Healthier eating without a "diet" on a budget - Tips?

OonaWingedWolf

Hi there. I am needing help eating better. I have $250 a month for food and have to feed two people on it with contributions to group meals a few times a month. Currently eating a lot of rice, Ramen and elbow noodles. Mostly rice based dishes. We have been alternating apples, bananas and Cutie oranges for on hand snacks...though we splurged last month on a bunch of (bad I know) snack pack pudding. My excuse? It was on sale and I had not had any in months. Anyway, I am hoping you guys might have tips for eating healthier without going on a diet. I want permanent change not temporary adjustments. All ideas help so don't skip replying just because you think it may sound strange/weird/"wrong". Thanks!

sunnybeaches105

Snack puddings won't destroy your diet if you eat one and keep it within your calorie goals. Build the way you eat around various animal proteins, dairy, eggs and vegetables, making sure you don't skip on the veggies. One can eat healthy on a budget by buying mainly frozen veggies, frozen chicken breasts and fish, yogurt in bulk (rather than individual servings unless on sale or bogo), rice, etc. Go to your local Asian market for rice and buy it in bulk. Ramen is full of salt and fat with little nutritional value unless you're adding to it, but it's also cheap and sometimes that wins. Build it in around plenty of protein and veggies above. Fresh fruit can be expensive so don't be afraid to check out stores that you don't usually shop at.

OonaWingedWolf

Unfortunately we don't have an Asian market anywhere near us. The ramen we usually add things to. I only use half a packet of seasoning that is included when making one or two packs and a whole one if making three or four for a larger meal. I usually add mixed vegetables, sometimes I add corn and egg for a version of egg drop soup. I buy my rice in bulk at walmart. I get the 20lb bag for like $9. I try to have 30lbs or more on hand at all times. I am learning to cook bone in chicken as it is way too expensive to get boneless here. I buy eggs by the 5 dozen. I do need to start buying fish again. I can't eat Salmon (makes me nauseous), but I enjoy Tilapia, and two other kinds of white fleshed fish. I will look into the yogurt thank you for that tip! And will expand how much cheese I get too. What do you think of cottage cheese? I love the stuff!

Sabine_Stroehm

I'd skip the ramen. There's nothing "healthy" about ramen. It's not nutritious and has a ton of sodium (and even more if you use the seasoning). If you're wanting pasta, why not buy actual pasta? If you want it to be more "healthy" (I'm assuming you mean nutritious?) aim for whole wheat pasta. Eat brown rice as well, if you're aiming for nutrition.
Buy frozen and fresh vegetables. Add vegetables to every meal.

Become a slow cooker guru. You can make great, nutrient dense dishes that fit your budget and taste fabulous.

kommodevaran

Think of everything you eat as a whole - no foods are "bad", and you need a certain amount of calories every day. Enough calories is in fact the most important thing when it comes to nutrition. Then, enough nutrients. More than you need is unnecessary. Set up and use the food diary and try to hit your macros and micros every day.

Choose food you like - this ensures that you don't throw it away because you don't like it. When you are broke, stick to what you know you like. Trying new stuff is for times with more money.

Plan your meals to make sure you use up everything before it spoils.

Cook what you can from scratch, or learn to cook if you don't know how. Your dishes don't have to be spectacular, but it's important to know how to compose decent, balanced meals.

Buy ordinary food. "Organic" and "health food" is not necessary. Store brand is usually just as good as name brand, as long as it's whole foods, and not convenience foods, which you should minimize consumption of anyway.

Keep a running inventory of your fridge, freezer and pantry. Have a variety of staple foods so that you can make a range of tasty dishes by adding any fresh foods you can get hold of.

Stock your freezer and pantry when foods are on sale. Be flexible in the grocery store. Do not follow recipes blindly, instead, learn the principles of cooking, what flavors go together, etc.

Buy fresh foods in season. You will soon learn the rythm of sales and how long everything keeps.

Look at the price per pound, not per pack. But don't overbuy. Be certain that you like it and can eat it in time.

Frozen is nutritionally equal to fresh.

Look at what you get for your money - "cheap" food may not be so cheap if you look at the amount of nutrient in it.

Don't buy expensive "empty calories". Fruit juice is a prime example of this. Eat fruit, and drink water from the tap.

sunnybeaches105

Sounds like you've got a good plan there. I'm not a huge fan of cottage cheese, only eating it occasionally, but it is a great protein source if you like the taste. If you're eating other food with the basic ramen it can be turned into a solid meal. I like a hard boiled egg cut in half in my ramen along with slices of meat and some veggies. It is high in sodium and fat but if you adjust and augment like you're doing, it should be fine. Make sure you focus on your overall diet and not just each meal, and keep in mind that white rice and white flour are just fine. You get more fiber in whole grain choices but that's really about it. If you can get enough fiber through veggies then you're good. Not every meal needs to be perfect, just better than what you were doing. It takes time to adjust your diet and find ways to save money. Give yourself some wiggle room and time to find out what works best for you, your family, and your budget.

williams969

Slow cooker chili! 3 cans of diced tomatoes, 3 cans beans (I choose low/no sodium versions when possible), chili seasoning of choice, maybe some minced carrot, onion, frozen cauliflower, etc if on hand to bulk it up, and bonus if there's 1lb. of meat or veggie meat on sale. Serve alone, on a bed of spaghetti, or on baked potatoes.

There's 10-15 servings of yummy, filling nutrition for around $10-12 (shop generic, Aldi, Dollar Tree, etc.).


ETA: Chili freezes very well. If you haven't already, get small storage containers, and freeze batch meals in individual portions.

Lounmoun

Meal planning is pretty important when your budget is tight. If you are not planning meals do that.
Learn to cook more from scratch.
Look at cost per serving. Sometimes homemade from ingredients vs. cheap pre-made food is actually cheaper per serving. Sometimes a larger container is cheaper than single serving containers.
Eat smaller portions of higher calorie foods and increase portions of lower calorie foods.
Buy store brand/generic items.
Learn to cook dry beans and lentils.
http://www.lentils.ca/recipes-cooking/recipes/
http://www.usdrybeans.com/recipes/
Buy fresh produce in season. Buy frozen vegetables and fruits to reduce waste. Canned fruits and vegetables have nutrients but watch added sugar and sodium.
Eggs, dry beans, lentils, tuna, potatoes, carrots, canned tomato, onions, oatmeal, flour, rice, pasta, bread, peanut butter, popcorn, whole chicken or chicken thighs are good staples.
Make a big pot of soup at least once a week.
Drink mostly water. Save money and calories for food.
For snacks- things like hard boiled eggs, carrots, celery, hummus, popcorn, nuts, yogurt, cheese, fruit, homemade granola bars

http://www.budgetbytes.com/ has good recipes.

RodaRose

White rice and brown rice have almost the same nutrition. Eat whichever you like and that costs less. Cabbage and onions and potatoes are relatively cheap. Buy frozen fruits and veggies because they are more nutritious than fresh. Canned is acceptable also. Look for pinto bean and black bean recipes. Here is a recipe for lentils and rice:
http://www.food.com/recipe/onion-lentils-and-rice-30698

lorrpb

Soups & casseroles loaded with veggies to help stretch. I've come to live yellow squash & zucchini because you an bulk up soups, casseroles, and sauces (pasta) without significantly changing the flavor. Mostly it lightens up the taste for me

rileysowner

Get a big bag of dried bean or even easier to cook, lentils. Rice and beans is a complete protein, that is, it provides all the various amino acids (the building blocks of protein) you need. Make various dishes mixing them with other things.

Sabine_Stroehm

RodaRose wrote: »

White rice and brown rice have almost the same nutrition. Eat whichever you like and that costs less. Cabbage and onions and potatoes are relatively cheap. Buy frozen fruits and veggies because they are more nutritious than fresh. Canned is acceptable also. Look for pinto bean and black bean recipes. Here is a recipe for lentils and rice:
http://www.food.com/recipe/onion-lentils-and-rice-30698

The nutrient values are similar, but brown rice wins.

Big picture it's not make or break, of course, but small things add up to big things.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/food_vs_food.asp?food=58_59_white-rice_versus_brown-rice

But if you really dislike brown, sure, eat the white. If you find you're feeling hungry soon after, consider skipping it.

pomegranatecloud

Budget Bytes has some decent recipes and good advice:
budgetbytes.com/

vivmom2014

Find an Aldi. Game changer.