Cheapest source of protein in UK??

stonehouse

So the trick would seem to be to eat just enough (given your lifestyle, including requirements of exercise / training), but not too much. Unfortunately it's quite difficult to know how to get this balance right..

Yes, this really is the issue. Fine if you have a staffed kitchen that can work these things out and keep your level correct but the rest of us have to guess.

Quorn is a high protein food that vegetarians use instead of meat. The price can vary quite a lot but I think it depends mainly on where you shop.

Quorn pieces are an excellent meat substitute, low in fat, good levels of protein and if cooked properly (not very long) can be very tasty and a great substitute for chicken without the potential issues. Quorn mince can make a great lasagne or spag bol without the horrible fatty slime that using meat leaves on your plate.

Chickpeas and lentils used in various types of cooking (Indian my fav) are packed with protein and much cheaper and better for you than their meat equivalents.

DaveyL

stonehouse wrote:

Not to mention the possible health issues of consuming too much protein, we need far less than is commonly thought:

http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog ... -risk.html

Edamame beans are a very good source of cheap protein, I use them as in between meals snack.

Surely that aritcle suggests health issues with consuming too many "animal products", not protein.

And with studies of this type and conclusions drawn from them, it would be hlelpful to know how much "too much" is...

neeb

Surely that aritcle suggests health issues with consuming too many "animal products", not protein.

And with studies of this type and conclusions drawn from them, it would be hlelpful to know how much "too much" is...

Well, without having seen the original study, the title and description suggest that it was a low protein diet that was potentially beneficial, while the comments about people eating too many animal products were secondary advice (if you eat lots of animal products you are going to get lots of protein AND probably lots of animal fats too). If the study was any good it will have controlled for the protein source by including lots of different protein diets and demonstrating that it was the protein, rather than the protein source, that was making the difference.

Yes, I agree it would be useful to know how much is too much. Also whether it is the total amount of protein consumed that is the main factor or amount of excess protein - if you are active you will be needing and using more protein to repair muscles etc., so perhaps you can eat a little more before you are eating more than you need.

It's exactly because of tentative evidence such as this that I am very suspicious of the idea that you should stuff yourself with huge amounts of excess protein from powders, recovery drinks etc. on a regular basis. These things also tend to be derived from dairy products, and there is evidence that too much dairy is not very good in itself. Generally the western diet is far too high in protein, meat, dairy products, animal fats and refined carbohydrates. Need to eat more beans, wholegrains and veg. We are also going to destroy the few remaining natural habitats as well as end up with massive global food shortages if the developing countries all start adopting a western meat & dairy based diet.

DaveyL

neeb wrote:

Surely that aritcle suggests health issues with consuming too many "animal products", not protein.

And with studies of this type and conclusions drawn from them, it would be hlelpful to know how much "too much" is...

Well, without having seen the original study, the title and description suggest that it was a low protein diet that was potentially beneficial, while the comments about people eating too many animal products were secondary advice (if you eat lots of animal products you are going to get lots of protein AND probably lots of animal fats too). If the study was any good it will have controlled for the protein source by including lots of different protein diets and demonstrating that it was the protein, rather than the protein source, that was making the difference.

Yes, I agree it would be useful to know how much is too much. Also whether it is the total amount of protein consumed that is the main factor or amount of excess protein - if you are active you will be needing and using more protein to repair muscles etc., so perhaps you can eat a little more before you are eating more than you need.

It's exactly because of tentative evidence such as this that I am very suspicious of the idea that you should stuff yourself with huge amounts of excess protein from powders, recovery drinks etc. on a regular basis. These things also tend to be derived from dairy products, and there is evidence that too much dairy is not very good in itself. Generally the western diet is far too high in protein, meat, dairy products, animal fats and refined carbohydrates. Need to eat more beans, wholegrains and veg. We are also going to destroy the few remaining natural habitats as well as end up with massive global food shortages if the developing countries all start adopting a western meat & dairy based diet.

It would be usefull to know how much is too much. Then we could start making statements like "the western diet is too high in protein"

From my anecdotal, n=a very small number experience, though, I would suggest we don't eat too much protein. I'd suggest it's difficult to get more than, say 1.8-2 g/kg body weight of protein regularly into your diet, without consuming quantities of carbs and fats that would put your daily calorie intake way too high. I would certainly say our diet is generally too high in carbs, if anything.