| Amount | Ingredient | $ / day | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 346 | g | Maseca White Corn Masa Harina | $0.99 | Amazon |
| 66 | g | Whey Protein Concentrate | $1.02 | Novus Life |
| 14 | g | Bob's Red Mill Organic Golden Flaxseeds | $0.07 | Amazon (S) |
| 4 | g | Sea Salt | $0.01 | Amazon (S) |
| 4 | g | Potassium Citrate | $0.12 | Amazon |
| 1 | g | Choline Bitartrate | $0.04 | Amazon |
| 53 | ml | Extra Virgin Olive Oil | $0.64 | Amazon |
| 1 | pill | Kirkland Signature Daily Multi | $0.03 | Amazon |
| 1 | portion | Thorne Research Vitamin D / K2 Liquid | $0.02 | Amazon |
Amounts for: Total Daily Cost: | $2.95 | Add Ingredients to Amazon Cart | ||
This is a scaled-back, cheaper version of my "Superfood" recipe: https://www.completefoods.co/diy/recipes/quidnycs-superfood-for-him
This is designed for those folks who are looking to minimize daily cost, while also avoiding the nutritional pitfalls (namely oxidative stress) that come with regular consumption of industrially processed seed oils.
Come on, people -- nobody should consume soybean oil or canola oil on purpose!
For detailed notes on a variety of topics also applicable to this recipe, please refer to the "Superfood" Notes section.
Preparation Notes:
Please note that the flaxseeds need to be ground before consuming (otherwise they will pass through undigested). Purchasing whole seeds is preferable to buying flaxseed meal in bulk, because the PUFA / omega-3 content is unstable and prone to oxidation once exposed to the air. I'd recommend keeping your supply of seeds in the freezer and using a coffee grinder to prepare the amount you need for the day (or perhaps for the week).
On "Vegetable" Oils and Oxidative Stress:
My primary concerns about soybean oil and canola oil have to do with the role of oxidative stress, which may be particularly acute in circumstances where degraded polyunsaturated fats represent a large proportion of one's total lipid intake: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3215974/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3126710/
I have chosen to substitute olive oil in particular in my own recipes since there is evidence that it actually has a protective role in terms of oxidative stress: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22236145
If I had to sum up the basic organizing principle of my "Superfood" recipe, it is to ensure that all sources of polyunsaturated fat have been degraded as little as possible -- i.e., that they are fresh, minimally processed, and carefully stored. I believe industrially processed seed oils like soybean and canola are highly suspect in that regard.
I see a number of red flags when it comes to the production of canola oil (and of other seed / "vegetable" oils). The GMO seeds are heated and crushed to extract the oil, a process which immediately turns it rancid (due to oxidative damage to the polyunsaturated fats). The oil is then "refined" with hexane, bleached, and deodorized. Then, bon appétit. It's unclear to me how much that process is truly mitigating the oxidative damage that is done to the lipids, or how much it is simply covering it up. Either way, it seems prudent to get your lipids from a source where none of that is even part of the equation.
In the end, it's your call. Maybe canola isn't that bad. But personally, I'd rather consume something that has been demonstrated as safe -- and even beneficial in terms of human health -- over a period of thousands of years (i.e., extra-virgin olive oil).
