Protein sources

[gbnz]

Well, with the gym & pool opening tomorrrow and cash being tight, thought I'd have a quick review of the cost of protein sources. Obviously I'm aware that frozen white fish fillets, tins of tuna,cheap chicken breasts are all CHEAP. But two sources of protein caught me be surprise

- Bran Flakes (& other wholemeal cereals). £1.00 provides 110g of protein (NB. Beef steak being around 35g)
- Milk (Skimmed). £1.00 provides 70.3g of protein

Obviously cereal based proteins will be devoid of core amino acids, but anyone aware of other issues in obtaining protein from cereal/milk based sources?

[Jdsk]

Would it be better to express those as the cost of 100g of protein? And to add the mass of foodstuff that contains that?

Jonathan

PS: The usual phrase is essential amino acids.

[Elizabeth_S]

As far as I understand, as wheat bran contains phytic acid this affects the bioavailability of minerals, such as iron, mangesium, zinc, and calcium. See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3507301/, note the sponsorship at the bottom!

I have 2 sons that have been vegetarian from birth, and I did reading around it (a long time ago). So long as they eat a varied variety of food (and we do, all homemade lacto-ova vegetarian), protein has never been an issue. Iron (especially when they were very young) was a greater issue. Fortunately they are very fond of prunes and prune juice.

[Jdsk]

Yes, phytate can bind nutrients in the gut. It isn't normally a problem, but it can be important in making calclium unavailable and that means there's a potential interaction with deficiency of vitamin D. Unfortunately in the UK at the moment one of the groups at higher risk has a high consumption of a flour that has contains a lot of phytate.

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

I have 2 sons that have been vegetarian from birth, and I did reading around it (a long time ago). So long as they eat a varied variety of food (and we do, all homemade lacto-ova vegetarian), protein has never been an issue. Iron (especially when they were very young) was a greater issue. Fortunately they are very fond of prunes and prune juice.

How do you manage the requirement for vitamin B12, please?

Thanks

Jonathan

[Elizabeth_S]

I have 2 sons that have been vegetarian from birth, and I did reading around it (a long time ago). So long as they eat a varied variety of food (and we do, all homemade lacto-ova vegetarian), protein has never been an issue. Iron (especially when they were very young) was a greater issue. Fortunately they are very fond of prunes and prune juice.

How do you manage the requirement for vitamin B12, please?

Thanks

Jonathan

Hasn't been a problem as we are lacto-ova vegetarians, so we eat eggs. It is more of a problem for vegans I believe, but not us. Both boys are grown up, one is 2 m tall and the other is about 1.9 m, absolutely fine.

[Jdsk]

Thanks

Jonathan

[axel_knutt]

If price per 100g of protein is your only criterion:

Budget Spaghetti £0.33
Bread Brown Sains £0.61
Budget Porridge £0.68
Budget Peanut Butter £0.78
Red Lentils £0.89
Liver £0.89
Cous cous Plain Sains £0.90
Bread Tesco Seeded £0.99
Budget Peas £1.03
Budget Milk Skimmed £1.53
Budget Beef Mince 20% £1.61
Budget Eggs 6pk £1.67
Budget Kidney Beans £1.81
Budget Chicken Breast £1.84
Rice Brown Sains £1.85

[Jdsk]

That's the way to do it.

Jonathan

[gbnz]

As far as I understand, as wheat bran contains phytic acid this affects the bioavailability of minerals.

Thanks, I was aware that high bran products could inhibit the uptake of minerals, though need to do more reading on it. And whilst I've no intention of eating a kilo of bran flakes a day in order to ensure a sufficient protein intakee, have to admit I was simply surprised at how much protein bran flakes contain.

[gbnz]

If price per 100g of protein is your only criterion:

Budget Spaghetti £0.33
Bread Brown Sains £0.61
Budget Porridge £0.68
Budget Peanut Butter £0.78
Red Lentils £0.89
Liver £0.89
Cous cous Plain Sains £0.90
Bread Tesco Seeded £0.99
Budget Peas £1.03
Budget Milk Skimmed £1.53
Budget Beef Mince 20% £1.61
Budget Eggs 6pk £1.67
Budget Kidney Beans £1.81
Budget Chicken Breast £1.84
Rice Brown Sains £1.85

Thanks, useful info.

Though my primary criterion on reviewing cost was dominated by the £, thus I gave the £ the primary place in my review . Though based on your info, I'll have to look at pasta & wholemeal bread, not a food source I'd really considered; they both look like decent sources of protein.

[Bmblbzzz]

£/100g of protein can't be the only criterion in practice. The amount of a particular food you need to eat to get 100g protein must be a factor too; unless your stomach is infinite!

[Boogzy]

My go to source for protein, even on the road are Chia seeds.
They're 19% protein and full of good sources of fat and carbs. They are also fibre rich and very good for those who suffer constipation. I normally take them in a fruit drink or water, as they are easier to digest that way.

Aztec runners and messengers used them as a fuel source for all day transits over long distance. Bought in bulk they can be very cheap!

[flat tyre]

More important, I think, though I'm not an expert, is to find out how much protein you actually need per day. In my case it works out to less than 50g per day, the equivalent say of one chicken beast if taken in one meal. As already stated in previous posts there are other sources which will be consumed in a normal day.

[gbnz]

More important, I think, though I'm not an expert, is to find out how much protein you actually need per day. In my case it works out to less than 50g per day, the equivalent say of one chicken beast if taken in one meal. As already stated in previous posts there are other sources which will be consumed in a normal day.

I'd normally aim for 1.6-1.8g per kilo of body weight, though would include proteins from all sources in that (I.e. Meat, fish, dairy, grain, nut sourcs etc). Whilst there's no benefit in grossly over consuming protein, adequate levels are required to build/maintain muscle if you're doing sports etc. Most experts do agree that the typical recommendations of 50-55g per day are too low for those undertaking sports, resulting in muscle loss.