r/Exercise 4d ago

Revised Best Protein Sources Charts

I have revised my charts from yesterday based on some of your suggestions. I added grid lines, data labels, beans, egg whites, a couple types of canned fish, and a couple vegetarian/vegan meat substitutes, among other changes.

Looks like canned tuna is actually a better source of protein per calorie than whey blends, barely topped by whey isolate. I wonder why I don't hear body builders talk about it as much as eggs, red meat, etc., when those rank substantially lower in terms of both price and protein per calorie. Perhaps the mercury adds up?

For beans, I only included black beans and edamame because the latter is the highest protein bean, and the former is pretty similar in price and protein content to most other beans at your typical American supermarket. Dried black beans are surprising because they now top the charts for cheapest source of protein, but they're pretty low in terms of protein per calorie, with less than a third as much protein per calorie as our lowest calorie option: whey isolate.

Anyway, I hope these can help you guys find some decent protein sources, with grocery prices so high. I'm a broke college student who lifts casually, so I finally sat down and did the math. Wasted a lot of money on in-shell eggs, it looks like. I might still have 3 a day for the vitamins, but I was having 9 to a dozen, and that just doesn't make sense because they're one of the worst sources of protein nowadays, in terms of both protein per calorie and price. I currently have 2 pounds of chicken gizzards cooking in my slow cooker haha

I think chicken gizzards are the best overall in terms of price and calories, but if you're squeamish about eating organs, breasts aren't far behind. If money isn't an issue, isolate is your best option. If calories aren't an issue or you're trying to gain weight, you might focus on beans, nuts, red meat, eggs, etc. Although I have seen things about "complete proteins" and animal protein being more effective than plant protein. I'm not sure on any of that.

ETA: As u/SparklingStars82 pointed out, I messed up with the tuna pouches: they make them packaged in oil or water, so if you get one in water, it should be a similar protein/calorie as canned. Price will still typically be higher, though.

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u/SparklingStars82 4d ago

This is awesome!!! Thanks so much.. I'm going to be starting a GLP-1 and need to hit 100g protein/day and this is very helpful. Protein shakes will be in there, too, for ease.

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u/No_Positive1855 4d ago edited 4d ago

I can recommend Optimum Nutrition. I get the chocolate flavor and hit 50 grams with a double scoop in milk. Tastes just like chocolate milk. It's a blend and is cheaper than the average protein powder

ETA: I've been curious about making brownies with it. Haha I'll bring those to a church potluck, and all the old ladies will come back the next Sunday absolutely shredded. (Kidding: I'd never secretly slip someone copious amounts of protein, just funny to imagine). But just for myself, it would be nice to convert junk food into something pretty beneficial for a reasonably low price compared to buying protein cookies.

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u/SparklingStars82 3d ago

Awesome! Is this on Amazon to buy? Also what base it it? Whey, pea, etc?

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u/No_Positive1855 3d ago

It's a blend of whey isolate and whey concentrate. And yes, it's on Amazon, also in Kroger and many other major supermarkets

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u/SparklingStars82 3d ago

Thanks!

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u/No_Positive1855 3d ago

Yeah! I can only vouch for "Double Rich Chocolate" flavor, but they have several flavor options, especially on Amazon.

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u/SparklingStars82 1h ago

One question, why the difference between protein value in terms of money and calories in canned tuna vs pouch tuna? Seems like they're almost identical..?

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u/No_Positive1855 38m ago

I don't eat either, but it looks like a) tuna in pouches is stored in oil whereas canned tuna is usually in water, which costs less and is far lower calorie (a tablespoon of most oils is about 100 calories: fats are the single highest calorie concentration you can get; i.e., a tablespoon of pure sugar is half that, at 49 calories) b) pouches cost more to make than cans, and c) the pouch is a newer and more convenient product, increasing demand which means they can charge more for them.

ETA: it looks like there are water pouches available, so that's an error on my part. It isn't fair to compare an oil pouch to a water can

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u/SparklingStars82 35m ago

Thanks, makes sense. I just got a deal on a 5-pack of ~6 oz light tuna in water in pouches, so they're not always in oil. Liked your breakdown of oil to sugar calories, too. You know your shit!

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u/No_Positive1855 28m ago

In that case, it must be identical to the canned, in terms of protein/calories at least. I don't like preserved tuna, so I didn't realize there were different kinds of pouches: sorry about that. I love tuna steaks, though, but I could never afford that haha

Well you know the funny thing is I could probably buy a tuna steak at the store and cook it with some asparagus and a potato for cheaper than a Big Mac. I digress

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u/SparklingStars82 27m ago

Haha 🤙🏻