I need protein and my jaw is being funny

August 16, 2005 7:59 PM

I'm looking for cheap, convenient and perferrably high density sources of protein.

I'm living a somewhat nomadic life, and don't really have time for cooking, or money for much nutritious food (pre-cooked). I'm okay getting food, but I've been noticing myself craving protien - I don't think I'm getting enough.

I'm looking for suggestions for cheap (like student cheap) sources of convenient protien. I've never eaten a protein bar, so I have no idea what they taste like, and they always seem very expensive for what they are. But so is dried meat, though I know I like jerky. I'm also open to vegetarian suggestions, though I'm probably eating enough starches. I could just eat a can of chick peas for lunch, instead of a bagel

In related health matters, and under the category of "it doesn't really rate it's own question" - my jaw is extra sore lately, especially chewing (like nice crusty bread). First it won't open properly, and then it snaps. It's a bit painful, but mostly annoying. Just one side, not both, or I'd be in for a tetanus shot. It seems like a stiff muscle. Any ideas?

posted by jb to health (26 comments total)

I don't know the relative densities, but two pretty cheap sources of protein are: 1) PBJ (heavy on the P) and 2) make ramen and crack an egg into it.
posted by sohcahtoa at 8:02 PM on August 16, 2005

Eggs, milk, cheese - the lower the fat the higher the protein density.
posted by caddis at 8:05 PM on August 16, 2005

Eggs and peanuts are by far the cheapest. The latter is obviously quicker and more convenient, but perhaps less versatile. Soy (as soy nuts or something less convenient) can be pretty cheap, too.
posted by rxrfrx at 8:11 PM on August 16, 2005

one of our current fav's is tuna. you can do a heck of a lot with it, the g/f makes a mean tuna salad with low-fat mayo, fresh tomatoes, etc.. I grew up with an aversion to it myself but it's darn good.

other than that, salmon is pretty high in tuna if i remember right. I usually don't eat red meat, but buffalo is great too.
posted by joshgray at 8:12 PM on August 16, 2005

bad mefi user i am! i didnt read the whole post! you really can't beat the cost of a can of tuna and a few things to go with it and presto a nomadic meal! hmmm i suppose i'm thinking more nomadic as in eating at work and other peoples houses... mayo may not be the best thing to sit around if that is what you are saying........
posted by joshgray at 8:14 PM on August 16, 2005

protein bars are certainly not cheap sources of protein.

Sheer oz/$ would probably lead you to the 'powders' that you can find in GNC-like stores. These are hardly palatable when part of a standard diet, much less as a meal-substitute.

Eggs, primarily egg whites, are probably your best bet for cheap, tasty proteins. I often boil three eggs, and divvy up a single yolk among three sets of whites, which is just enough to really enjoy it. One yolk to the daughter and one yolk to the cats. Everybody wins.
posted by unixrat at 8:16 PM on August 16, 2005

Everything you want to know about protein. (Scroll down to the chart). Tofu looks like a good candidate for cheap & healthy.

My jaw hurt like that for awhile and I went to see a dentist. Found out I had TMJ. You'll need to see a doctor to find out what's going with you, though.

salmon is pretty high in tuna if i remember right

hmmmmmmm.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 8:18 PM on August 16, 2005

Tuna is pretty high in mercury.
posted by caddis at 8:22 PM on August 16, 2005

great link sirmissalot, thanks
posted by matteo at 8:27 PM on August 16, 2005

Buy only natural peanut butter, not the [strike]poison-laden[/strike] hydrogenated oil-laden crap.
posted by keswick at 8:45 PM on August 16, 2005

Light tuna isn't too bad in mercury but don't eat more than one can of the normal stuff each week.
posted by 517 at 8:48 PM on August 16, 2005

Thanks for your help. I should have been able to think of some of this on my own, but I've been so busy, I've just been falling back on my standards of cheese and bread and oatmeal, washed down with too much coffee, and my food imagination was going. I like cheese, but I don't like to eat too much because of the high fat (which I don't need). I should buy some eggs, tuna and peanut butter (yes, I don't like the chemical kind either). Canned salmon is cheap - and the bones have calcium. I'm nomadic in the sense that I'm home for breakfast, but out for lunch and often dinner, working, so I have to think of really fast food and food on the go. I just wish I hadn't left my marmite in Toronto (not so much protein, but lots of other healthy stuff).
posted by jb at 9:10 PM on August 16, 2005

1) Figure out what you are eating (write it down). You may find that you are missing other things than protien even though you interpret your craving as for protien (you really don't need very much protien for health). If it is indeed protien, peanut butter, beans (which are also good for other things like fiber and calcium), eggs, tuna (line caught super-low mercury is about $4 a can in Canada, which is still really cheap and can make about 2-3 servings of sandwhich or pasta).

2) I had the same jaw problem until one day my jaw locked and wouldn't open more than about 1.5cms. An orthodontic surgeon froze my jaw and jacked it open with a little jaw jack. He said that a disc in my jaw was slipping in and out of place, and he was forcing it permanently out of the way. It worked, although I can't open my jaw as wide as a normal person anymore. You should definitely mention it to your dentist. You can also do some stretches (the surgeon suggested these):

a) Jut your jaw forward and look at the ceiling. Hold for 30 seconds, a few times a day.
b) Jut your jaw to the left as far as it will go and hold. Repeat for right.
c) Place your thumb on your top teeth and your forefinger on your lower teeth and gently press your jaws apart. Relax your jaw muscels and allow your fingers to hold your jaws open. Hold for as long as possible. This greatly relaxes the tense muscles around the jaw.
---Don't do any of these to the point of pain.
posted by carmen at 9:15 PM on August 16, 2005

ah! you were in Toronto. If you are still in Canada, I recommend Raincoast Trading tuna and salmon.
posted by carmen at 9:18 PM on August 16, 2005

There is more nutrition in one ounce of mackerel than four ounces of tuna, the oils are excellent for you, and it is cheaper than salmon.
posted by hortense at 9:31 PM on August 16, 2005

Lots of great suggestions in this snack thread.
posted by fionab at 10:05 PM on August 16, 2005

There are too many people, some could stand to be eaten. But I don't know if you'd want to eat even civilized bourgeois human flesh raw, given all the blood-borne diseases around.

Jack mackerel is around $1 a can around here (often cheaper on sale), it's got roughly 3 times more food per can than those 6 oz. cans of tuna, and it's got a satisfying you-know-you're-eating-something taste (even besides the added salt).
posted by davy at 10:39 PM on August 16, 2005

The jaw problem sounds like TMJ. Most folks require some treatment, so definitely get it checked.
posted by frykitty at 10:40 PM on August 16, 2005

The egg is a perfect protein, and the standard by which all others are judged. Cheap too.

The only thing dairy is good for is mucoid plaque, good luck with that.

Tofu is incredibly versatile. Damn near as good as the egg. Though, there may be a soft effeminate side-effect if eaten too much (way too much).

Vegetables a damn near 50% protein, incomplete but a varied diet tends to change that. Expensive though.
posted by lacus at 10:47 PM on August 16, 2005

if you're home for breakfast, then why not make sandwiches for the rest of the day? Use wholewheat bread and for protein - cold cuts (ok, a little more expensive that tuna, but there is only so much tuna and eggs a person can eat).
posted by mirileh at 3:12 AM on August 17, 2005

Beans - bean salads with cucumber/tomato/onion (or any veg you have on hand; beans mixed with pasta; chili (with beans) re-heated in your office microwave. Also, i'll 9th the tuna suggestion. Almonds make a healthy protein snack, as do hard boiled eggs.

I'm also going to 9th the TMJ diagnosis - I have TMJ and your symptoms sound just like mine, plus i had headaches. You're going to get to wear a sexy plastic mouthguard to bed. You'll love it ;-)
posted by Kololo at 4:16 AM on August 17, 2005

Cottage cheese. Way more concentrated than peanut butter.
posted by Kwantsar at 5:13 AM on August 17, 2005

Regarding cheeses, parmesan has by far the highest protein:fat ratio, and in block form it can be pretty economical. Thin slices of that are one of my favorite mindless-munching snacks.
posted by zachxman at 6:11 AM on August 17, 2005

There is more nutrition in one ounce of mackerel than four ounces of tuna, the oils are excellent for you, and it is cheaper than salmon.

Yeah but god mackerel tastes like hell. And I'm a huge fan of fish. To get mackerel to taste good you have to do a lot to it. The oils it has are what gives it that stereotypical fishy taste. Of course, there's no accounting for taste, so maybe it's just me.
posted by spicynuts at 7:00 AM on August 17, 2005

I agree, mackerel is best marinated,(saba @ sushi) but it's nutritional value is hard to beat. Also, dates, and wheat germ oil are concentrated nutrition, so you don't have to eat a lot,to get what you need.
posted by hortense at 9:36 AM on August 17, 2005

The problem with non-cottage cheeses is their fat content.
posted by Kwantsar at 6:27 AM on August 18, 2005