Protein – Healthy eating on a budget 0 FN Social Network November 04, 2023
Protein is an essential component in the diet. Ideally we would get our supply from low fat, high density sources. However, unfortunately when counting the pennies, protein can also be the most expensive part of any meal.
If this macronutrient is so important, what is the most cost effective source to go for?
Vegetarians avoid flesh foods altogether; they rely on pulses, beans (and their products), nuts, seeds, eggs, dairy or manmade foods such as Quorn. They do need to make such they don’t consume to many high saturated fat options.
Vegans rely on all the above minus the animal products and use nuts and seeds more comprehensively.
Natural veggie proteins are undoubtedly inexpensive. However, with both these diets it is important to eat a whole range of beans and pulses as individually they may not contain all the amino acids (the building blocks of protein) essential to health.
Flesh foods and animal products undoubtedly offer more ‘complete’ protein with a whole range of amino acids and frankly require less thought about how meals are put together. However, this means people tend to be less aware of what they are eating in terms of fat and quantity. Us (even occasional, like me) meat eaters lose will power when it comes to the smell of bacon cooking.
So which flesh protein offer the best nutritional value?
This is tricky. You have to balance the other components in a food with the protein it offers. Eggs are great however even without addressing the controversial cholesterol issue it is possible for some to have too many. Especially if eating every single day.
My opinion is that fish and skinless poultry is probably the best nutritional route cost wise.
Fish can be expensive however if it is on special offer, then go for it. Also as it freezes well, you can often find it has been reduced or available as BOGOF (Buy one, get one free). Fish has a high protein value, so you also get more for your money this way. This means you need less to meet your daily needs. Plus arguably, some older folk find fish easier to digest.
For poultry, you can often find the cheaper cuts such as thigh meat is available. This is great for fast stir fries and even slow casseroles. If all the skin is removed, it has a lower fat content, although not as little as the more expensive, breast meat.
The problem with flesh foods generally is that you do get what you pay for. Personally I eat less meat but go for the organic options. I appreciate that this is not possible for everyone. Cheaper meat can mean high percentages of fat. Plus it is very contentious that the farming process reduces the nutritional value due to the chemicals and pharmaceuticals used. These public arguments are for others to hammer out; sometime ethics are a luxury…………..
So in summary, healthy eating of protein on a budget is possible. If want to go for good sources choose from: a wide range of vegetarian foods, skinless cheaper cuts of poultry and frozen fish can be cheaper than fresh.
Never compromise on eating protein; it is essential to everyone at every stage of life and in different quantities. All you need to do to ensure that you get the best nutritionally for the least amount of money. As you can see answer to this isn’t rocket science; variety is always the key.
(Always check with your medical practitioner for your own protein requirements)
About the Author
My aim is to simplify the healthy eating message; to make it accessible and doable for all who want to understand how to use real food for healthy eating, every meal, every day. I believe this is such an important topic it needs to be understood by everyone. My passion is to ensure it is.
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