Protein for the poor college student?

Hello! I am a broke college student who is trying to lose at least 5% (hopefully up to 9% eventually) of my body fat and gain more lean muscle mass. I know that protein is very important for this, but the problem is I am often too poor to afford good quality, low fat meat.

I normally end up eating mostly carbs because of this (70% usually). Does anyone know any low fat options that I can try to gain more protein? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Here is some other info about me if needed:

5'7" female, small frame, 131 pounds, about 30% body fat

Attempted eating habits: *Foods with 25% or less fat *Less than 2000mg of sodium a day *40g of sugar or less a day (not including one fruit freebie)

As a bonus, does anyone know what protein % I should be eating to become more muscular? Thanks!

You should be eating 1 g of protein per pound of body weight (ex. 100 g if you weigh 100 pounds).  Some great options are tuna, chicken, cottage cheese (you get this in fat free and 2% if you like), and my personal favorite, greek yogurt.   Tuna's the cheapest and easiest, since it doesn't need to be refrigerated or cooked.

Eggs or egg whites, beans, tofu, and dairy are all good sources of protein, and can be found pretty cheap.  

Beans!  They're cheap (even more so if you buy dried beans and cook them yourself. rather then buying them canned) and very versatile.

As a broke graduate student to another student. :) Beans are your friends. They are dirt cheap if you are buying dried. Even pre-cooked they are not all that expensive. As others have mentioned chicken is a good source of protein, so as fish.

Thanks for the replies! I really appreciate the advice.

I usually eat chicken...LOTS of chicken, which is why I was looking for suggestions. I can only take so much of it...haha... Sorry, I forgot to mention that in my first post.

I never considered beans and tofu, but now I will! I guess they are a balance of carbs and protein, so that works. Is there a difference between animal protein and plant protein? I will have to look into that further.

Also, would a protein shake (water added, low sugar, not the weight gain kind) be a decent way to add a bit extra. If I need one gram for every pound, I am sadly way under the mark by about 70g a day. :(

I found toasted soy nuts. They are very high protein and low on calories and fairly inexpensive.

Tuna is awesome like people have said but apparently you're not meant to eat too much due to the mercury content!! I think it's something like a can a week as the recommendation...sad because I love it and usually end up eating more than that anyway...

This is an awesome thread - there should be more like it in these times - cheap sources of high quality nutrition - and in the weightloss section - where most will read it.

My input - 

canned tuna (but as well all know - watch the mercury) / stolen milk from your parent's fridge / eggs / liver / cottage cheese / canned fish other than tuna / and finally protein powder - though it looks expensive there's a lot in one tub.

Good chicken is just too damned expensive, as is beef.

DO NOT underestimate the value of stealing food from your parents.

Original Post by arlanet:

Attempted eating habits: *Foods with 25% or less fat *Less than 2000mg of sodium a day *40g of sugar or less a day (not including one fruit freebie)

Why so low on the fats? eating fats help you lose fat.

To add onto what other's have already said (which is all right on), I think whey powder is about as cheap as protain gets.

google protein..lots of cheap natural food choices...cut out the meat,  junk food processed foods.   Drink tap water, and with a Vegan diet you will see your grocery bill cut a lot.  Add  a lot of cereal grains to the diet, they are not that expensive and can be bought from a bulk or natural food stores.  They fill you up on small quantities and they supply a lot of daily fibre and nutrients. 

Poor student...I remember those days.  I had two other students/friends and we would by a lot of bulk foods which are cheaper and then split the cost 3 ways to save even more money.

@Peachysam - Yeah, the high mercury content scares me a bit so I cut down to two times a week on the tuna. I read that the mercury content could increase the risk of alzheimers if eaten more than that. :(

@floggingsully - A low fat diet helps reduce calories automatically as fat contains the highest amount of calories (9 per gram) compared to others such a carbs and protein. Also, watching fat content helps me keep an eye on saturated fats as well keeping my heart healthy! In any case, I don't really consider it that low in fat. 25% of cals from fat is actually a good portion in my opinion and if you think about it, it is only slightly less than the government's recommended 30% value.

Thanks for all the advice given! I appreciate it and will definitely look into suggested options. :)

Canned sardines are an excellent source of protein and also very high in calcium.  They have more omega-3 fatty acids and much less mercury than tuna since they are a small fish and don't concentrate toxins (lower on the food chain).  Singe serving cans, too.  I like the mustard-sauce ones but you can get them plain and flavor them with whatever.

I also make a cheap protein shake with GNC's whey protein complex: 17 gms protein for 100 calories and about 50 cents (US) per serving.  I mix one scoop with a pint of green tea in a reused water bottle and get hydration, antioxidants and a mild caffeine boost for my workout at the same time.

Hope that helps!

6 Months ago I was in Moscow on a business trip. Since we had a lot of work to do rather than going out to a restaurant for lunch we ate in the company canteen. The cook was a babushka short and robust with a farrowed brow and rosy cheeks. She had prepared a tipical russian menu: borsht (cabbage and beet soup), bitokes (russian meatballs), and Kasha (toasted buckwheat).

I had not eaten kasha for years and had forgotten what a distinctive and tasty side dish it is. I took a few kilos home and was very happy to learn that it is a terrific high protien carbohydrate. The Russians normally add butter to their kasha but it is an optional and not necessary. It makes a great side dish and one can flavour it with some mushrooms or other vegetables sauteed in olive oil.

I also enjoy it as a porridge for breakfast adding cooked kasha to some low fat milk flavoring it with cinnamon and a few pitted prunes cut into small pieces or rasins. 

Nutrition Notes
As a whole grain, substituting kasha in place of refined grains can add nutrients, flavour and texture to your meals. With a 12-15-minute simmer time, it is quick-cooking and versatile.

Kasha is closer to being a complete protein than other plant sources, including soybeans, since it contains all eight essential amino acids in good proportion. In particular, kasha contains significant amounts of the amino acid lysine, which makes it unique as a grain substitute, since this amino acid is typically lacking in most true grains. Kasha is gluten free.

Kasha is full of B vitamins and is rich in phosphorous, potassium, iron and calcium. One cup of buckwheat kasha kernels contains more than 20% of the recommended daily intake of fibre.

1 cup of cooked kasha provides approximately 155 calories, 5.7 grams protein, 4.5 grams fibre, 1 gram of fat, 

erbe 38, I second the buckwheat motion! I grew up in Poland, and everyone in my family hated it (including me) except for my mom. But as I grew older, I began to appreciate the unique flavour. Now I love it, and hardly a week goes by that I don't eat it. Apparently the Russians make a dish from buckwheat, bowtie pasta, and fried onions - I haven't cooked it yet, but if you used whole wheat pasta and fried the onions in olive oil, it would be super filling and really healthy! It's dirt cheap, too. I eat it as a side dish to everything, I even eat it with spaghetti sauce! I wouldn't recommend putting it in soup, though - it overpowers all the other flavours.

I live in Canada now and sadly, hardly anyone has heard of buckwheat. When I brought it to work for lunch one day, everyone was asking what it was. Shame, because it's really awesome!

Go Kasha!

Mmmm Kasha that brings back childhood memories. I should go out and buy some.

UD

Lentils, chickpeas, plain yoghurt and eggs are my current protein choices.

Also, braise fattier cuts of meat, which are nearly always cheaper, and skim off the fat.

Someone mentioned soy beans...edamame a source of soy protein is another good way to get protein.

I buy dry roasted edamame (lightly salted, I can't find plain) and in a 1/4 cup serving there is 14 grams of protein, 8 grams of fiber, 130 calories, and 4 grams of fat.  It's a great snack!

Also, you can look for the frozen edamame in the frozen vegetable section.  Instead of eating popcorn while watching a movie, steam them in the bag and with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt it makes a great snack!  I don't know how many servings are in a bag though, so just be careful so you don't go over your daily calorie limit. Splitting the bag with someone usually works well.  Get the ones in the pod - definitely more fun to eat, just be careful not to eat the pods!