Protein Source Substitutes To Combat Grocery Store Scarcity

Protein is an essential nutrient in the food you eat. But when grocery shelves are running out of meat, you need to have alternative protein sources.

Check out the best protein source substitutes below.

Alternative Protein Sources During the Coronavirus Pandemic

This week, the grocery stores looked better than they had in the last few. However, Americans are still facing scarcity at the grocery store that they are just not used to. This is alarming because let’s be honest, we live in the land of plenty.

While most people were focusing on water and toilet paper, the meat section was being emptied out. It’s a situation that we haven’t quite recovered from yet.

While the initial wave of panic buying is over, I suspect this was just the first of many sessions that will hit the nation.

1. Protein Powder

If you find yourself in an area where the fresh meats and proteins, you depend on are missing there are some options. One of the best options is protein powder. These are not just heavy doses of protein, but they are also combined with a vast array of nutrients.

While delicious shakes won’t chase away your craving for a big steak, it will give your body the sustenance it needs to get through a disaster.

You will want to invest in meal replacement protein powders. These will provide you with a full amino acid profile and that is the best kind of protein powder you can have on the shelves.

These are legitimate meal replacements and for the average person. They will keep your body going strong through any disaster.

2. Nuts 

Don’t forget about the nuts! There are a variety of nuts out there that you can try, and a diet heavy in nuts not only provides you with protein but also a slew of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals.

In fact, pumpkin seeds are incredibly high in zinc, which helps boost the immune system.

Here are protein sources you should munch on:

• Walnuts
• Almonds
• Pecans
• Peanuts
• Brazil Nuts
• Hazel Nuts
• Cashews
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Sunflower Seeds

These are all examples of nuts that can be purchased or grown and eaten as a supplement for meats through these tough times. Toss these nuts in your morning oats, in your salad at lunch and maybe even in some granola for snacking.

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3. Eggs

Most people don’t have the room to keep hundreds of chickens for butchering. However, keeping a few laying hens can provide you and yours with a few eggs each day.

If you have four hens you will get between 2-4 eggs each day, depending on the breed.

These eggs can be used in all kinds of applications. When you think about long-term food storage, you might be thinking about black beans and rice, well, add to that some herbs from the garden and some fresh scrambled egg and you got something wonderful.

4. Plant-Based Protein

Look, I am not a vegan, but everyday people live their lives without meat. I wouldn’t be happy doing it but remember, it’s possible. When weathering an emergency like this we may find it easier and more effective to get protein from plant-based sources.

Things like soy, hemp, pea, and even grasshopper protein are all available, in a variety of preparations. These types of proteins will not be on the shortlist in the same way that fresh meats are.

There are some tremendous health benefits when it comes to going vegan. I think that kind of diet might even be best done in spurts so it could be the perfect solution to

5. Fish 

If you are a dyed in the wool meat eater, then the above options are probably not going to sound that appealing to you. That is ok. Don’t forget, there are bodies of water and forests that are full of meat in one species or another.

While hunting is mostly season based and requires a lot of skill, you could have some serious success simply fishing the local body of water. Fishing is by far the best way to source protein in a survival situation.

The food is captive, and it can be had using hooks, a net or other natural trap. This crisis is going to change a lot of people and while you might not be a fisherman now, you might be in the future.

Don’t Panic, We Have Options

One of the biggest lessons I am learning from COVID-19 is that we have options. While your initial response to empty shelves at the supermarket might be to scream, we have a lot more options. Over the next few months, or more, Americans are going to have to become much more adaptable.

The chicken might be gone, the toilet paper might be gone. Still, we have options. Those who can adapt in these tough times will live much better lives through this pandemic.

Those who freeze up, panic and refuse to change their ways will live in hell. They will be looking for a life that might never come back.

Try out some of these protein sources. They might not give you that good like eating a steak or a piece of grilled chicken, but they will give your body some great nutrition and keep your machine going at full speed when you need it most, in times of calamity.

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