Flathead

Food · Protein · Food, Typed Supps

A very lean fish — lots of protein, very little fat.

Stage by stage

Intake (Chewing): Chewing breaks down its lean, flaky protein structure.
Stomach (Protein digestion begins): Stomach enzymes begin digesting the fish protein.
Small intestine (Amino acids absorbed): Amino acids, B12 and selenium are absorbed in the small intestine.
Muscle tissue (Protein synthesis): Absorbed amino acids support tissue repair and muscle protein synthesis.

Timing

Cooks fast at high heat; with almost no fat it dries out quickly if left too long.

Time to effect

Hours: Protein digestion and amino acid absorption begins within a few hours of eating.

Allergens

Contains: Fish. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Pescatarian, Kosher, Keto, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Halal, Low-FODMAP.

Satiety

217 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — very high. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.

Environmental footprint

13.6 kg CO2e and 3691 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Fish (farmed)" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Mid — roughly £11 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 94.4
Protein: 21.1g
Carbohydrate: 0g
of which sugars: 0g
Fat: 1g
of which saturated: 0.3g
Fibre: 0g
Sodium: 97mg

Food vs. supplement

A 100g serving supplies roughly 21g of complete protein for under 100 calories — a leaner ratio than most protein powders — plus B12 and selenium that a supplement alone wouldn’t give you.

Kitchen tip

Coat lightly and pan-fry briefly, or bake at high heat for a short time — it overcooks fast because there’s so little fat to buffer it.

Common myth

"Lean white fish has nothing to offer beyond protein." In reality: It genuinely lacks the omega-3 of oily fish, but flathead still delivers a very lean complete protein along with B12 and selenium at a low calorie cost.