The Cheapest Food Sources You Need To Build Muscle and AchieveYour Best Physique
Without breaking the bank
When it comes to building muscle, other than hitting the gym consistently and ensuring that you’re applying progressive overload with each session, the things you consume are just as important.
By now, you should probably already be aware of the rule of thumb that to build muscle, lose weight, and achieve your best physique, you should be aiming to hit your protein intake of:
“0.7g — 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight each day”
That’s the golden rule.
As long as you hit that number while doing your workouts well, you should be on your way to achieving your best physique. But as you know, having a high-protein meal isn’t just difficult to consume on most days because most families do not prioritize proteins that much, and they are usually pretty expensive.
You might be a student who doesn’t want to break the bank but still achieve gains, or you could be another 9–5 adult who simply doesn’t want to spend that much money on food.
I get that, and I agree with you 100%; it could be pretty expensive to have high-protein meals every single day, but I’ve been tracking down my expenses and looking at different protein sources that will give you the biggest bang for your buck.
Ever since I found them, they have been my staple, and I’ve been consuming them pretty consistently while making growth in my physique.
1. The Most Efficient Source
Chicken breast is probably at the top of everyone’s list.
It’s packed with high protein, around 31g of protein per 100g, and it doesn’t contain much fat, so it’s very low in calories, at only 165 calories per 100g.
It’s a go-to for most people who want to build lean muscle, and it’s no wonder why you’ll often see bodybuilders consuming the typical rice, chicken breast, and broccoli.
A 1kg pack of chicken breast usually costs about:
This will usually last around 1.5 weeks for me.
2. The Staple Source
Eggs are a must-buy for me.
They taste great, are relatively cheap, and have 6–7g of protein per egg. Most mornings, I’ll crack 2–3 eggs with 2 slices of bread and I’ll already be consuming close to 30g of protein. It also contains high-quality protein and is easily digestible.
Apart from it’s high protein, it’s also incredibly versatile since you can cook them in multiple ways with different sauces to accompany your meal. On some days, you might prefer the Asian-style half-boiled egg while on other days you might prefer to fry them and place them on a piece of bread (in the image above) or within a burger or you can also have them as a hard-boiled version.
There are plenty more ways in which you can cook them and it’s very convenient to cook them too, making them one of the most no-frills protein options anyone can have.
A pack of 18 eggs usually costs about:
This will usually last around 1 week for me.
3. The Go-to Breakfast
Besides having eggs as a breakfast option, I’ll also have some sort of oats, yogurt, and granola.
Some of them are extremely high in calories so you’ll need to do some math here to ensure that you’re consuming within your limits. Yoghurt is usually on the pricey side especially if you want one that’s really high in protein, but I’d recommend getting Chobani once in a while since it has extremely high protein.
As for granola, there are high-protein options in the US which I love that’s relatively cheap but sadly there aren’t any in Singapore at the moment that have good macros and are cheap as well.
With each breakfast containing these items, I’d usually consume around 30g of protein with around 350 calories which is great for me.
A box of 18oz oats usually costs about:
4. The Convenient Snack
Every now and then, you’ll still need a convenient snack that you can bring around to munch on some protein. Otherwise, it’s still pretty difficult to hit your protein intake.
Based on experience, you’ll usually need around 4–5 meals in a day whereby snacking is considered to be 1 meal a few of my convenient snack options are:
- canned tuna
- beef jerky (in US) — Flavorful high-protein snack that costs USD 4 a pack for 30g of protein
- packed chicken breast (in Singapore)— containing 20g of protein at SGD 2.40 a piece
Canned tuna differs in packaging but these are the ones I’ve consumed before:
They both have a high protein-to-calorie ratio and can easily be consumed as a snack by pairing them with some bread, or biscuit or even having them as a protein in a full meal.
5. The Yummy Option
Minced beef is something I’d eat every day if I could.
Not only is it so flavorful, but it’s also packed with high protein at 14g per 100g. It can also be cooked in multiple ways like making a patty out of it, having it as part of your bolognese pasta, or putting it in your burrito bowl.
That’s so many ways you can cook and prepare it.
The only downside is that it has a relatively higher amount of calories, at 330 calories per 100g.
500g of minced beef usually costs about:
Building Muscle Comes at a Price (Literally)
Having a high-protein meal is costly, but you don’t necessarily need to break the bank while doing so.
Each meal would literally cost way less than eating out anyway and you’ll be hitting your protein intake each day if you manage to stick with any of these high-protein options.
As a rule of thumb, based on what works for me, I’d usually try to consume at least 20g of protein for each meal so that I’d consume at least 100g of protein each day. It’s not easy, and you’ll constantly need to remind yourself to consume more, but it’s definitely doable.
A couple of other honorable mentions include:
- Steak
- Salmon
- Whey Protein
- Beans and Legumes
- Other high protein carb sources
Most of them are pretty expensive and usually do not contain high protein compared to your animal sources, except whey protein (which is a given but not necessary).
It’s not an easy journey and be sure to give yourself some time to adjust as you start on this journey. Only after you’ve been through this for a long time, then you be able to build your best physique and see results.
Join my newsletter to read my articles for free (no Medium paywall) and learn about functional training for longevity through my fitness experiments!
Consider buying me a coffee here!
