Balancing your protein budget...ideas to cut costs

How much thought have you given to what you are actually paying out of pocket for the amount of protein you are consuming. In this economy,  the concern is more about the bottom line for your pocketbook? The reality is nothing is cheap anymore. Often a person can purchase a pound of hamburger for far less than pork, chicken, or steak. Not to mention the price for a pound of cashews or almonds can be greater than the cost of meat as a whole. However, cheaper is not always better when you’re looking at food from a protein perspective. Hamburger could run $3.18 per pound with a 19 grams of protein per serving; Pork only costing .80 cents more per pound and containing 21 grams of protein per serving. It may not seem like much, but overall the more protein the better. The ultimate goal is eating more protein, to feed the mind and body, and beginning new healthier eating habits. Protein is what our bodies rely on for an optimum level of productive functioning.

It's time to take a look at the big picture.

Let’s look at this from another perspective. When you look at a weeks’ worth of meals... in today’s economy that .80 cents per pound adds up fast!  However, when looking at healthier eating habits, not buying the bag of chips, gummy worms, and a 12 pack of soda, can balance out the budget for a week, and cut out the negative food intake!
 
Not wanting to move to fast for you, but another option is to cut out all fast food, talk about saving money. You don’t realize how much is spent on eating out. For example, eating out for lunch each day may not seem like a huge budget crusher, you think “it’s only one person.” One person, eating five times a week at $ 5.00(‘ish) a meal, right. Wrong, that actually works out to approximately $100.00 per month give or take. Add in a family of four going out to eat a few times a month.

These are all things to think about!


Eating healthier does cost a bit more, however with thought and preparation the food budget is actually less by cutting out some of the convenient food. The family may complain a little when they have to eat an apple or cheese and crackers instead of grabbing the bag of chips, but in the end it’s all about creating healthier habits for you and your family. At some point, , most everyone thinks about changing their eating habits, increasing protein, and decreasing fatty intake. The first step, thinking about the change, the next step is initiating it!