Building Muscle on a Budget: The 10 Best Foods for the Frugal Gym-Goer

Some of you are on a tight budget, still student, living in expensive cities or just frugal. These can make it hard to get the protein you need to build muscle. This post will help you the 10 cheapest sources of protein to build muscle.

You need at least 1g protein per pound of body-weight per day to maintain and build muscle. For example, if you weigh 160lbs, that’s 160g protein per day. The easiest way to get this amount is to eat whole protein with each meal. So let’s get started.

#1 Canned Tuna/Frozen Tilapia Fillets: 40g protein per can. Buy tuna in spring water or brine. Don’t worry about the mercury: 1 can chunk light tuna per day is safe. I would much rather you buy fresh fish, if you are a seafood fan, but since we are on a budget this will do just fine!

#2 Eggs: The most bio available protein out there. 7g protein/egg. Lower your body fat rather than throwing the yolk away if you have bad cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol isn’t bound to blood cholesterol, and the yolk contains half the protein and vitamins A/D/E. 2-3 Egg Yolks a day are not going to kill you, in fact, egg yolks are full of healthy nutrition and can even help men with testosterone levels.

#3 Whey Protein: 1 scoop Muscle Pharm Whey is 25g protein/35g serving. It can be a bit pricy, but know you won’t be having to buy a tub of protein every month. At 2 scoops/day, a 10lbs bag will last 10 weeks. If you want a bit cheaper, you can go with Body Fortress whey protein as well.

#4 Milk: 30g protein/liter milk. If you’re a skinny guy or gal, and want to gain weight fast and are not bothered by gaining some fat, drink 1 gallon raw milk per day. Don’t worry about the saturated fat. Non fat/Skim Milk obviously has less caloried and no fat in it, so that’s also a good choice. Stay away from milk if you want to lose fat, and if your lactose intolerant (obviously).

#5 Frozen Chicken Breast: 25g protein/100g. Cook the frozen chicken breast using a George Foreman Grill/Oven. Consume the chicken breast within 2 months of freezing for optimal tenderness & taste. Now obviously, I would much rather you buy fresh chicken, but once again since we are on a budget this will do just fine!

#6 Cottage Cheese and Greek Yogurt: 1 Cup (119 g) of Lowfat Cottage Cheese is 33 grams of protein/ 1 Cup (227 g) of Fage Greek Yogurt is 34.5 g of protein. Both are great snack choices and comprised mainly of Casein Protein, which digests slower and keeps you fuller for longer. Throw in some fruit or the whey protein for some extra flavor.

#7 Ground Turkey: 25g protein/100g. Expensive cuts are made from turkey breast. Cheaper cuts can contain skin, which increases the fat content. Rinse the fat like for ground beef using this method.

Bonus Tip: Buy in Bulk. If you have a Costco or Sam’s Club near you, become a member, you won’t be sorry. It’s gonna save a lot of money in the future.

#Fitness #Health #Nutrition #Wellness