83
10	Kidneypig, fried	50.3	58%	82	75
11	Kidneypig, raw	49.8	72%	65	76
12	Liverpig, stewed	49.6	54%	87	74
13	Liverox, raw	49.4	55%	86	74
14	Liverlamb, fried in corn oil	48.4	51%	92	73
15	Livercalf, fried in corn oil	46.4	51%	89	72
16	Kidneypig, stewed	46.2	64%	67	76
17	Porkfillet strips, stir-fried in rapeseed oil, lean	45.1	85%	45	83
18	Liverchicken, fried in corn oil	43.8	52%	81	73
19	Liverox, stewed	43.3	50%	83	73
20	Porkloin chops, roasted, lean	40.0	81%	42	83
21	Kidneylamb, fried in corn oil	39.7	51%	76	72
22	Gibletschicken, boiled	38.3	59%	61	75
23	Turkeybreast, fillet, grilled, meat only	37.6	90%	35	84
24	Liver and baconfried, homemade	37.4	47%	79	71
25	Porkdiced, kebabs, grilled, lean	36.8	76%	41	83
26	Venisonroast	36.6	86%	36	83
27	Grousemeat only, roasted	36.5	86%	37	81
28	Heartox, stewed	35.9	71%	46	78
29	Gibletsturkey, boiled	35.9	59%	57	76
30	Porkdiced, casseroled, lean	35.2	76%	40	82
31	Porkloin steaks, stewed, lean	34.6	85%	35	82
32	Porkfillet medallions, raw, lean	34.4	95%	32	80
33	Porkdiced, kebabs, grilled, lean and fat	33.9	72%	41	82
34	Porkdiced, casseroled, lean and fat	32.4	72%	39	82
35	Beeftopside, microwaved, lean	32.2	77%	36	82
36	Porkloin steaks, fried in rapeseed oil, lean	32.1	76%	37	81
37	Turkeylight meat, roasted	32.0	88%	31	84
38	Heartpig, raw	32.0	71%	42	76
39	Chickenbreast, grilled without skin, meat only	31.6	86%	31	83
40	Beefsirloin steak, from steakhouse, lean	31.3	73%	38	80

40 of 584 meat and meat products. Open the full interactive explorer to search and switch goals. Satiety is an estimate. It is modelled from the known drivers of fullness (protein, fibre, water, low energy density, low fat), not measured directly.

Common questions

What are the best meat and meat products for boxers?

Liver (pig, raw), Liver (chicken, raw), Liver (calf, raw) score highest in this group on the all-round measure, which combines protein per calorie, nutrient density and estimated fullness.

How is the ranking worked out?

Each food is scored from the UK Government CoFID 2021 dataset and ranked by an all-round score. Switch goals in the full interactive explorer to re-rank for making weight, bulking or maximum protein.

General information for boxers, not medical or dietary advice. For a plan built around you, speak to a registered dietitian or your GP. Food data from the UK Government CoFID 2021 dataset, used under the Open Government Licence.

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