For the reason that the cost of living continues to rise, I've had to scale back on the amount I can budget for groceries, which is working against me considering groceries are also continuously on the rise. As I don't expect any change in the foreseeable future, even more sacrifices will have to be made in order to support my daughter and I without relying on consumer debt (which I'm trying to get out of and avoid). We’ve already been going without snacks and extras for the most part, which she isn’t happy about, to make up for increasing meat prices while I try to consume enough protein. When it comes to hitting my macros, I've been getting by on just the bare minimum (1g/lb LBM ~ 165g) and sometimes even coming up short on that. Where I live, beef ranges from $4 to $5/lb, depending on the cut and/or leanness, and chicken breasts are just as much. To get 150'ish grams of protein from meat alone, I'm looking at around 1.5lb of it per day, or ~ $6.75/day. Over the course of 15 days, we’re looking at $101.25, or 72% of my $140-per-pay-period grocery budget. That’s just for meat, and just for me, which doesn’t even account for my daughter’s needs.
I do take advantage of sales, use coupons when I can, and have tried getting by on some less than ideal alternatives. I ate ground turkey (mushy) and ground pork for quite a while because I could get it for $3-3.29/lb, but the sight of it now just about turns my stomach. I tried chicken thighs but don't care for the gristle and greasy taste; drumsticks are good, but 1) I'm always concerned I'm logging calories wrong with them, and 2) they require more time to prepare, which is a precious commodity (especially now, during ball season, which can keep me out at the park until 9:30PM several nights per week).
I'm thinking of ways to adjust my diet/shopping to offset the costs. Obviously I don't eat *just* meat, or rely on it as my lone source of protein, but it might be worth reducing the amount we *do* consume by half, or more, and supplementing the protein from other sources. Eggs are a cheap source of protein, but I've eaten so many over the years that I can only stomach a few at a time now before my appetite shuts down. I guess I need to look at the breakdown of cost for various protein sources.
8oz of chicken/beef will provide approximately 45g of protein for the cost of around $2.25, or $0.05 per gram. Milk is about $3.50 for a gallon, providing 16 cups at 8g/per, so that's less than $0.03 per gram. A can of black beans can be had for around $1, for 28g, which comes out to 3.5 cents/g (slightly more than milk for similar macro density). There's a protein bar I get once in a while that's only like $1.25 for 30g protein. I'm not going to start replacing my meals with them but, for that price and protein-calorie ratio, I can probably work one in on occasion. The same can be said for the 2oz beef steaks from Jack Links, which have the same macros as a lean cut of beef or chicken breast (120 cal 23gP). They're the most expensive on this list at $1.89 (8 cents per gram) but, when you're short on time, the fact that the only preparation needed is the separation of the packaging is very convenient (plus they're tasty and satisfying/satiating). Then there's whey powder. The last tub I bought was a 2lb of ON for $26, I think (I don't use it often because I don't have any problem eating my calories), which has 29 servings at 24g and comes out to less than $0.04/g.
Gah! I guess, when I look at it this way, the meat really isn't as expensive as I thought it was. It just frustrates me that a $10 grocery item only lasts 2 meals… There are, of course, other various sources of protein like tuna, pork, hard cheeses and nut butters. Trace amounts are also found in more processed foods, but I don’t consider them enough to provide adequate levels without exceeding your caloric allowances.
If we were to trim the list down to ten, then they would sort in the following order:
Milk - $0.027/g, or 36.57g per dollar
Eggs - $0.028/g, or 35.56g/$1
Dry roasted peanuts - $0.031, or 32g/$1
Black beans - $0.032/g, or 31.11g/$1
ON 100% Whey - $0.037/g, or 26.77g/$1
Ground turkey (85/15) - $0.037/g, or 26.75g/$1
Premier Nutrition bar - $0.039/g, or 25.42g/$1
Chicken breast & lean ground beef - $0.048/g, or 20.96g/$1
Jack Link’s beef steak - $0.082/g, or 12.17g/$1
Greek yogurt & cottage cheese - $0.083/g, or 12g/$1
Milk & eggs place at the top of this list when we look at the cost value, but keep in mind this isn’t all there is to consider. The nutrient density of milk is much heavier than in a chicken breast: where a pound of the latter would provide around 96g of protein at the cost of less than 500kcal, you would have to drink 1560kcal of the former to reach that level (without getting into a discussion on the levels of availability). Just some ‘food for thought’ (Ha!) if you’re running a deficit to cut. Another factor is convenience. If you’re a busy professional and single parent on the go, then you might find yourself grabbing more beef steaks & yogurt coups when you lack the time to prepare a meal, but you’ll be paying more for it. Again, it’s about finding a balance that works into your lifestyle and your nutritional needs.
How are y'all adapting to this, and what changes have you had to make to your diet to accommodate it? If you've had to cut back on your food budget, what are you doing to hit your macros?
No comments:
Post a Comment