I thought I'd share my math. I like math.
If you don't have a soy allergy/sensitivity, TVP may be a smart thing to try if you're wanting to frugally add more protein into your diet without adding extra fat or a lot of net carbs. TVP cooks up very similar to ground beef, and it's easy to add into chili or things like meatloaf and barely changes the flavor or texture you'd expect from ground meat. So for instance, if a chili recipe calls for 1lb of ground beef, you might add half a lb of beef and 3/4cup of dry TVP instead.
One of the cheapest sources of low carb, lean protein in my region is buying frozen chicken breasts when they're on sale. If these cost you $2/lb, you're paying about $0.019 per gram of protein and paying about $0.004 per calorie.
TVP in my area costs half the cost per calorie, and costs $0.013 per gram of protein (62% of the cost per protein as chicken breast). It does have a little net carbs in it, so atkins/keto folks need to remember to count these few carbs.
To compare, a cheesy rice and bean burrito from Taco Bell costs $0.002 per calorie and $0.09 per protein g. And lentils (just about the cheapest source of protein there is) are about $0.001 per calorie and $0.009 per protein g.
Note: One other difference is the "quality" of the soy protein. Animal-sourced protein is a "complete protein" (meaning it contains all of the essential amino acids your body can't make on its own). Soy is usually also considered a complete protein, but is sometimes considered inferior. Eat a variety of proteins in your diet to prevent missing important nutrients.
January 07, 2018 at 11:51AM
