cheaper meat protein alternatives

[deletedandgone]

I'm getting about 7oz of meat protein (salmon/trout, white fish, steak, chicken breast, turkey, tuna) in 2 of my meals every day. Right now I'm sticking to salmon in one meal, and white fish (haddock/basa) in the other, because I dread the thought of chewing through chicken or steak twice a day.

My Costco meat bills are in the $100 range every week though, and sometimes I have to buy at Metro, and it ain't cheap either. Factor in another family member and the meats are more than rent.

So:
1) Which meat protein sources are cheapest and still easy to chew through?
2) Where do you guys buy your meats?

[Odysseus]

why not mix it up and have meats only once or twice a day and make the rest of your meals consist of different protein sources like egg whites, whey, cottage cheese, etc? if you make your entire diet consist of whole foods/meats, it could get very expensive, as you've said.

[deletedandgone]

why not mix it up and have meats only once or twice a day and make the rest of your meals consist of different protein sources like egg whites, whey, cottage cheese, etc? if you make your entire diet consist of whole foods/meats, it could get very expensive, as you've said.
That's what I have right now: 6 meals - 2 are shakes, 1 has cottage cheese, and 1 has eggs/eggwhites and 2 are meat meals. I feel like 2 meat meals are fine... I would like to get the cost down... not sure how "good" (bioavailability) the vegeterian protein sources are... or if I can get the fish at a lower price, that would be awesome - easy to chew and a joke to cook.

[tiramisu]

Buy in larger quantities. A quarter or half a cow makes things a lot cheaper.

[macka]

ground beef, horse flesh, and bulk buys

[nisser]

ground beef, chicken thighs/drumsticks with skin, canned tuna.

salmon is probably the most expensive source of protein you could do really

[Bocca]

ground beef, chicken thighs/drumsticks with skin, canned tuna.

salmon is probably the most expensive source of protein you could do really

Depends on where you are. This year I picked up sides of sockeye, filleted and vacuum packed for $7 a side (so about $14 for a 7-9lb fish, prepped and frozen).

[Delt King]

The best way to do it is to keep an eye out for sales and fill your freezer when a good deal presents itself. (Obviously you'll need a chest freezer) but if i find fresh boneless skinless chicken breast for 2.99lbs or Haddock, Basa or Talapia at 2.99lbs i stock up big time!!! A good butcher will ground your eye of round for you too so you end up with extra, extra lean ground steak, which is easier to eat than a rubber steak. lol

[s.tranger]

You can get protein from some veggie sources too, like lentils. Try lentil soup or incorporating it in some other way

[deletedandgone]

Yeah, I think I'll leave salmon and try extra lean ground beef instead of white fish... not as easy to cook, as it involves stirring, but still. That, or I might just get a higher-paying job lol

How much lentils would I have to eat to get 50g of protein? 500 grams, half a kilo!? Jesus...
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4439/2

[O-Train]

Yeah, I think I'll leave salmon and try extra lean ground beef instead of white fish... not as easy to cook, as it involves stirring, but still. That, or I might just get a higher-paying job lol

How much lentils would I have to eat to get 50g of protein? 500 grams, half a kilo!? Jesus...
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4439/2

They may be a decent addition to your diet if your meat intake is high. The fibre content helps keep things moving along.

[moh2010]

I always eat a minimum of 350g of proteins year long (just solid food, no shake). My grocery cost me less than 75$ per week.

Red meat: Horse meat is cheaper than beef in my region and its much healthier too. It's about 3.99 versus beef 5.99 a pound.

Fish: Tuna. I eat 3-4 cans a day, with 1 tbsp of olive oil in it. It taste much better this way. As for the mercury, its just overrated imo. Nobody had any health issue from eating many a day. Just BS from the media. Im getting blood works twice a year and im very healthy.

Eggs: There's not much difference between regular eggs and omega3 eggs. I'm taking Fish oil year long(alternated with CLA). So my omega-3 is covered.
As for bad cholesterol... I'm eating 12 whole eggs and 1kg of red meat everyday in the offseason and it's perfectly normal.

Dairy: I'll eat a few pieces of cheese everyday, but only the ones with no carbs. Cottage cheese and milk are no good for me because of the lactose.


When I'm bulking, I'll take a gainer postworkout only(50g of proteins, 100g of carbs, redx lab waxy mass).

[O-Train]

I always eat a minimum of 350g of proteins year long (just solid food, no shake). My grocery cost me less than 75$ per week.

Red meat: Horse meat is cheaper than beef in my region and its much healthier too. It's about 3.99 versus beef 5.99 a pound.

Fish: Tuna. I eat 3-4 cans a day, with 1 tbsp of olive oil in it. It taste much better this way. As for the mercury, its just overrated imo. Nobody had any health issue from eating many a day. Just BS from the media. Im getting blood works twice a year and im very healthy.

Eggs: There's not much difference between regular eggs and omega3 eggs. I'm taking Fish oil year long(alternated with CLA). So my omega-3 is covered.
As for bad cholesterol... I'm eating 12 whole eggs and 1kg of red meat everyday in the offseason and it's perfectly normal.

Dairy: I'll eat a few pieces of cheese everyday, but only the ones with no carbs. Cottage cheese and milk are no good for me because of the lactose.


When I'm bulking, I'll take a gainer postworkout only(50g of proteins, 100g of carbs, redx lab waxy mass).

Dietary cholesterol has very little negative impact for most people. Especially from eggs. There are far more benefits to eating whole eggs than from avoiding them.

If you look at tuna, the reason canned tuna isn't very high in mercury is directly related to the source. Those large blue fin tuna in Japan that are worth 1000's are probably very high in mercury. The larger and older (and more expensive) the fish, the higher the mercury content. It gets concentrated over time with the consumption of many smaller fish containing small amounts of mercury. I can't confirm this but it's likely that the cheap canned tuna has relatively low levels of mercury because it comes from smaller fish only suitable for canning.

You're right about omega-3 eggs. For the cost they arn't worth it for the small amount of n-3 fatty acids.

Does your blood work ever indicate that your iron levels are high? Do they test for mercury when blood work is done?

[deletedandgone]

They may be a decent addition to your diet if your meat intake is high. The fibre content helps keep things moving along.

I see, so lentils replace carb and fibre sources, like yams and greens, and partially cover the protein source.

^^ $75 for grocery a week!? You most likely are not from Toronto... I'm in the over $100 range... that's impressive. I wouldn't eat canned tuna though... not a fresh produce.

[moh2010]

Dietary cholesterol has very little negative impact for most people. Especially from eggs. There are far more benefits to eating whole eggs than from avoiding them.

If you look at tuna, the reason canned tuna isn't very high in mercury is directly related to the source. Those large blue fin tuna in Japan that are worth 1000's are probably very high in mercury. The larger and older (and more expensive) the fish, the higher the mercury content. It gets concentrated over time with the consumption of many smaller fish containing small amounts of mercury. I can't confirm this but it's likely that the cheap canned tuna has relatively low levels of mercury because it comes from smaller fish only suitable for canning.

You're right about omega-3 eggs. For the cost they arn't worth it for the small amount of n-3 fatty acids.

Does your blood work ever indicate that your iron levels are high? Do they test for mercury when blood work is done?

Hey. You're the first guy who replied from my comments haha. thx

For my blood works, I only test for the basic (cholesterol, test, estro, liver enzyme) and from time to time, my doc is adding extra like iron and others. I never check the mercury.. But I'm sure its fine as I feel great and do detox a few times a year.

My iron is fine. But I make sure my multi vitamin doesnt contain any.

[moh2010]

I see, so lentils replace carb and fibre sources, like yams and greens, and partially cover the protein source.

^^ $75 for grocery a week!? You most likely are not from Toronto... I'm in the over $100 range... that's impressive. I wouldn't eat canned tuna though... not a fresh produce.

I'm from Montreal. But I do check the specials.. I always buy the cheapest brand of tuna available for exemple... If chicken breast are expensive this week, I switch to white fish or turkey.

I wish I could buy everything fresh from the market, but I live alone and it's twice the price.


But when you eat healthy foods, it's always tax free. It's making a good difference. When I'm shopping for a cheat meal, it can cost me 15-20$ for a single meal when a regular meal cost 3-4$.

[bcaamuscle]

I eat inside round steaks daily, these things are only $3 a pop for .25kg! I eat cans of tuna also, tuna is the cheapest protein source I can think of besides eggs. I buy a pack of omega eggs and only eat 1 or 2 a day, with the rest of the eggs just being normal XL cheapo eggs. I'd say my grocery bill a week is under $100, but I don't buy much take out or junk food, paying $10 for mcdonalds when I can get 2-3 steaks seems insane when I think of it that way.