Can I eat high protein on a budget? Ideas please?

[Bookaholic73]

I’ve decided to start increasing my protein intake, as I’ve heard it keeps you fuller for longer and helps repair muscle after lifting weights.

The problem is that meat, eggs & fish have all become quite expensive, and I can’t eat beans or lentils because they flare up my IBS.

Can I still eat a high protein diet on a budget? If so, what kinds of meals should I be eating?

Eggs, cottage cheese, protein rich yogurt

Chickpeas, quinoa, chia seeds, nuts, peas

Remember fibre fills you up as well as protein - and it’s a lot cheaper so try upping both. The balance is also healthier. A slow cooker is a good way to turn cheaper cuts of meat into stews. Plus protein powder in smoothies

Protein shakes.

Tinned sardines are still very, very cheap. I don't think eggs are that expensive, even if they have gone up. But high protein is always going to be more expensive than filling up on pasta and spuds, yes, especially if you can’t have pulses.

My son is into protein as he exercises a lot and makes shakes of porridge, peanut butter, oat milk and banana, with 2 scoops of protein powder (a £15 bag lasts around 3 weeks).

Milk

Roast a chicken (in the slow cooker).portion it into 100g portions and use in wraps and salads

I used to do a decent meal with frozen salmon on leek with stock and pasta if I wanted it as a main meal.

Thing to remember is actually how little protein you actually need. If you are eating small amounts of meat at every meal. Chances you you will be hitting it

Morrisons do all kinds of tinned mackerel in water , in brine as well as in oil. I lived on it when I was on high protein - mashed up with avocado ( if you can get them cheap) or beetroot or just soy sauce and black pepper. All the supermarkets do mackerel of course but Morrison’s has the most varieties

I think you're better off getting some unflavoured whey protein and adding it to stuff like porridge oats and pancakes. Eggs are also good for lunch and just stick with a normal dinner. Chicken is really expensive but lean and versatile.

How much strength training are you doing? How serious are you about it? If you'd like some support then join the Macros Inc group on Facebook. Thousands on there and lots of useful ways to get protein in - mostly American but the good plain meal stuff is really helpful. Try to stay away from expensive pre-made shakes, bars and anything advertising that it is 'protein'. The level can be surprisingly low (protein noodles I'm looking at you!) and you really pay a premium.

I used to have shakes every day and I think I was overloading with protein. Played havoc with my gut and I'm doing much better by just starting the day with protein porridge and making better choices at mealtimes. Also, drink milk as a snack and switch more of your typical carbs (potato, pasta) for green veg which is carb and protein as well as other good things!

I can’t eat beans or lentils because they flare up my IBS

The more you eat them, the less chance of them making you bloated and causing the IBS. Most people don't eat enough fibre, then blame pulses for causing IBS. They are actually much better sources of nutrition than animal foods, as they are high in protein yet also contain fibre which is essential for a healthy gut. It's also incredibly hard to be deficient in protein as it's in pretty much every thing we eat.

The price of eggs has gone up, but gram for pound, they are still cheap for the protein they pack in. I eat them almost every day to keep me going. I'm not specifically on a high protein diet, I just find I eat less overall of o have eggs for breakfast.

Frozen chicken is cheap by the kilo. I get Tesco precooked frozen or better yet farm foods do a big bag (I think 1.5kg for £5) but I haven't got that in a while. I microwave or put in a wok with some seasoning.

Alternatively frozen chicken breasts are about £4/5 a kilo. I cook them from frozen (wrap in foil). You can get them from Aldi for less but the quality is not as good. I add cooking bacon to a chicken stew.

Also, wait for the yellow stickers. Pork mince is a regular offender. We got two small packets for £1.29 each yesterday.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I’ve done 2 things that sill help:

1. Started shopping in Lidl. This means the price of meat, eggs & fish is cheaper.
2. Changed my mindset. I’d rather spend a little more money to be healthy.

Greek yogurt, cheese omelette, chicken thighs, slow cooked tougher bits of beef, liver is cheap and very good for you, black pudding too, nut butters with celery, snack on cheddar cheese.

That's what they say but in my 5 years as a vegetarian where I lived on lentils, beans, tofu, seitan etc my guts never adjusted. Sadly I feel amazing on keto, not a beep from my stomach and it settled my digestive symptoms in less than a week. Some of us are just not cut out for digesting beans and lentils and I refuse to take beanos for life.

Skim Milk. You can hardly get cheaper protein.

• some Eggs for variety. Therefore pancakes... :)

Lidl do the best Greek yogurt IMO , chicken thighs are also a good option> If you are weight training then you might want to up your healthy fats too such as avocado and full fat cottage cheese.

Frozen avocados are cheaper if you're making shakes etc and don't rely on appearance

Regular UK diets usually contain enough protein for moderate weight training. High protein is rather a fad at the moment.

Eggs aren't expensive! Get the unfashionable white ones - £1 for half a dozen feree range ones. That's 3 meals for a pound.

Chicken thighs aren't expensive either. A pack of seven is well under £3 and provides 3-7 meals. Debone them to make bone broth to use as stock in lentil soup.

Sardines are delicious in a Sicilian style tomato sauce with chilli and garlic.

Beans and pulses are inexpensive.

Even white fish is reasonable if you buy the frozen blocks and use it in a fish pie or kedgeree.

Cheapest protein is found at Lidl....
Cottage cheese and yogurts are cheap
Protein powders give you bang for your buck
Tinned tuna

I don’t eat meat or dairy which makes things a lot harder but manage 120-160g protein a day. It costs a bit because I buy fresh fish for most evening meals but often have tinned tuna. I do add vegan protein powder to green smoothies and have vegan protein bars which are legume based. If you can have the dairy equivalent you’ll be laughing. Aldi sell protein puddings and yogurts that most of my lifting buddies swear by.

Presumably as a vegetarian you were still consuming dairy and eggs though, both of which can cause gut issues? When I cut out dairy my IBS symptoms stopped overnight, nothing short of miraculous. Seitan could also have been a factor since it's mainly gluten.

I have around 60-70g of protein a day. Grab a bag of skim milk powder and add a spoon or two to your regular milk and it will increase the protein, you can do it with yoghurt or cottage cheese too.
No sugar peanut butter is good, or tahini (cheapest from a middle eastern grocery shop rather than supermarkets). Spread on toast add to yoghurt.
Cook pasta in stock rather than water.
I eat mixed beans (cooked in stock and frozen) and scrambled eggs for breakfast everyday

How about tofu? It’s easier on my digestion than beans and lentils. It’s worth exploring an Asian supermarket if you have one nearby, as they will have a much bigger range of different formats beyond the chunks you find in mainstream shops. For example, DH buys sheets of tofu and cuts them into ribbons, then cooks like pasta/noodles. It’s very tasty and filling!