Protein is usually the most expensive part of a grocery bill. The good news: a few everyday Canadian staples give you a lot of protein for very little money, especially when they're on sale.
Compare protein by price per gram, not price per package
A $4 package isn't cheap or expensive until you know how much protein is inside. The simple way to compare is the cost of 20 grams of protein, roughly one solid serving.
- Find the grams of protein per serving on the Nutrition Facts table.
- Multiply by the number of servings in the package.
- Divide the price by that total, then multiply by 20.
Do this once for the items you buy often and you'll quickly see which ones are worth it.
The cheapest protein sources, roughly from cheapest to priciest
These are typical patterns. Your exact cost depends on this week's flyer prices near you.
- Dried lentils, split peas and beans. About 24 g of protein per 100 g dry. Usually the cheapest protein in the store by a wide margin.
- Eggs. About 6 g of protein each. Even at higher prices, a dozen is one of the best-value animal proteins.
- Peanut butter. About 7 to 8 g per 2 tablespoons. Cheap and long-lasting, though high in calories.
- Chicken thighs and drumsticks. Often far cheaper per pound than breasts, especially on sale, with plenty of protein.
- Canned tuna and salmon. About 20 to 25 g per can. Store brands on sale are the best deal.
- Milk, plain yogurt and cottage cheese. Store-brand tubs of yogurt and cottage cheese give a lot of protein per dollar.
- Ground pork or beef and pork shoulder. Good value when on the flyer's front page; stretch with beans or lentils.
- Tofu. About 10 to 15 g per 100 g, and often on sale.
A sample high-protein day for around $5
This is an example to show the idea, not a price promise. It assumes sale or store-brand prices.
- Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs on toast (about 21 g of protein)
- Lunch: lentil and vegetable soup made from dried lentils (about 18 g)
- Snack: a cup of plain yogurt or cottage cheese (about 12 to 25 g)
- Dinner: a baked chicken thigh with rice and frozen vegetables (about 25 g)
That adds up to roughly 75 to 90 g of protein. Cooking lentils and chicken in batches makes the cost per serving drop even further.
Five ways to keep protein cheap
- Buy the protein that's on sale this week, not the one you planned on. Chicken, pork and ground meat rotate through flyers every couple of weeks.
- Choose bone-in and family packs, then freeze in portions.
- Mix meat with lentils or beans in chili, tacos, pasta sauce and shepherd's pie.
- Pick store brands for eggs, yogurt, canned fish and peanut butter.
- Plan dinners around sale proteins. ShoppedOut's meal planner picks dinners built on what's on sale near you and shows the savings at each store.
The bottom line
Eating high protein on a budget in Canada is mostly about choosing the right staples and buying them on sale. Compare by price per 20 g of protein, lean on eggs, lentils and chicken thighs, and let this week's flyers decide which meat you buy.
