Feeling impossible to not spend a fortune on groceries if prioritizing a fresh / protein focused diet. Is this the reality of choosing to eat this way?

My partner and I (no kids) track all of our spending. We are very active and like to eat healthy and unprocessed foods as much as possible. Our minimal monthly spend on grcoeries is about $1200. He pays a little more because he eats more than me. Often it is higher.

Typical items would include eggs, egg whites, cheese, greek yogurt, frozen fruit, fresh veg, potatoes, rice, meats, (we choose and and want to eat meat), tofu, beans. Olive oil, flour (I make my own bread which is cheaper........)

We rarely eat out and rarely do coffee shop spending.

Is this the reality of choosing to eat this way? Are any other protein focused/meat eaters tracking and willing to share monthly costs?

The only way I see us lowering our spending is to start swapping out less meat for more plant based. Would love any tips if other folks have a similiar diet and spending hacks.

EDIT: Wow ok, this is quite fascinating. Seeing a small amount of people saying they are about the same but majority of people saying this is absurd, which I will take as inspiration to be more critical of spending anf further seek other ways to cut costs

  1. I am not shopping at Costco. I am mostly shopping at Superstore.
  2. I'm not buying premium cuts of meat.
  3. I don't have / am not using a freezer to bulk buy, but could look into it.
  4. When I say protein focused, I mean 1g of protein / ideal lb of body weight. YES, I mean 1g per lb. I am actively trying to gain muscle and my partner is an endurance athlete. We run, lift weights, bike, and stay generally active with our dog. The scientists / researchers in the field I am listening to say 1g/lb of ideal or /lb of lean body mass. 0.8g/kg hasn't been updated since the 1980s. I realize all things nutrition are highly debatable. This is what I am choosing to do with the information available to me at this time.
  5. I love numbers and fine tuning - and I have been thinking about calculating cost / meal. So I love the comments suggesting this

Please don't comment what you're spending unless you are actually tracking monthly and so is your partner / your finances are shared. I'm not looking for people's best guesses.

EDIT 2: Reading all these comments gives light to the fact that posing this question is really making a bigger inquiry about a person's values / what they are willing to sacrifice:

  1. Am I able and willing to travel to different stores to get cheaper food/meals?
  2. Am I able / willing to sacrifice certain aspects of my diet, ex,. sacrifice certain nutirional goals, or flavour preferences to save money?
  3. Am I willing/able to plan around what is on sale and create a menu based on this, not on what I want / feel like I want to eat?
  4. Am I in a financial position to change to bulk buying and do I have the space/financial means the accomodate these changes? ex. buying a deep freeze
  5. Different people have different ideas of what diet they consider to be healthy

ANOTHER EDIT: I'm not in a place where I have a ton of options to go. Some people are assuming there are tons of available options around. It's Sobeys and Superstore. I have to drive at least 30 minutes one way for some of the other options people are mentioning and most I haven't even heard of.

The answers to these questions vary. But everyone's responses have left me with more insight on some great things I am willing to change / implent, and other things that I will not change because they are valuable / important to me. Thank you all for providing your insights. I am leaving with some constructive help and newfound insight.