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Before I got into the university, my elder brother said to me “Listen Ebingo, stew no dey ever spoil, na the meat de spoil am”. It was only when I got into school I realized the validity and limitations of this statement. I and my friends lived together and there was no way we would allow 3 to 5 days to pass without warming our food okay but at some point, the stew would give up us after 2 weeks you know? Oh, you don’t? Then this post is not for you.

The idea is that the stew mixed with oil will last as long as 2 weeks if you do nothing to it. It also really is not stew, it's just tomato paste fried with onions really. If you leave it for that long then eventually the tomato paste hanging at the edge of the pot will just start to spoil because you did nothing about it.

In this post, I’m going to take the Big Brother approach and teach you the real way to do meal prep if you don’t have a fridge. I’m giving out these tips for free. After this post, you will know how to always have protein available for your fitness journey. You will also have an idea of what to do about your grains so that you don't lack energy for strength and muscle grains. For my ketone diet people, I really don't know how to help you. I'll need to do more research if you are out there and you are reading my work.

You don’t have to do fitness alone, you can follow and like my posts so the algorithm will know you want more of me. You can also check me out on other platforms so that you can get the information in the way you like it the most.

The sources of protein I'm giving have the essential amino acids like:

P - Phenylalanine
V - Valine
T - Threonine
I - Isoleucine
M - Methionine
H - Histidine
H - Histidine
A - Alanine
L - Leucine
L - Lysine

PVT TIM HALL The highlighted amino acids are the branched-chain amino acids.

It starts in the market

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First tip, if you don't like going to the market, start liking it... I don't know any fridgeless and lightless person with a choice when it comes to this.
If you were a rich person it would be understandable but you obviously live where there is no light number 1 and even if there was light you can't afford a fridge so you are not fooling me, don't try to fool yourself.

Eggs

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The next tip is to buy food that can last a week without going bad. Top on this list with the highest amount of protein to naira ratio are eggs. 1 crate of eggs costs between ₦2,400 to ₦2,600 and each egg is between N80 to N82 when you buy it in a crate. But if you buy eggs in single batches it costs ₦120 or more.

Go to the market when it comes to eggs, don't buy them from Mama Nkechi. She bought them from the market and if you go on Friday you might actually see her there buying what she wants to sell you.

The average egg has about 5.5g of protein and depending on if you try to get lean the yolk might make or break your target but it will add . It's an effective diet for both those trying to put on some weight and those who are trying to lose weight. So that's about 0.067 protein in grams/Naira (g/₦).

_{The nutrients contained in eggs have been studied for hundreds of years from ancient Egypt and down to China. Eggs besides their high protein content also contain vitamins and minerals and have been used to protect against chronic disease. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9316657/
.}

One key to keeping your eggs fresh and living through a 10 to 14-day life span in your store area is not to wash your eggs. If you wash your eggs you will find out the hard way that there is a protective coat around the egg called a bloom that shields the egg from bacteria and moisture loss. All you need is to hold the egg under some running water to take off this coat and the process will begin.

Another beautiful thing about eggs is the fact that they almost 50% branched chain amino acids.

I don't know anybody builder or bodyguard type who is not tired of eating eggs. I usually advise them not to be.
One disadvantage of having eggs is that most times we are not sure how long the eggs have been on the self. For the best results, you want eggs that are fresh from the store.

Nuts

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Another cheap option is a group of protein holders. Nuts, I'm talking about groundnut and cashew nuts. I put groundnut over cashew nut because it's cheaper and such an awesome source. One big mistake that I have continued to mention in this post is when you buy these sources of protein in small quantities.

Now explain to me why you are buying that ₦100 sachet of groundnut that is not even up to a serving. The last time I bought about 3 cups of ground not, I got it for about ₦1,500. One cup of ground nut has about 21g of protein. For the price I bought my groundnut for that's 0.042g/₦.

_{Forget about proteins for a while, can you believe that nuts just like eggs are a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals? Alongside all that they are a healthy source of fats and oil. Fats and oil are very important for energy both in the gym and everywhere else and serve to protect from mechanical damage to organs.https://www.fao.org/3/at166e/at166e.pdf}

Cashew I've been told is richman food but if you are planning to build some muscle and you don't have a fridge/light you should try considering yourself a rich man. One cup of cashe has about 20g of protein.

Beans

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The last on the list in terms of protein per Naira is Black-eyed peas. This leguminous cowpea (not cow piss) is actually the best when it comes to durability. One serving of beans is packed with 5.2 grams of protein. which is just about the same amount you'd get from. Beans also cost about ₦160 for a cup and ₦1400 if you buy in bowls of beans.

You could say that this does not matter so much but depending on where you stay, that extra ₦200 could be your transport and you don't need to carry yourself multiple times to the store. So I'm saving money and time for you!

_{Black-eyed peas are a wonderful source of magnesium. Magnesium is has a part in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body that range from energy production, to muscle contractility and nerve conduction, to blood sugar balance and blood pressure control.https://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-eating/are-black-eyed-peas-good-for-you-a8017124375/}

So at ₦140 bean protein per Naira rate is 0.039, but here is the problem with beans even with this near-halved protein per naira rate when compared to eggs, black-eyed peas is not as digestible as eggs.

In terms of shelf life, black-eyed peas are timeless just like the musical group, and it is one of those that Nigerian bodybuilders can't just get enough of.

Powdered Milk, Protein supplements, fish, chicken, and, meat didn't make the list

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Peak milk is probably the most popular milk brand in Nigeria, so I'll use it as a point of contact for all the brands available. I also read that its quality is the best...so point of contact...now 25% of the milk powder
So 400g powdered milk has about 100g of protein and costs >₦6,900 that's about 0.014g/₦.

For protein powder, the reason I'm counting it out is because of the price. They are wonderful sources of protein but they do not have up to 50% of the protein per naira seen in the other sources. The cheapest whey protein on Jumia is about 0.018g/₦.

Fish is an awesome source of protein alongside chicken and they would have made the list if they were not so perishable. when left on their own. But there is a solution for all you fish and chicken lovers. But you have to put yourself at risk of some heart disease with Nigerian oil brands. That said, the top on the list would have gone to chicken. 1kg of chicken last I bought cost ₦2,600 per Kg. BUT! And it's a huge but, 1kg of chick contains the weight of the bones.

_{According to This Day Live, 70% of Nigerian cooking oils are unbranded are not fortified with vitamins, and are contaminated. The Punch New paper also adds that the levels of unsaturated fats in these oils are a matter of concern.https://punchng.com/nigerians-time-to-change-to-healthy-edible-oils-for-a-good-heart-dr-monisola-adanijo/}

If you take out 25% of the chicken (accounting for the bones) you are left with about 750 grams. the gram per Naira is about 0.28g/N.

Fish is a close second with the average titus fish costing about 1200 for about ₦250. That gives you a g/N of about 0.2g at least.

Meat might even have a higher ration if you can price the meat from the vendor right.

The problem lies when you try to fry the meat with a lot of oil or a very bad cheap oil. You can check the side notes I left if you want to bore/scare yourself about all that.

Remember to check back for the rest of this series, you're not going to want to miss out on the Carbohydrate and Lipid part of this post!

So get out there, do your thing, don't let anybody stop you. Even if what's trying to stop you is your diet!!

Food Preparation for the Fridgeless/Lightless (Protein)

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