ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, September 18, 1996 TAG: 9609180021
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: PHILIP LEMPERT CHICAGO TRIBUNE
When we think of protein, what often comes to mind is meat - specifically, a big, thick, juicy steak. But there are many excellent sources of protein at the supermarket, some of which cost much less. A few already may be a part of your diet.
Egg whites, tuna, milk protein (such as that found in yogurt, cottage cheese, dried nonfat milk powder and even ice cream) are some examples.
Christine Rosenbloom, associate professor of nutrition at Georgia State University and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, says these foods all have a PDCAA top rating of 100. PDCAA refers to ``protein digestibility.'' Complete proteins contain all the essential amino acids in proportions that the body needs.
Some incomplete but good sources of protein include soybeans (with a score of 94), chickpeas (69) and kidney beans (68).
Some foods that you may not expect to contain protein, rolled oats and peanuts, score 57 and 52, respectively. Combining incomplete proteins, such as peanuts and grains in a peanut-butter sandwich with whole-wheat bread, offers a complete protein.
Just because a food is a good protein source doesn't mean you can ignore its fat content: Meat, cheese and nut butters are high in fat.
In the case of meat, how much fat a meat has can depend on what cut it is and how it was trimmed. Rosenbloom notes that, in general, ground round is better for you than ground chuck. Don't assume that red meat has more fat than all white meats; some lean cuts of red meat actually have less fat than ground turkey.
Most Americans consume too much protein, Rosenbloom says. An average person needs 45 to 65 grams a day; you can get as many as 20 grams from milk and cereal at breakfast.
Protein should provide about 12 percent of total caloric intake. Your ideal/desired body weight times 0.36 equals the grams of protein you should eat in a day.
The following servings contain about the same amount of protein - 21 grams; cost has been broken down from prices given to us by Byerly's supermarket in Schaumburg, Ill. (the following figures may reflect sale prices):
*3 ounces cooked sirloin steak, top round: $1.30
*1.5 cups S&W kidney beans: 61 cents
*6 ounces Dean's cottage cheese: 60 cents
*3 ounces cooked ground beef, 85 percent lean: 42 cents
*3 ounces Star-Kist tuna: 42 cents
*3 eggs, medium, Crystal Farms: 22 cents
Phillip Lempert is editor of the Lempert Report Newsletter, which analyzes food and supermarket trends. For a free copy of his ``Ultimate Shopping List,'' send a stamped self-addressed No. 10 envelope to: Ultimate Shopping List, c/o Philip Lempert, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611-4041.
LENGTH: Medium: 59 linesby CNB