Refining Ounce-Equivalents Using the EAA-9 Approach for Protein Scoring and Dietary Guidance.

Background: The USDA Protein Food Ounce-equivalents are designed to identify plant sources of protein foods and provide serving size substitutions. While the ounce-equivalent concept is simple, it fails to generate equivalent exchanges for protein or essential amino acids (EAAs).

Objective: To accurately define the EAA content of USDA protein food ounce-equivalents, to develop a more accurate food exchange list, and to evaluate the EAA-9 protein quality framework as a tool for determining precise EAA-equivalent substitutions.