Hey, @pinkdrunkenelephants@lemmy.cafe , this is not a great way of showing this, because there's no real comparison between the different things listed. For instance, an average egg is about 6g of protein, which means that it's $.035/g. A single 5oz can of tuna will have about 22g of protein, which works out to about $.045/g. One pound of uncooked, boneless, skinless chicken breast will have about 105g of protein, which is around $.048/g. And so on, and so forth.

I also dispute your pricing models. In my area, boneless, skinless chicken breast is typically around $3/#, which brings it down to $.029/g. Ground beef is both more and less expensive, depending on fat content; 80/20 (20% fat) runs around $5.20/#, while 94/4 runs $8.50/# (...and doesn't taste very good by itself, unless you prefer your hamburders dryer than Ben Shapiro's wife). That ultra-lean ground beef has 96g/#, which brings it to $.089/g, while the delicious 80/20 only has 40g/#, bringing the price up to a steep $.13/g, almost 5x more expensive per gram than B/S chicken breasts.

If you don't care about taste, TVP can be had in bulk for cheap, and unflavored whey protein can also be bought in bulk.

Need to normalize by protein content/$

You could have used the same unit for everything, just saying.

I know pricing is regional but where I am I can often get whole chickens for < $2/pound, and dry beans are going to be better on everything except arguably time (and that only if you don't plan ahead).

beans

If you're looking for cheap, dried beans are about 1/2-1/3 the price per serving over canned.

They are more work, needing either a long boil, overnight soak in water, or a pressure cooker. But the cost saving is enough for me to buy mostly dried beans.

You should be able to get chicken thighs for around $1.79/lbs. region depending. Chicken is also easy enough to mince into ground at home with a decent knife. Don't pay the premium for ground chicken. I'll buy cheap chicken and turn it into dumpling filling by mixing in mushrooms and cabbage and use that for a variety of things. Frozen dumplings being most of it, but whatever is leftover can be made into meat balls or added to soups and stir fries.

Also, don't skip the fish market. I can get yellow croaker for $3/lbs. or less which is a great way to add variety into your diet. I try to make a point of checking if there's cheap fish every time I shop and if there is, I'm buying just enough to cook that very evening. During trout season, rainbow trout goes to $2/lbs. This works well as fish is quick and easy to cook and it's best when it's very fresh. I'll usually braise the yellow croaker with lots of ginger and green onion in a lightly sweetend sauce flavored with doubanjiang, but it's also good steamed or baked.

Based on what I've read and advice I've been given, skip the tuna. It should only be consumed in very limited amounts (if at all) due to the mercury levels.

Pound of ground beef for $6?

What year is it?

Idk exactly how the price breaks down, but if you can have a chicken or two that's laying it feels like you have infinite free eggs.

I'm ngl I didn't check the name of the community and was expecting a cum joke

Where the fuck are you getting eggs for $2.50. $5 here in Missouri.

Lot of sad protein in here. Crap list op, sorry

Adjust these prices up by 30% for south Florida, except the beans. I can cook 5lbs of black beans for like $10 total.

Are these quantities representing roughly equivalent amounts of proteins/calories?

Greek yogurt is about a third that price if you just make it yourself.

I love edamame, I could eat it all day!!

Why is soybean so expensive and beef so cheap. Beef should be much more expensive.