Cheapest Veg Protein sources

Today I am going to share with you my favourite and the cheap veg Protein sources which are also very easily available in the Indian market. 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 secondary lifestyle, even his/hers body require 1 gram of protein per kg body weight. For example, if you weight 60 kg and you do not work out, even then your body requires about 60 grams of protein. 

First 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 products. Now 200 grams of tofu packets are very easily available in the market. If one serving of tofu is 100 gms. 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. If you are concerned that tofu may causean 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. 

Second is, Paneer. i.e. Cottage Cheese. 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. Now, because it has a lot of fat, you have to keep its consumption in moderation. However, this problem is 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 about have 100 grams of paneee. That means you are getting 18 grams of protein and negligible amount of fat. Making of paneer is a very common practice in Indian homes. Only you need to 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 daily basis. 

Third is, Legumes. It means black kidney beans, chickpeas and black chana. All three have almost similar nutritional information. On an average, 1 kg of these will cost you a 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 get you about 15 grams of protein. So that means you are getting 1 gram of protein in 1 rupees. 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 too many carbohydrates on one meal. So you should always take into consideration that legumes are already very high in carbohydrates. 

Fourth is, Milk. Milk means here, 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 about 35 rupees depending upon its 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 2 rupees. Now, irrespective of the fact that your goal is muscle building or fat loss, you can still have 500 ml of milk on daily basis. 

Fifth is, Peanuts. You can easily get 1 kg of peanuts about 200 rupees. One serving of peanuts is about 30 grams which will cost you about 6 rupees. 30 grams of peanuts will give you about 7 grams of protein. Along with 7 grams of protein you are also getting 14 grams of fat. That fat is healthy fat and is very important for the body. So you can have 2 servings of peanuts on a daily basis. Now, it's your own choice if you want to roast them or make peanut butter out of them. Roasting here means dry roasting without use of salt.

Sixth is, Lentils. Lentils i.e. dals are very important part of Indian diet. So, there are different types of lentils. Some you will get for 80 rupees per kg and others you will get 140 rupees per kg. Now, let us take and average value that you will get 1 kg of Lentils at about 100 rupees. So now one serving of 100 grams of lentils will cost you about 10 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 grams of protein at about 1 rupees which is cheap. But again the problem is carbohydrates. So, all the things that we had applied to legumes, apply here as well. Moreover, lentils are not complete source of protein. Incomplete as in they do not have the 9 essential amino acids. However, if you mix different lentils like green, yellow, red and black together, they become a complete source of protein. 

Seventh is, Nuts. Cashews, Almonds, Walnuts. 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 grams of protein from nuts will cost you about 3-6 rupees. 

Eighth is, Soya Chunks. 200 grams of soy. Chunks cost about 40 rupees. 1 serving of soy chunks is 59 grams which comes out to be 10 rupees. Now, in these 10 rupees, you are getting 25 grams of protein which is very high. That means you are getting 1 grams of protein at 0.4 rupees. 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.