4 NEW PROTEIN FOODS YOU SHOULD TRY

Supermarkets are cashing in on the world's love of meat. After all, it's the richest source of protein. But you can eat smarter and healthier, and save dollars by choosing these less-popular muscle-building sources.

Fillets. Loins. Chops. They're the high-end contributions to modern man's stomach. And who could argue? Whether you're trying to cut 5 percent of your body fat or plug an inch on your guns, you need plenty of the protein found in meat.

Our appetite for animal proteins is stronger than ever. Research at Public Health Nutrition found that red meat consumption has continued to rise throughout the United States, Europe, and the rest of the developed world. 

Despite the health benefits of poultry being common knowledge since 2011 and in spite of the expense relative to other protein foods, Americans were still eating more red meat (58% of total consumption) than any other kind.

However, that is slowly changing because of market prices. 

In 2013, the average price per pound of beef was $5.36, up from $3.32 per pound in 2002. This forced people to eat more chicken than ever before, so much so that it surpassed beef in terms of total consumption. In fact, beef has become so pricy that red meat now holds the honor of being the second most shoplifted item in the world.

But there is a way to get more meat for less cash without having to eat chicken for breakfast, lunch, and dinner: buy the meat nobody seems to want. It's sometimes called offal, and when cooked with a dash of skill it's incredibly tasty and tremendously good for you.

Bodybuilders and strongmen have been eating liver, heart, and tongue since the 1900s. Relatively speaking, chicken breasts and egg whites are very new bodybuilding staples, and diets heavy in fats and organ meats from healthy animals have been the norm much longer than the fat-phobic ideals that are more or less pervasive in the current mainstream fitness community.

YOU LOOK AT ME LIKE I'M JUST A PIECE OF MEAT

Less than 50 years ago, the hard-working individuals who built this country weren't dining on the typical feather-light taste sensations you see on today's plates. 

Instead, our fathers and grandfathers loaded up on hearty protein-rich dishes made from the stuff that some of today's butchers foolishly classify as "dog meat." And in most instances, it is less calorific and more nutritious than the average T-bone.

It's only in the modern, pre-packaged, processed, marketing-driven and sterile world that we avoid the more intense flavor and texture of proteins that were once considered the most nutritious parts of the animal.

Just like we're returning to our training roots with barbells, kettlebells, and functional bodyweight movements in warehouse gyms, we're also returning to our dietary roots with Paleo and Ancestral ideas becoming more and more prevalent in even conservative training and nutrition resources.

So if you want to feed your muscles more but spend less, then here's how to become a very smart meathead.

1

 LAMB

Lamb might be one of the tastiest meat options, but it can make light work of your funds. There is an easy solution: make like "True Blood" with a bite to the lambs' neck.

YOU NORMALLY BUY

Lamb cutlets (100 g)
Calories: 173
Fat: 11 g
Protein: 16 g
Carbs: 0 g

SWAP FOR

Lamb neck (100 g)
Calories: 232
Fat: 17 g
Protein: 26.3 g
Carbs: 0 g

  

WHY IS IT SO GOOD?

The neck might have 6 grams more fat than the choice cuts, but it'll take you all of two ticks to trim off the excess wobble.

And often the fat difference is due to the weight of the bones in the cutlets. When it comes down to the meat, the neck is richer in energy-yielding B vitamins, iron, zinc, and magnesium. All of these boost your athletic performance by improving endurance, boosting testosterone, and helping you recover faster.

The fancier lamb cut does fight back with more selenium—a trace element with antioxidant properties—and slightly more calcium. But overall you'd be hard-pressed to separate these protein-rich slabs, except in price. So the thinking man's choice should be with the neck.

COMFORT STEW

This recipe from "Palm Sized Plan," by Matt Lovell (Buckingham Book Publishing, 2011), is a hearty meal that'll serve a handful of your friends for less than the cost of buying them each a round.

Ingredients

• 400 g lamb neck fillets, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 onions, diced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 440-g can cherry tomatoes
• 500 ml stock
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1 400-g can cooked green lentils
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 whole lemon, juice and rind

Directions

1. Trim any skin or excess fat from your meat.
2. Cube the meat, put a pan on the stove, and place coconut oil in the pan over a medium heat.
3. Add the garlic, onions, and spice, and stir until the onions soften.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, stock, carrots, lentils, and bay leaves.
5. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the lamb is cooked.
6. Drizzle lemon juice and zest just before serving.

2

 BEEF

Your average supermarket sells only 6-8 of the most popular cuts of beef, and the cow is a big animal. Here's what you're missing out on.

YOU NORMALLY BUY

Beef roast joint (100 g)
Calories: 244
Fat: 18 g
Protein: 19 g
Carbs: 0 g

SWAP FOR

Beef cheeks (100 g)
Calories: 145
Fat: 4 g
Protein: 25 g
Carbs: 0 g

  

WHY IS IT SO GOOD?

When beef roast joints and cheeks lock horns, the winner stands strong: the cheek. They're higher in protein and lower in both fats and calories, making them the ideal choice for those looking to get lean while adding muscle.

The cheeks also have more immune-supporting vitamin C and vitamin B, and 210 percent more iron. They're a very nutrient-dense food that will support any sportsman's muscles far better than the traditional cuts of beef.

So if you're after a solid nutritional ally that'll keep your performance jacked and your wallet slim, this is how you take the bull by the horns.

BRAISED BEEF CHEEKS

Enjoy this recipe that'll turn cheap ingredients into an expensive-tasting feast.

Ingredients

• 3-4 beef cheeks
• 4 carrots, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 turnips, chopped
• 1 glass of red wine
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1tsp rosemary
• 6 thyme sprigs

Directions

1. Strip the tough membrane from the cheeks.
2. Chewing cud makes the cheeks tougher than Chuck Norris's bodyguard, so they need to be braised in the oven or in a pan for 5-10 minutes.
3. Slap half the ingredients into a large pot and splash in enough water to cover the meat.
4. Pour a glass of wine, drink it, then pour one for the pot.
5. Cook for two hours, then throw in the rest of the veggies and continue cooking until they're to your liking.
6. The result? Beef so tender it chews like a mouthful of merlot, with enough extras for freezing.

KNOW THE SOURCE OF YOUR ANIMAL PROTEIN

Before you head off to your local butcher, it's worth taking a moment to consider where their joints of meat came from.

Since organ meats and the other proteins are so concentrated in nutrients, they can also be more concentrated in toxins when the animals are coming from a conventional, factory-farmed setting.

Organs like the liver and kidney actually process toxins so they can be more concentrated sources of things you don't want in your body. Always go for free-range, organic, hormone and antibiotic-free animals. Local is best, and the animal should be fed its appropriate diet—cows are meant to eat grass—not grains, soy, or worse.

Get to know your local farmers, and know what goes into the bodies of the animals you're planning to put into your body.

3

 PORK

You might chew through rolls of sausages at just about every barbecue, but you're paying through the nose for this privilege. Here's how to pig out on this at a far healthier price.

YOU NORMALLY BUY

Pork cutlets or chops (100 g)
Calories: 123
Fat: 4 g
Protein: 21 g
Carbs: 0 g

SWAP FOR

Pork belly (100 g)
Calories: 518
Fat: 53 g
Protein: 9 g
Carbs: 0 g

 

WHY IT'S SO GOOD?

These two cuts level-up against one another near perfectly, leaving their fat and protein content as the decider. So while pork is touted as the "other white meat" because it's so lean, there are occasions when a little fat is just what the doctor ordered, especially if you're trying to add muscle.

Weightlifters with the highest fat intakes also had the highest testosterone levels, according to a study in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." 

For muscle gain, two principles are key: maximizing your testosterone output and calorie intake, something animal fat does with its high calorie and saturated fat content.

And with the cheek far outweighing the skinny chop in the fat stakes, you'd be a Muppet if you didn't use a slab of Miss Piggy's undercarriage to add inches to your chest.

CRISPY PORK BELLY

All that fat is a waste unless it's turned to crunchy crackling, so we turned to the king of crisp, celebrity chef and restaurateur Jamie Oliver, for his take on getting your pork up to scratch.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 lbs pork belly
• 2 red onions, halved
• 2 carrots, halved
• 2 sticks of celery, chopped in half
• 1 bulb garlic, broken into cloves with skin on
• 1 fresh bunch of thyme
• 600 ml water or stock

Directions

1. Flip your cooker to the hotter-than-hell setting (its maximum) to preheat it.
2. Slice a few knife wounds into the belly's fat and rub with salt, then stack it skin side up in a roasting tray.
3. Place it in the oven for an hour until the crackling starts to pop, then chuck in the veggies to keep it company.
4. Flick down the heat to 180º C and let it sit there for another hour.
5. Serve with roasted spuds for a cheap dish you'll wish you had in your trough every night.

4

 CHICKEN

The average American eats 60 pounds of chicken each year, largely because it's so versatile and half the price of beef, pork, or lamb. But there is a way you can knock down your white-meat bill without resorting to snacking on chicken feet.

YOU NORMALLY BUY

Chicken breasts (100 g)
Calories: 263
Fat: 16 g
Protein: 15 g
Carbs: 15 g

SWAP FOR

Chicken liver (100 g)
Calories: 116
Fat: 5 g
Protein: 17 g
Carbs: 0 g

  

WHY IT'S SO GOOD?

You may not be used to thinking of the liver as chow, but it's a nutritional juggernaut that has almost three times the vitamins and minerals of the breasts.

The liver offers more protein for less calories and has a staggering 272 percent more vitamin B than the breast. So if you're after an energy boost then the liver is going to serve up a noticeably bigger oomph than any breast could hope to deliver.

In short, liver delivers a thorough knockout in nutrition and price, so the only belt left to win is in taste with the recipe below.

PIRI PIRI CHICKEN LIVERS

Use this recipe from sports nutritionist Matt Lovell after a training session or anytime you want a new take on that tired old chicken.

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken livers, washed and cubed
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 1/2 tsp piri piri spice
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 cup cooked rice

Directions

1. Put oil in a pan and put it on medium heat.
2. Once it's good and warm, chuck in the onion, peppers, and garlic, and saute until they brown. Smells good, doesn't it?
3. Now lob in the chicken livers and all the spices.
4. Let it simmer for 5-7 minutes. Then scrunch up the spinach and add it in so it can wilt.
5. Lather it over your rice. Top with a few sprinkles of parsley for a dish that's tasty yet so affordable that you'll have enough to spring for a decent bottle of red.