Salmon is less expensive than hot dogs - Food and Health Communications

Frugal Heart Healthy Proteins

Stacey L. Krawczyk, MS, RD, LDN

The Webster’s Dictionary defines the word Frugal as: characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of resources

Who isn’t looking for the opportunity to save a little money at the grocery store these days? The American diet typically revolves around the protein portion of the meal which contributes to a large portion of our total grocery bill. Is there a way to save more in this area? We’ve done a little investigating to see what proteins out there are the best bang for your buck as well as your heart. To better compare the information we’ve broken down the costs by calculating the cost per gram of protein provided. This is a nutrient-rich approach and enables a more balanced comparison.

Food	Cost Per Gram Protein
Textured Soy Protein Granules (Bob’s Red Mill)	0.012
Creamy Peanut Butter (Jif)	0.0156
Skinless Chicken Breast (Tyson)	0.0172
Black Beans (canned)	0.028
Ground Turkey Breast (Jenny O 93/7)	0.033
Salmon filet	0.064
Ground Beef, Chuck	0.0233
Egg	0.0233
Ham, 97% Fat Free (Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh)	0.0624
Hot Dog (Hebrew National Beef)	0.1094

Note: These items were selected from a review of 60 protein foods at large grocery store chains in the Chicago Suburbs.

As you can see from the list, the most frugal complete protein you can purchase is Textured Soy Protein granules. Soy contains no cholesterol and very little fat which makes it very heart-friendly. We have also included some traditional inexpensive proteins - like hot dogs and lunchmeat. When compared as providing cost per gram of protein, they are among the most expensive items as well as containing considerably more fat and saturated fat – which is less heart-healthy. Who would have thought salmon is cheaper than hot dogs when compared like this? Some food for thought as you are looking at ways to best use stretch your food dollars – ask yourself can I make choices that provide heart-healthy options but are still frugal?

Stacey L. Krawczyk, MS, RD, LDN
Champaign, Illinois

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Judy Doherty

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland where she focused on pastry arts and baking. But after learning that the quality of a croissant directly varies with how much butter it has, Judy sought to challenge herself by coming up with recipes that were as healthy as they were tasty.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest in nutritional science to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.