Best Grams Per Dollar Per Protein Source

Has been asked before, but that was 2019 and it's fair to say times have changed

https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/496655

What's the best protein source that has the highest amount of protein per dollar spent. Don't mind bulk deals either

Cheers

Comments

  • -7

    Vegetable protein powder?

    • Is there a specific one you can please link me to

      • -2

        Dunno. But a mix of pea and rice protein powder is meant to cover all the amino acids or whatever. I only bought it because whey upset my stomach.

  • -3

    insects.
    Can be found freely in ya backyard

    • +1

      New world order, is that you??

    • Ducks can be found free at the park

      • This is the way

  • +5

    I thought for sure it would still be bulk chicken breast

  • +9

    Chicken Breast

    1 kilogram (weighed raw) of chicken breast has 225 grams of protein which works out to 20 grams per dollar (assume $11/kg at Woolies).

    This is roughly 5x cheaper than whey protein isolate, in terms of protein server per dollar (varies depending on sales of course).

    • +1

      24 grams per 100 grams of chicken drumsticks at four dollars a kilo at woolworths take out the bone and you get at about 750 grams of meat per kilo of drumsticks
      You cant beat that for price

      • I think chicken drumsticks (per 100 grams, bone removed) only have 18 grams of protein, as it's a fattier cut of the chicken and also has 9 calories of fat? According to the USDA anyway.

        Chicken drumsticks work out to be 40 grams of protein per dollar (using the Woolies price) which is absolutely cheaper (albeit fattier).

        I think you're onto something here… Time for me to see if I can fit the extra fat into my macros.

        Edit: Actually, that math assumes that you're paying for 100 grams of chicken which is obviously not true. So it'd be 30% worse factoring in weight loss from the bone. But still promising.

    • I have seen chicken breast that cheap in years, it's $14/kg here in Vic from colesworths and Aldi I think the same.
      Also, when cooked the weight drops at least 25%.

      Cheapest is probably whey protein concentrate when on special, if you can tolerate the lactose.

      • +3

        "Also, when cooked the weight drops at least 25%."

        Well there's your problem. Cooking.

      • It's dropping weight but it's not necessarily dropping protein. So the grams of protein per dollar should stay roughly the same. Can depend how you cook it though, proteins break down in different ways at different temperatures. I imagine sous vide or a slow cooker would be the best way.

        That said, I'm no nutritionist. Dunno how much the form of protein and amino acids matters.

        • You're correct - the loss in weight is just moisture so the amino acid profile and composition is unchanged.

      • That's a shame. Perth Coles/Woolies have chicken breast at $11/kg (was $10/kg up until not so long ago).

        Loss in weight via cooking doesn't impact the protein per dollar though, because you don't lose protein when you cook it.

    • +1
      • Is there any health rwlated issues with using milk powder as a protein supplement source?

        • Skim powder is basically protein plus lactose. Just factor that into your carbohydrate intake.

      • Problem is it has more sugar than it does protein, so you can't reliably fill up on skim milk to hit your protein needs (which someone looking for cheapest protein/dollar likely is). Lactose is also an issue for many.

    • Bulk nutrients whey protein concentrate slightly beats this.
      1kg bag for $35 at 74.3% protein (vanilla flavour) comes to 21.2g/dollar.

      • Is that a typical price, or some sort of sale?

        Not bad, but I need isolate and also don't want the filler/crap that comes with concentrate.

    • -2

      Wrong Gym Bro.

      WPC is $10 per Kilo but you get 800g of protein.

      Also the prep time and all that other crap.

      • +1

        Where do you get WPC for $10/Kg?

      • $10/kg for a whey protein? Where? You're off in fairy-land. Even for a dirty concentrate.

  • +3

    Grass Fed, Grass Finished Beef (~20g protein per 100g) ~ $2000 for ~ 200kg butchered direct from farm …

    Also contains CLA, EPA/DHA, Vitamins K2, D3, A, E and B12, etc far more than any protein powder or white meat :P

    • +1

      Not sure how many OzBargainers are dropping $2,000 to a farmer and freezing 200 kilos of beef, but interestingly that works out to be exactly the same as chicken breast at 20 grams of protein per dollar (ignoring the difference in micronutrients).

      • Probably just me :P I bought chest freezers pre-COVID when 500L+ were ~ $500 on sale

        • This gotta have some deeper meaning to it 💀

    • That's pretty decent.

      What cuts do you get?

      • You get all of them, it's the whole cow butchered!

        I guess your options are like T-bone vs NY-strip, minced vs diced vs sliced, etc

        • that's great Scotch, T-Bone, flat-iron, oyster blade are great. I'd be a disappointed if I got was top side, rump and mince. haha

          Where did you get it from?

    • How big a freezer do you need to hold 200kg of beef? How much space is left in your 500L freezer?

      • +1

        One cow with offal, bones and dog bones fits in a 702L freezer with some room for about quarter pig!

        I am guessing without dog bones and without offal (liver, kidneys, heart and sometimes brain) you could fit 200kg in a 500L freezer ;)

        • Thankyou :)

          Gee Pee Tea told me the below but I suspect that's as mince meat and not real world! :P

          const densityOfBeef = 1.04; // kg/L
          const weightOfBeef = 200; // kg

          const volumeOfBeef = weightOfBeef / densityOfBeef;

          console.log(Volume of 200 kg of beef: ${volumeOfBeef} Liters);
          Volume of 200 kg of beef: 192.30769230769232 Liters

          • +1

            @poweredbysugar: Probably in theory, but there is some packing inefficiencies where T-bone isn't the same shape as mince, etc

  • +2

    There's probably a reason bodybuilders mostly eat chicken (and rice?)

    • Rice is very low in protein. Wheat has 4 or 5 times as much.

      • +1

        Body builders need carbs. Rice is one of the cheapest carb sources.

        • And protein. With wheat you get both.
          Notice how people in traditional rice-growing areas were so skinny compared to those living in wheat-growing areas of Asia.

  • +1

    Turn up to coles or woolies at the time they discount the chooks.

    Lentils are probably the most bang for your buck though.

    • I was thinking Lentils as well. 9g of protein per 100g - $2.38 per kilo (coles, probably found cheaper in bulk somewhere).

  • +2

    https://coach.nine.com.au/diet/the-cheapest-sources-of-prote…

    Chickpeas, black beans, lentils, tinned tuna, eggs, milk

    • +4

      I agree. Pulse crop seeds (Chickpeas, lentils, field peas, Mung beans) are in my opinion the best bet. Plenty of fibre as well.

  • +6

    Flour. ~$1/kg, and ~11%, so looking at 110g of protein for $1.

    More seriously, you can make seitan from flour which is essentially washing out all the non-protein and ending up with a legitimately edible and tasty (with the help of some spices), almost pure protein.

    More realistic answer: spend $10 on a 500g bag of gluten flour and make seitan from that.

  • Whey protein concentrate. Bulk nutrients pricing is 90 cents per 23g of protein. Will need to buy 20x1kg bags.

  • Peanut butter. 23g per 100g.

    • Wouldn't peanuts be cheaper and healthier?

      • Of course. Better than having protein that is processed with chemicals. But you know people and money.

        • +1

          Per dollar this comes out to 18g/ dollar, it's decent but still not the best

          • -1

            @JJtoTheRadio: Depends on what price you put in chemicals and filler into your body.

  • Amino Z when they run deals?

  • +1

    It's got to be grass. I mean, look at cows.

    Especially those beefed-up Belgian bulls that look like they could take down a Tyrannosaurus rex.

    • It's funny cuz whey from cows is actually the best source of organic protein

    • +1

      Cows get their protein from farming bacteria in their multiple stomachs. And people think humans are evolution's peak.

  • Milk powder would be the winner I think. $10 for 1kg with around 8.8g of protein per 25g (makes 1 cup of milk).

    Comes to 35g of protein per dollar.

  • -1

    Fish

    • Which fish?

      Salmon is more expensive and fattier than chicken breast.

      Tuna would edge chicken breast out, if mercury content wasn't a concern.

  • Pulses, especially Lentils.

  • Its not all about the %protein an cost. The %protein is in no way an indicator of its bio-availability. The bio-availability can be a fraction of the %protein, especially for plant based protein sources.

    Animal products have the highest bio-availability and contain all the amino-acids essential to build muscle. It is clear that the best protein source is animal based in terms of bio-availability and nutritional health.

  • +2

    Breast Milk. Breast is Best, and cheapest.

    You just have to find someone willing.

  • The butchers around here have liver for less than $6/kg and at around 26% protein, without any preservatives it's probably the most cost effective and healthiest.

  • Gorilla Chow.

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