One very pertinent issue that must cross people’s minds in the cost of the food that they eat. In my view, many people have the view that eating healthy (link to a post) is more expensive than eating normally (whatever that may mean). I’d have to say, this idea has some merit. However, the difference can be very minimal and sometimes you may end up spending less. [1]
In my experience, the 3 biggest money sinks when it comes to eating healthy would be to get an adequate protein intake, fruit and vegetable intake and to get the necessary supplements. Note that the last item is not absolutely necessary, but comes up commonly enough to warrant a discussion.
Finally, before we begin, let me say that this varies enormously from region to region. In places like California, organic produce is abundant, protein powders are cheap, and other supplements are cheap as well. A place like Guang Zhou China may be the opposite. Foodstuffs in some places like Europe can also be really expensive. As someone who has visited numerous places and has lived in Singapore for a period of time, I can sympathise.
There is unfortunately no solution, since food prices are governed by the laws of economics, the produce of the region and the vagary’s of national government policies. Your best bet, would be to ask people who are interested in the same goal (athletes in particular) and grab the money saving tips they use to stick to their diets.
Protein intake
I’ve mentioned in my basics of nutrition post that one should be eating 1g/lbs lean body mass (LBM) of protein a day for good health (see notes for disclaimer). [2] However, this isn’t always easy.
First, let’s establish some typical values for both males and females.
Let’s take an 90kg/196lbs male at 15% body fat. He has approximately 167lbs of LBM. Let’s now take a 60kg/132lbs female at 25% body fat. She has approximately 99lbs of LBM.
That means that in these examples, we are talking about 170g of protein a day for the male, and 100g of protein a day for the female. So we can already see the fact that since males are on average larger and have lower body fat [3], they need more protein.
For the male, this represents eating 800g of chicken breast (weighed raw) a day while it is only about 480g for the female. Granted that you’re not getting all your day’s protein from chicken breast, but its pretty obvious that eating that much is going to get pricey fast.
Very likely, the best course of action would be to buy stuff in bulk. Bulk chicken breasts, bulk beef, etc. I know this isn’t that easy in some countries, and to that, I unfortunately offer no solution. Again, ask around to see what other people who pursue the same lifestyle do. However, never obsess over this item and if you can’t afford this kind of protein intake (which is not the practice of most of the world), don’t kill yourself doing it. Remember your priorities.
Fruit and Vegetable Intake
Let’s settle the fact once and for all that an adequate consumption of fruits and vegetables is good for you. While I’m totally against the Raw Food movement, 6 serves of fruit and vegetables a day can give nothing but benefits.
In the context of keeping cost low. I would say the only solution is to get seasonal fruits. This should be pretty obvious and I will end it there.
Supplements
First, I would like to say that the need for supplements is arguably an evident one, and my next article will touch on that, so stay tuned.
For now, I will assume that some form of supplementation is going to be used.
First, I will use the vague qualifier of supplements as: Anything that isn’t food.
And that would be a good bridge to the first use of supplements: to get a cheap and convenient protein intake; Protein Powders.
If you take out your calculator and punch in the numbers, protein powders tend to be cheaper than raw source of protein. This may vary from place to place, but it sure is true in the USA as well as my place in Australia. I’m sure you can get many recommendations for protein supplements in the US, but its going to get a little harder outside of that country. For what it’s worth, I buy in bulk (20kg WPC bags) from Professional-Whey.com. (No I am not affiliated by any means).
Still, you will need to weigh the cost of current items in your location versus that of the protein powder. For example, here in Melbourne, Beef is pretty dam cheap, but the downside is the higher fat content, and of course, the boredom of relying on a single protein source.
Just to throw out some numbers, a can of tuna costs me $0.90 and gives 35g of protein at a cost of 2.6cents/g protein. Whereas my protein powder, which I buy in bulk @ $250 for 20kg, yields a cost of 1.6cents/g protein. This may not sound like much, but with higher protein consumptions in larger individuals, this can mean the differences between paying $40/week for food versus $60/week, substantial savings for the budget-tight health-obsessed person.
The rest of the supplementation would then be optional. I would definitely recommend people take a multivit, Vitamin C and Vitamin D and some fish oil, but I would leave that discussion for the next article.
What I would say, is that when buying supplements, the generic supplements that meet lab safety test requirements are often as good as any from the leading brands. An easy example is with fish oil. As long as the product is certified mercury tested, it is fit for consumption. Yet we see a price difference among different brands. [4]
A Final Note to Keep Things in Perspective
The purpose of this article wasn’t as much as to tell you what to do; most people who are interested in the area would already have their own sources of such stuff. The purpose was to give some perspective.
The take home message should be: Do your sums, figure out your budget and stick to it.
As a final note, I’ve known many people who want to eat enough protein, get the best supplements, and train in the best gyms, amidst other things. Very often, circumstances may not allow that. It may be a family who denounces your “odd” practices, a hard time in life, or any other reason that restricts the ability to gain access to such foods, be it due to budget or otherwise. Remember to consider ALL costs, that of your time, your relationships, your money, and any other potential qualifiers.
Always be asking yourself: 1 year from now, is this all going to be worth it?
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Notes:
[1] Tell me if i’m wrong, but I think many supplement companies generate unwarranted hype over various products, taking advantage of people’s ignorance of healthy eating. This potentially simplifies healthy eating as to simply doing a single thing, be it eating your vegetables, buying a miracle supplement, or what not. Very often, we hear claims of people claiming massive health benefits from simply taking a certain combination of supplements. While some cases exists, they are invariably the ones that have been proven to work scientifically in a certain context to prevent/cure a certain ailment or enhance a particular condition. Consumers need to know the scientific facts (link to reading about science).
Some examples of products with clear benefits include fish oil, Vitamin D and creatine amidst other things. There is sufficient scientific evidence behind this to show their efficacy.
There are numerous examples of products that do not show conclusive benefits to the general population, but that is a topic worthy of a whole different discussion.
[2] As usual, don’t forget the context (link to Lyle’s article). If you have a pre-existing condition, for example a history of renal (kidney) disfunction, none of this applies. Consult your doctor.
For most people, a protein intake as stated has shown both in research and everyday environments to yield no negative impact. If it did, the people who have been practicing this rule (athletes, bodybuilders, fitness enthusiasts, etc) for decades would have realised it.
However, there are positive effects of consuming protein. This ranges from increased immune function to increased satiety (you feel less hungry).
Finally, not consuming enough protein can compromise the benefits as well as lead to other problems, such as muscle loss under high activity, increased hunger cravings, general lethargy, etc.
[3] For pretty obvious reasons, a female will have to carry more body fat than a male at the same weight.
[4] I got a bottle of 600 x 1000mg Odourless (enteric coated) fish oil caps from Omega3Max for AUD25. That’s the cost of 200 such capsules with Blackmores.
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