By: Chris Gates

Regardless of your fitness goal, eating high protein is critical.

If you want to build muscle, or lose weight, or get stronger, or simply just improve your overall health, protein plays a massive role.

But it also comes with a cost…

Eating nutritious foods isn’t always affordable, but in this article I’ve outlined exactly how to eat high protein on a budget!

By the end, you’ll learn:

• How much protein should you eat?
• What are the best high protein foods on a budget?
• What’s the best strategy for you to save money and eat nutritiously?

So let’s dive in and break it all down!

How to Eat High Protein on a Budget: How Much Protein Should You Eat?

Before you go to the store and start searching for the most budget friendly protein sources, it’s important to have an idea of what your protein goal is.

How much protein should you eat a day?

Well, there are a number of ways you can figure it out.

A popular recommendation is to eat one gram of protein per pound of your bodyweight. This works for a lot of people, but it’s not ideal in every case.

What I’ve found to be most effective is to take your height in centimeters, and eat that many grams of protein. It helps to level the playing field and make sure you’re not eating too much protein, or too little, due to your bodyweight. Let me give you an example:

• Let’s say I have a client who 5-foot-11, which translates to 180cm.
• That client’s daily protein goal would be 180 grams of protein.

You can do that quick calculation to get your daily protein goal as well.

But here’s something important to keep in mind…

If you calculate your protein goal and it’s high. I mean really high. Like, way higher than you’re accustomed to eating…

Start with something smaller. Trying to go from 50 grams of protein a day to 180 will be difficult for a number of reasons.

1. It’s going to be a shock to your system, and you may run into gastro intestinal issues.
2. It’s a massive mountain to climb in one day. If your protein is very low, simply eating a little bit more is going to benefit you. You don’t have to double or triple your intake right off the bat.
3. If you do try to double or triple your protein intake, you’ll likely struggle. And potentially get discouraged. And potentially quit.

So here are my basic protein recommendations. Pick whatever situation most closely aligns with you.

• Take your height in centimeters, and eat that many grams of protein a day if you already eat a high-protein diet.
• If you don’t currently eat a lot of protein, start by trying to eat 100 grams a day. And slowly build on that number over time.

How to Eat High Protein on a Budget: Cheap and Healthy Options

Now that you’ve got a solid idea of how much protein you should eat a day, let’s talk about how to eat high protein on a budget!

There are actually tons of options you can choose from to keep costs relatively low, while making sure your protein intake is high.

Here are 13 of my favorites…

Eggs

Eggs are high in protein, along with many other nutrients that will benefit your overall health. And you can buy up large batches of them for a relatively low cost.

One dozen eggs will run you around $2, and a single egg comes with about 6 grams of protein.

The options are seemingly endless with how you can prepare eggs, meaning this is not only a great cost-effective protein source, but it’s one that has staying power. Cook them any way you please.

Eggs are also listed quite high on the satiety index, which is a database of the foods that will fill you up the most. And if you feel full and satisfied on a regular basis, that’s going to help your budget as well, since you won’t be constantly looking for food to eat.

You should definitely incorporate eggs into your high protein diet.

Canned Chicken, Turkey, Tuna or Salmon

Meats are often the most expensive protein sources to buy. But luckily, there are canned versions of most meats that will help you save a bunch of money, while also keeping your protein high.

You can get canned chicken, canned turkey, or canned salmon for around $2 a can. Canned tuna comes in even cheaper at around $1 a can. And these foods are packed with protein!

• Chicken: 15g of protein per 3 ounce serving.
• Turkey: 15g of protein per 3 ounce serving.
• Salmon: 20g of protein per can.
• Tuna: 25g of protein per can.

These are cheap to buy, easy to store and meal prep with, and they’re high in protein and other nutrients!

Ground Turkey or Ground Beef

The ground versions of meats tend to be less expensive than the actual whole meats you can buy at the deli. Ground turkey and ground beef are some of the best examples…

• A turkey breast may run you $7-$8 a pound, while ground turkey costs $3.50-$4 a pound.
• Ground beef costs around $5 a pound, while other forms of red meat cost $8-$9 per pound (or even more).

These are still high in protein and other nutrients that will benefit you overall health, and they come in a variety of different styles to fit whatever your goals are. For instance, you could choose 95% lean ground beef if you’re trying to keep calories low, or you could go up to 80% lean if you’ve got more flexibility with your diet.

Buy these in bulk, cook them in bulk, and store them in the fridge for meals throughout the week.

Oats

A lot of people view oats as a carb source, but you’ll get a ton of protein from eating oats as well!

And they’re cheap.

I mean, really cheap.

You can get rolled oats for as cheap as $1 a pound, and one cup will add around 25 grams of protein to your diet. That’s insane!

And oats are another food that is great if you’re trying to lose weight. They’re one of the most filling foods you can find. Whether you eat oats for breakfast, or as a snack later in the day, it’s a great high-protein, budget friendly protein source.

Black Beans

Black beans are incredibly versatile, incredibly cheap, and they will add protein to your diet.

It shouldn’t cost you much more than $1 for a can of black beans, and each can has a total of 25-30 grams of protein in it. They’re one of the best vegan protein sources you can find, and you can toss them into just about any meal!

Toss one serving into a taco bowl or on top of a salad, or mix them into your soup or chili, and you’ll add 7-10 additional grams of protein to your food.

And if you’re trying to lose weight, the high fiber content of black beans is going to help you feel full as well.

Frozen Edamame

Similar to black beans, you can add vegetables to your meals to add a little bit of additional plant-based protein.

And frozen veggies tend to be affordable, easy to store, and easy to whip up in just a few minutes. You can find mixed vegetable bags for right around $1 a bag at most grocery stores.

Edamame is probably the best option if you’re looking to get a high-protein vegetable source. One serving of frozen edamame (3/4 cup) will add an additional 8-10 grams of protein to your diet.

And it tastes amazing! Lightly salt edamame, and have it as a snack throughout the day.

Plain Greek Yogurt

On the topic of high-protein snacks, you have to know about plain greek yogurt. It’s arguably the best protein-packed snack on the planet, and I’d highly recommend you incorporate this one into your regular routine.

One large tub of plain greek yogurt should only cost you about $5, which comes out to right around $1 per serving.

And each serving has a whopping 15-20 grams of protein!

Greek yogurt can be a snack on its own, and you can add berries, granola, nuts, or a host of other toppings to sweeten it up.

You can also use greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream, cream cheese, and other ingredients when baking to bump up the protein content of whatever you’re preparing.

Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is another protein-packed snack option that’s great if you’re trying to eat high protein on a budget.

Admittedly, it’s not for everyone. The consistency and taste seem to make cottage cheese a love it, or lose it type of food. But it’s incredibly high in protein, and incredibly budget friendly.

One cup of cottage cheese is typically going to provide you with 20-25 grams of protein, and a 24-ounce tub will only cost you around $2-$3 these days. That comes out to around 50 cents per serving, which is insane!

Whey Protein

Don’t overlook supplementation as an affordable way to consume protein as well.

Whey protein is sold in basically every grocery store nowadays, along with being readily available online. Most brands sell large tubs of it (30-40 servings per tub), and the cost per serving comes out to $1-$1.50 per serving.

For any protein source, when you’re looking at eating high protein on a budget it’s important to look at the cost per serving. If it’s as low as $1-$2, it’s going to be a cost-efficient protein source.

Whey definitely fits that description, and it’s super convenient to toss a scoop into 8-10 ounces of water for a quick 25 grams of protein.

When you combine cost and convenience, whey protein is a no brainer.

Your High Protein Meal Plan

Alright, so now you have a really good idea of what some of the best high-protein sources are for eating on a budget.

How should you go about building your diet?

Here’s a quick and easy strategy…

Start by thinking about what you’d like to eat for each meal of the day. Break it into the main three meals, and add a snack or two.

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Snack

You’ve got some options in the list above that will work out really well.

For your breakfast, you could do a serving of oats and add a scoop of whey protein. That will kick off your day with an easy 40-50 grams of protein, and the total cost per serving of those two items is less than $2.

For lunch, any of your canned items are a great choice. One serving of either chicken, turkey, salmon, or tuna will add 15-25 grams of protein. And once again, these options are extremely cheap.

For your snack, you could munch on a serving of frozen edamame. There’s another 8-10 grams of protein.

And for dinner, you could cook up 4-5 ounces of ground turkey or ground beef to add another 20-25 grams of protein.

This is obviously just an example. I’m not telling you to eat these exact foods every day.

But that comes out to right around 100 grams of protein for the day, and it should only cost you $6-$7.

That will fit into just about anybody’s budget!

You can definitely eat high protein on a budget. I hope these options, and this game plan, was helpful.

Thanks for reading!

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I hope you found this article helpful! If you’re interested in getting help with your nutrition and fitness, check out my online coaching page! I work with people all over the world to build muscle, burn fat, and develop more confidence through fitness and nutrition. I’d love to help you, too!