Today I am going to share with you 10 of my favourite and the cheapest protein sources
which are also very easily available in the Indian market.
The list includes 3 non vegetarian and 7 vegetarian sources.
So stay tuned.
Hello Friends!
Welcome to Fit Tuber.
Protein is an essential part of our diet.
It is very important for the daily repair of the body, skin and hair health.
An average person who has a sedentary lifestyle, even his/her body requires 1 gram of protein
per Kg bodyweight.
For example, if your weight is 60 kg and you do not workout, even then your body requires
about 60 gram of protein.
So I have identified 10 best protein sources available in India and ranked them solely
on the basis of cost effectiveness.
So here we go.
Ranked at number 10 is Tofu.
Tofu which is also known as soya paneer is obviously made from soya beans.
Tofu is a vegan source of protein that means it is not made from any kind of animal product.
Now 200 grams of tofu packets are very easily available in the Indian market which cost
about 70 rupees.
Now, one serving of tofu is 100 grams.
That means 100 grams of tofu is 35 rupees.
So, in that 100 grams of tofu you are getting about 15 grams of protein, 15 grams of carbohydrates
and about 8 grams of fats.
Now, because it has carbohydrates and fats, it is not a lean source of protein.
Now you are getting 15 grams of protein in 35 rupees.
That means 1 gram of protein costs about 35 by 15 that is about 2.3 rupees.
If you are concerned that tofu may cause man boobs or decrease in the testosterone levels,
I would say moderation is the key.
You can easily have 100 grams of tofu daily without any kind of health problems.
Number 9 is fish.
Now, there are a variety of fishes available in the Indian market.
Now, when it comes of protein, the whiter the fish is the better it is.
This is because white fish is a lean source of protein.
It does not have any carbohydrates and fats.
Tilapia is one such fish.
Then there are other fishes like Indian Salmon and Pomfret.
Even though they are not a lean source of protein but they are great because they have
essential fatty acids.
Now, on an average, 1 kg of fish costs about 500 rupees.
1 serving of fish is 100 grams.
That is 100 grams of fish you are getting for 50 rupees.
Now, in that 100 grams of fish you are getting 25 grams of protein.
So that means you are getting 25 grams of protein in 50 rupees.
That means 1 gram of protein in 2 rupees.
Fish is a great source of protein and should be included in your diet at least once a week.
Number 8 is paneer that is cottage cheese.
Now we get 200 grams of paneer packets at about 70 rupees.
One serving of paneer is 100 grams which will cost you 35 rupees and it will give you 18
grams of protein but about 20 grams of fat.
So you are getting 18 grams of protein in 35 rupees.
That is 1 gram of protein in 2 rupees.
Now, because it has a lot of fat, you have to keep it’s consumption in moderation.
However, this problem gets solved if you make paneer at home.
Yes, you can buy low fat milk and make paneer at home.
Each packet of milk which has about 1.5 percent of fat which costs about 18 rupees will yield
about 100 grams of paneer.
That means you are getting 18 grams of protein from 18 rupees and negligible amount of fat.
That means you are getting one gram of protein from 1 rupee from a lean vegetarian source
which is great.
Now, making of paneer is a very common practice in Indian homes.
All you need to do is boil the milk.
Once the milk gets boiled, you need to sprinkle lemon juice or vinegar into it and stir it
well.
The paneer will automatically get separated.
But anyway, if you are getting it from outside, even then you can have 100-200 grams of paneer
on a daily basis.
At number 7 is chicken breast.
Now, just yesterday I went to a local vendor.
The price of the chicken was 230 rupees per kg.
I asked him to give the boneless part of the chicken breast.
And 100 grams of that boneless chicken breast costed me 35 rupees.
And that 100 grams of chicken breast that costed me 35 rupees will give me about 25
grams of protein.
That means, I am getting 1 gram of protein in 1.4 rupees.
Now, what’s great about chicken breast is that it is a lean source of protein.
It does not have any carbohydrates or fats.
So, if you are a non vegetarian you should definitely include the breast part of the
chicken in your diet.
Ranked at number 6 are legumes.
Now, when I say legumes I mean black kidney beans, chickpeas and black chana.
All three have almost similar nutritional information.
On an average, 1 kg of any of these will cost you about 150 rupees.
Now, one serving is 100 grams so that means 100 grams of legumes cost you 15 rupees.
Now, when you cook 100 grams of kidney beans, they will expand and their weight will get
almost doubled.
So that 100 grams of kidney beans that you got for 15 rupees will give you about 15 grams
of protein.
So that means you are getting 1 gram of protein in 1 rupee.
But the problem with legumes is that along with that 15 grams of protein, you will also
get about 40 grams of carbohydrates.
Now, if you are eating 3 rotis with chickpeas curry, you are eating way too many carbohydrates
in one meal.
So you should always take into consideration that legumes are already very high in carbohydrates.
Number 5 is milk.
Now, when I say milk, I mean low fat milk.
This is because full cream milk is loaded with saturated fat which you should avoid.
Now, 500 ml of milk packet will cost you about 18 to 20 rupees depending upon it’s fat
percentage which will give you about 18 grams of protein and 24 grams of carbohydrates.
So that means you are getting 1 gram of protein for 1 rupee.
Now, irrespective of that fact that your goal is muscle building or fat loss, you can still
have 500 ml of milk on a daily basis.
Number 4 is egg whites.
Just 2 days back I got a tray of 30 eggs for 105 rupees.
That means I bought 1 egg for 3.5 rupees.
Now, let’s assume that you do not buy it from a whole seller.
So in that case you will get 1 egg for about 4 rupees.
Now, one egg white has about 4 grams of protein.
That means you are getting 1 gram of protein for 1 rupee.
Now, what’s great about egg whites is that they are a lean source of protein.
Also, they get very easily digested in the body.
So you can easily eat 5-6 egg whites in 1 serving.
Now, it is your choice if you want to have them as omelette, bhurji or boiled.
At number 3 are peanuts.
Now, you can easily get 1 kg of peanuts at about 120 rupees.
One serving of peanuts is about 30 grams which will cost you about 3.5 rupees.
And 30 grams of peanuts will give you about 7 grams of protein.
That means you are getting one gram of peanut at 0.5 rupees.
Now, along with 7 grams of protein you are also getting 14 grams of fat.
That fat is healthy fat and it is very important for the body.
So you can have 2 servings of peanuts on a daily basis.
Now, it is your choice if you want to roast them or make peanut butter out of them.
When I say roasting, I mean dry roasting without the use of salt.
And for homemade peanut butter recipe, you can checkout this video.
At number 2 are lentils.
Now lentils that is dals are a very important part of Indian diet.
So, there are different types of lentils.
Some you will get for 60 rupees per kg and others you will get for 100 rupees per kg.
Now, let’s take an average value that you will get 1 kg of lentils at about 80 rupees.
So now, one serving is 100 grams.
So you take 100 grams of lentils which will cost you about 8 rupees.
So again if you cook lentils they will again expand and their quantity will increase.
So, from 100 grams of lentils you will get 18 grams of protein and about 40 grams of
carbohydrates.
That means you are getting one gram of protein at 0.4 rupees which is very cheap.
But again the problem is with the carbohydrates.
So, all the things that we had applied for legumes, apply here as well.
Moreover, lentils are not a complete source of protein.
Incomplete as in they do not have the 9 essential amino acids.
However, when you mix different lentils like green, yellow, red and black together, they
become a complete source of protein.
Now, before we jump to number one, let’s talk about a few honourable mentions.
First is whey protein.
Now, the cost of whey protein depends upon brand to brand.
The cost of 30 gram of whey protein may vary from 50 rupees to 100 rupees depending upon
the brand.
Now that 30 gram of whey scoop has about 24 grams of protein.
So, that means you are getting 1 gram of protein at about 2-4 rupees.
Yes, it is costly but it has it’s own advantages.
Because it is extracted from milk, it can be taken by vegetarians as well.
It is a lean source of protein.
And it is the fastest digesting protein and there is nothing unnatural about it.
Second is nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts.
Now the cost of 1 kg of nuts ranges from 700 rupees to 1500 rupees.
1 serving of nuts is about 30 grams which will give you about 7 grams of protein and
14 grams of healthy fats.
So you can easily include 1-2 servings of nuts everyday.
So, 1 gram of protein from nuts will cost you about 3-6 rupees.
Finally, at number 1 are soy chunks.
200 gram of soy chunk box costs about 40 rupees.
1 serving of soy chunks is 50 grams which comes out to be 10 rupees.
Now, in these 10 rupees, you are getting 25 grams of protein which is very very high.
That means you are getting 1 gram of protein at 0.4 rupees.
Now, along with 25 grams of protein, you are also getting 18 grams of carbohydrates which
is fine.
The only thing that you should take into consideration while consuming soy chunks is moderation.
So having 50 grams of soy chunks on a daily basis that is 25 grams of protein from them
is perfectly fine.
It will not cause any kind of hormonal issues.
So friends, that’s all for this video.
I hope you found this video helpful.
Well, if you did, please do give it a thumbs up and also please do remember to subscribe
to my channel.
My name is Vivek, I thank you so much for watching.