Archive · 31 Jul 2025
Nutritionist Explains: Pumpkin Seeds vs. Meat Protein
Are pumpkin seeds as good as meat for protein?
They both have about the same amount of protein per serving, but they are different.
Pumpkin seeds have a lot of calories and fat.
Meat has fewer calories and less fat.
Meat and pumpkin seeds also have different scores for how well our bodies can use the protein.
A nutritionist says, eat pumpkin seeds, but not too much, as they can cause stomach issues.
It's best to eat them with other plant-based foods, like beans, to get all the nutrients you need.
Pumpkin seeds and meat/poultry have similar protein content per 100g serving, but differ in other nutritional aspects.
A 100g serving of pumpkin seeds contains about 30-32g of protein and 550 calories, with a high fat content.
A 100g serving of meat/chicken also has about 31g of protein but only 250 calories and is low fat.
Pumpkin seeds have a lower PDCAAS score (0.7) compared to meat (0.92), indicating lower digestibility.
Nutritionist recommends including pumpkin seeds in a balanced diet, combined with other plant proteins.
- Who
- Dr. Seema Gulati, Head, Nutrition Research Group at C-NET.
- What
- Comparison of pumpkin seeds and meat/poultry as protein sources.
- When
- Not specified in the article.
- Where
- Not specified in the article.
- Why
- To clarify the nutritional value and best use of pumpkin seeds for protein intake.
Pumpkin Seeds
Meat/Poultry
Protein Source Comparison
Pumpkin Seeds
Source of plant-based protein.
Meat/Poultry
Not a standalone complete protein source like meat.
- Pumpkin seeds protein per 100g
- 30-32g
- Meat/Chicken protein per 100g
- 31g
- Pumpkin seeds calories per 100g
- 550 calories
- Meat/Chicken calories per 100g
- 250 calories
- Pumpkin seeds fat
- High
- Meat/Chicken fat
- Low
- Pumpkin seeds PDCAAS score
- 0.7
- Meat/Chicken PDCAAS score
- 0.92