Buckwheat, Tofu, and Ethical Whey: My Daily Protein Math

To soften the financial blow of switching from Optimum Nutrition whey (about 65 cents an ounce) to the “humane” NorCal Organic whey (a daunting $2.03 an ounce), I’m considering a strategic compromise: one scoop instead of two. Instead of treating protein powder like a dietary life raft, I would reserve it solely for breakfast—mixed into my buckwheat groats with hemp hearts and walnuts. Lunch would shift toward an ancient-grain base like millet paired with tofu, nutritional yeast, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and a rotating cast of sauces—tomato, bruschetta, Thai curry, smoked ancho seasoning—plus a vegetable anchor of broccoli, zucchini, or arugula. Dinner could mirror lunch or simply be whatever my wife makes. 

Between those meals, I’d supplement with a cup of Greek yogurt topped with berries and walnuts. The protein math looks surprisingly robust: about 50 grams at breakfast, 50 grams at lunch, 20 grams in the afternoon snack, and another 50 grams at dinner—170 grams total. Calories sit comfortably around 2,400. 

If the plan holds, I would hit my macros while keeping animal products to a minimum and reserving them for the two sources I actually respect: ethically sourced whey and cultured dairy. Maybe this arrangement will allow me to maintain muscle without feeling like I’m subsidizing factory-farm horrors—an uneasy détente between performance goals and conscience.