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Boxing food rankings

The best milk and milk products for boxers

All 186 milk and milk products from the official UK food dataset, ranked by all-round score. Milk, Cheese, Cheese lead the group. Open the full explorer to rank them for making weight, bulking or maximum protein instead.All 186 milk and milk 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.

Dairy is one of the most versatile protein sources for boxers, offering a strong protein-to-calorie ratio, calcium for bone health, and enough variety to fit into almost any meal.

Milk itself sits at the top of this group because it balances protein, carbohydrate and fat in roughly the proportions a recovering athlete needs, and it delivers calcium and riboflavin alongside. Low-fat milk and skimmed milk score higher on protein per calorie than full-fat because the fat calories are reduced while the protein stays the same. Both are worth keeping in the diet.

Cottage cheese and low-fat hard cheeses (parmesan, reduced-fat cheddar) score well for protein per calorie. Greek yoghurt is not in this specific dataset group but follows the same logic: strained dairy concentrates the protein. High-fat soft cheeses and full-fat cream score poorly here because fat pushes the calorie count up while the protein share stays modest.

One practical point for boxers who do not eat meat: dairy is one of the few reliable sources of complete protein, B12 and calcium in a non-meat diet. For those who are lactose-intolerant, most of the benefit can be replicated with lactose-free versions of the same products. The group is worth keeping unless there is a medical reason not to; it fills a useful nutritional gap.

#	Food	All-Round score	% Protein/kcal	Nutrients	Fullness
1	Milkskimmed, dried, fortified	22.2	42%	68	56
2	CheeseCheddar type, half fat	15.0	48%	31	71
3	CheeseParmesan, fresh	13.6	35%	45	61
4	CheeseQuark	12.6	80%	15	75
5	Cheese spreadplain, reduced fat	9.9	39%	27	65
6	CheeseCheddar type, '30% less fat'	9.3	36%	28	65
7	CheeseEmmental	9.1	30%	35	60
8	Fromage fraisvirtually fat free, natural	8.4	63%	13	73
9	Cheesecottage, plain, reduced fat	8.3	62%	13	74
10	Cocoa powder	7.1	24%	44	48
11	Cheeseprocessed, slices, reduced fat	7.0	35%	21	66
12	CheeseEdam	7.0	31%	25	62
13	Cheesespreadable, soft white, low fat	6.6	48%	14	71
14	Fromage fraisvirtually fat free, fruit	6.4	54%	12	72
15	CheeseHalloumi	6.3	31%	23	63
16	Complan powdersweet, made up with skimmed milk	5.6	20%	31	63
17	CheesePort Salut, St Paulin type	5.5	31%	20	62
18	CheeseCheddar, English	5.3	25%	28	55
19	Complan powdersweet, made up with semi-skimmed milk	5.2	19%	31	62
20	CheeseGruyere	5.0	27%	24	56
21	Cheeseprocessed, smoked	4.9	27%	22	59
22	Milkskimmed, pasteurised, winter	4.9	44%	11	71
23	Yogurtvirtually fat free/diet, plain	4.9	39%	12	71
24	CheeseCamembert	4.8	30%	18	63
25	CheeseLancashire	4.8	25%	23	57
26	CheeseRed Leicester	4.8	25%	24	56
27	Cheesehard, average	4.7	24%	25	55
28	CheeseGouda	4.6	27%	21	58
29	CheeseCaerphilly	4.6	25%	23	57
30	CheeseWensleydale	4.6	25%	23	57
31	Complan powdersweet, made up with whole milk	4.6	17%	31	61
32	CheeseMozzarella, fresh	4.5	29%	18	63
33	Milkskimmed, pasteurised, summer	4.5	42%	11	71
34	Milkevaporated, light	4.5	29%	16	66
35	Milkskimmed, pasteurised, average	4.5	40%	11	71
36	Cheesewhite, average	4.3	25%	22	57
37	Cheesecottage, plain	4.3	37%	12	71
38	CheeseRed Windsor	4.2	24%	22	55
39	CheeseDerby	4.2	24%	22	55
40	Cheeseprocessed, plain	4.1	24%	21	57

40 of 186 milk and milk 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 milk and milk products for boxers?

Milk (skimmed, dried, fortified), Cheese (Cheddar type, half fat), Cheese (Parmesan, fresh) 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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