Advice on cheap proteins.

[resjudicata]

@walshmeister Tvp. Not from countdown get it from a bulk shop usually around $0.90 per 100g and 50%protein

 

[walshmeister]

@resjudicata Didn't even know this existed. Good stuff to put it with to add flavour?

 

[resjudicata]

@walshmeister Well use it as a mince substitute so in things like spaghetti bowl, chili etc

Also make burgers and add black beans, garlic, onion, liquid smoke, paprika.

There’s heaps of ideas online

 

[pammy777]

@walshmeister I soak mine in a plant-based beef stock (presumably you could use real stock) and a little soy sauce, then use it similarly to mince. Usually in things with generous amounts of garlic.

 

[unlitmikey]

@resjudicata Try a little TVP first before you go ahead and stock up on it. Can be difficult to digest for some people.

 

[revdr]

@unlitmikey Yes! I really like making lasagne and nachos etc with it but it makes some of my friends get reeeaaallly gassy

 

[roman72]

@resjudicata Any shops out in west Auckland you know of?

 

[emosoundlogic]

@roman72 Bin Inn usually have it https://www.bininn.co.nz/auckland if any are close to you

 

[godislove333]

@resjudicata Haven’t seen that for years. My mum used to cook it to save money. Can also add it to mince to bulk it out. I bought it a few times as an adult, I didn’t find the flavour was too bad, didn’t seem to need a lot added. Sort of reminds me a little of yeast spread. I used to snack on it right out of the packet, but maybe that’s just me.

 

[resjudicata]

@godislove333 Yea it’s in a lot of bulk stores. There is some in supermarkets but it costs a lot. Yea you definitely need to add flavour however if adding to spag bowl sauce, chili, Shepards pie etc you usually add flavour anyway. However just add herbs and spices, soy sauce, smoke flavour for things like burgers.

It’s not uncommon for things to be billed up with tvp (soy protein) that we buy off the shelves.

Heaps of recipes online as well

 

[childoflight555]

@walshmeister If you can get your hands on Alison Holst’s Meals without Meat she has some amazing low cost vege options.

 

[godislove333]

@childoflight555 Yes! That’s one of my favourite books of hers. Thanks for the reminder. I forgot I had that. Not vegetarian but the recipes in it are really great even for meat eaters wanting to eat more vegetarian for health or reduce costs. Also “meals without red meat” is great too. I’m a big fan of hers.

 

[melco]

@walshmeister OP asked for proteins. A bunch of vegans gave them foods like lentils which have twice as much carbs as protein.

 

[melissauk]

@walshmeister cheapest is prob a whey protien shake. about $1.60 a serve

 

[torgor67]

@walshmeister Chicken breast and protein powder are both roughly 6 cents per gram currently.

Protein powder prices gone up a lot past few years, so now they're on par.

Eggs were cheap too at 3 to 4 cents per gram, but those are now much higher than chicken breast.

Vege options are fine, however, if your main purpose of protein is for weight training, muscle building, try stick to high PCDAAS score (e.g. milk, whey, eggs, meat, score very high, where stuff like wheat not so much).

 

[warmdrinkscolddays]

@walshmeister As a very frugal person who attempts to eat 120g of protein per day, I get almost all of mine from here

https://nowhey.co.nz

Additionally I eat a lot of shredded poached chicken and legumes. But those shakes are definitely the best

 

[christianguy_1988]

@walshmeister Don't buy canned lentils and beans, buy dry from bin inn or an Indian supermarket, sooo much cheaper.

 

[yttrium]

@walshmeister Honestly bro eat chicken or drink milk.

Not all proteins are created equally

https://www.mondoscience.com/blog/2017/10/25/100-amino-acid-score

 

[verajosefine]

@yttrium All animal proteins are fine, if you’re only eating vegetarian ones you should eat at least two sources but ideally 3 or 4

Rice for example doesn’t have much methionine and chickpeas don’t have much lysine. If you ate only one you’d be deficient in one amino acid but if you eat an equal amount of both you’d be fine

 

[albertha849]

@yttrium Amino acids are created equally and all are available in plants. Not hard to combine them for overall more optimal nutrient balance than just getting it from animal sources. I'm a dietitian so don't talk back lmao