Can you eat healthy on a limited income with type 2 diabetes?

HackTheW0r1d

I have type 2 diabetes and have been trying to eat better; trying to follow the advice of my doctor, but healthy food is so expensive, I cannot afford to eat this way? Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, do you have any suggestions that would help a dumb dumb like me?

csplatt

Not loving your quiz there! Questions are too extreme. Grocery prices in the U.S. right now are a nightmare. It’s bad. Each of our thoughts on this matter will be influenced by where we live, income, and what we prefer to eat. You can do a lot with a bag of rice, chicken breast shredded in the slow cooker, and some roasted broccoli on top. Or a sweet potato diced up with olive oil and roasted paired with some asparagus. You just need to find stores with the lower prices in your area and see what fruit and veggies are most in your budget. Have you tried a shift and found that it’s not doable with your income? Or are you assuming?

SafariGalNYC

Eating healthy with Type 2 Diabetes is Possible on a Limited Income

•Meats - buy on sale or cheaper cuts of meats.
Most chain grocery stores have a sale section of the meat dept that they have to sell before it goes bad.
•Sometimes a whole broiler chicken is cheapest. Bake it whole and conserve the meat for leftovers throughout the week.
•a large head of broccoli is one of the cheaper vegetables, ditto for a head of cabbage.
•look for sales or shop wholesale and load up on bulk frozen foods. Frozen vegetables, frozen fish can be much cheaper.
•canned tuna, canned beans
•shop around for a grocery store that has more deals. Typically not Whole Foods, etc.

MargaretYakoda

A1C is crucial.
I don’t think anyone here is going to suggest that ignoring an elevated A1C is a good idea.

Eating healthy - diabetes or not - is very possible on a limited income.

But it takes some effort.

Things that will make it easier:

1) Batch cooking and a deep freezer.
A dehydrator is useful.
Note that both of these make long term storage much easier.
Buy in bulk whenever possible, and prepare for storage.
If you’re extremely low income check out any local food banks in your area. Sometimes towards the end of the distribution period they can give you massive amounts of fresh veggies and fruits that are OK at the moment but won’t last until the next distribution period.
Chop and either dehydrate or roast, then package for storage.
A vacuum seal device might be helpful.

2) Ask your friends if they might be interested in a bulk purchase club.
Shop sales at restaurant supply stores, or warehouse clubs like Costco.
I did that during the worst of the pandemic.
It took a little effort, but the savings can be significant.
Also, 5 pounds of frozen mixed vegetables at a restaurant supply store are incredibly inexpensive, and dehydrate beautifully.
Add them to soups and stews for a great punch-up of nutritional value.
Bulk frozen fruit is also great value, and dehydrate very well. A sprinkle in some oatmeal or yogurt is a real treat.

3) Speaking of oatmeal, it’s awesome for your health. There is a positive effect on A1C. And of you’re bulk shopping? Oatmeal is an incredibly good deal!

If you want to convert regular, bulk purchased oatmeal to the instant kind?
Zap a couple cups in a blender for a few pulses. A minute at most.
Bingo. Instant oats.

3) Beans and barley and rice are nutritious and inexpensive. If you’re concerned about carbs like the rice having a negative impact on your blood glucose, bulk up your serving with vegetables! (Remember those dehydrated bulk veggies? AWESOME with rice!)

4) You can get a giant bag of “juicing carrots” from some supermarkets. Shred them and dehydrate. Or roast and freeze.

5) Learn to eeek out every little bit of nutrition from things like a chicken or a turkey.

Turkeys can be purchased very cheap around Thanksgiving. If you have the freezer space you can store two or three for later in the year.

A roasted bird is good for at least two meals just for the meat.
When the breast and thighs are gone, roast the carcass once more for added flavor, then boil it for a bit. Drain and save the broth and bones separately overnight in the refrigerator. Next day remove the fat which has accumulated. You can save it if you want to and use it sparingly. But I toss it.

Pull the meat off the bones.
You can then roast the bones again and boil them until they fall apart. Strain and you have some amazing bone broth.

Use your imagination to create delicious soups from the bone broth, meat bits, and broth.
Freeze any excess in single serving portions.

A single chicken, with beans, rice, and vegetables, can keep a small family fed for a week if necessary. A turkey is even better.

6) Consider protein alternatives.
TVP (textured vegetable protein) is inexpensive, and versatile. It’s available in bulk too.
It takes a little education to learn how to cook it properly, but it’s well worth the effort for a nutritious and inexpensive option. It’s a great way to make hamburger meat go a lot further, while reducing the amount of fat in your burger or taco.

HackTheW0r1d

My A1C is Important to me, and I want to Lower it.

Thank you for the insightful and helpful responses. I have never worked with MyFitnessPal like this so creating a poll is certainly new to me. Forgive the extreme questions. I have tried a shift, and am not assuming. I am struggling because most fruits and many vegetables raise your blood glucose levels. Take "MyPlate" for example, and we learn about starchy and non-starchy vegetables. I am used to calling out a number and getting food through a window. This is why I referred to self as dumb dumb. LOL. I love myself, don't get me wrong, but this is probably easy for most of you, though new to me. I live in Susanville California, and there are three places to shop for food; IGA, Grocery Outlet and Safeway. Nearest shopping from here is about 100 miles away and with the price of fuel, this would add to the expense of eating healthy if I have to drive to Reno. So, I'm not really assuming, but I am guessing a lot.

csplatt, Thank you for making me think about what I wrote here and my questions. I appreciate you. Thank you.

SafariGalNYC Thank you for your vote. My doctor would love you, because she voted the same. I love cabbage and broccoli, canned Tuna and Garbanzo beans. I like your ideas, especially the whole broiler chicken. I think I could do this one in my NuWave oven. Thank you for being a blessing.

MargaretYakoda Thank you for taking the time to give some awesome input! I had to have a bit of fun with the A1C not being important. I had to hold back from suggesting is was an alien value from outer space. (That would of been super weird, but then perhaps fitting... I'm super weird.)

I love batch cooking, canning and preserving food! I don't know anyone here in my small town that would batch shop with me, but I think I should maybe get a Cosco Membership and go to Reno once a month or so. It might be worth it.

I cannot eat beans and rice without raising my blood glucose level, but they are my favorite foods. I love the broth idea too with the bone broth. You suggested getting creative, and I am going to try this. I often throw the bones away and just buy broth in the box. That is wasteful in hindsight of what you shared.

Thank you for your encouragement and for your wisdom. You are a blessing, and I do appreciate you.

MargaretYakoda

HackTheW0r1d wrote: »

Thank you for the insightful and helpful responses. I have never worked with MyFitnessPal like this so creating a poll is certainly new to me. Forgive the extreme questions. I have tried a shift, and am not assuming. I am struggling because most fruits and many vegetables raise your blood glucose levels. Take "MyPlate" for example, and we learn about starchy and non-starchy vegetables. I am used to calling out a number and getting food through a window. This is why I referred to self as dumb dumb. LOL. I love myself, don't get me wrong, but this is probably easy for most of you, though new to me. I live in Susanville California, and there are three places to shop for food; IGA, Grocery Outlet and Safeway. Nearest shopping from here is about 100 miles away and with the price of fuel, this would add to the expense of eating healthy if I have to drive to Reno. So, I'm not really assuming, but I am guessing a lot.

csplatt, Thank you for making me think about what I wrote here and my questions. I appreciate you. Thank you.

SafariGalNYC Thank you for your vote. My doctor would love you, because she voted the same. I love cabbage and broccoli, canned Tuna and Garbanzo beans. I like your ideas, especially the whole broiler chicken. I think I could do this one in my NuWave oven. Thank you for being a blessing.

MargaretYakoda Thank you for taking the time to give some awesome input! I had to have a bit of fun with the A1C not being important. I had to hold back from suggesting is was an alien value from outer space. (That would of been super weird, but then perhaps fitting... I'm super weird.)

I love batch cooking, canning and preserving food! I don't know anyone here in my small town that would batch shop with me, but I think I should maybe get a Cosco Membership and go to Reno once a month or so. It might be worth it.

I cannot eat beans and rice without raising my blood glucose level, but they are my favorite foods. I love the broth idea too with the bone broth. You suggested getting creative, and I am going to try this. I often throw the bones away and just buy broth in the box. That is wasteful in hindsight of what you shared.

Thank you for your encouragement and for your wisdom. You are a blessing, and I do appreciate you.

Reno?
Check out your local Chef’s Store before buying a Costco membership.

https://www.chefstore.com/locations/store/reno-520/

MargaretYakoda

HackTheW0r1d wrote: »

Thank you for the insightful and helpful responses. I have never worked with MyFitnessPal like this so creating a poll is certainly new to me. Forgive the extreme questions. I have tried a shift, and am not assuming. I am struggling because most fruits and many vegetables raise your blood glucose levels. Take "MyPlate" for example, and we learn about starchy and non-starchy vegetables. I am used to calling out a number and getting food through a window. This is why I referred to self as dumb dumb. LOL. I love myself, don't get me wrong, but this is probably easy for most of you, though new to me. I live in Susanville California, and there are three places to shop for food; IGA, Grocery Outlet and Safeway. Nearest shopping from here is about 100 miles away and with the price of fuel, this would add to the expense of eating healthy if I have to drive to Reno. So, I'm not really assuming, but I am guessing a lot.

csplatt, Thank you for making me think about what I wrote here and my questions. I appreciate you. Thank you.

SafariGalNYC Thank you for your vote. My doctor would love you, because she voted the same. I love cabbage and broccoli, canned Tuna and Garbanzo beans. I like your ideas, especially the whole broiler chicken. I think I could do this one in my NuWave oven. Thank you for being a blessing.

MargaretYakoda Thank you for taking the time to give some awesome input! I had to have a bit of fun with the A1C not being important. I had to hold back from suggesting is was an alien value from outer space. (That would of been super weird, but then perhaps fitting... I'm super weird.)

I love batch cooking, canning and preserving food! I don't know anyone here in my small town that would batch shop with me, but I think I should maybe get a Cosco Membership and go to Reno once a month or so. It might be worth it.

I cannot eat beans and rice without raising my blood glucose level, but they are my favorite foods. I love the broth idea too with the bone broth. You suggested getting creative, and I am going to try this. I often throw the bones away and just buy broth in the box. That is wasteful in hindsight of what you shared.

Thank you for your encouragement and for your wisdom. You are a blessing, and I do appreciate you.

Reno?
Check out your local Chef’s Store before buying a Costco membership.

https://www.chefstore.com/locations/store/reno-520/

AdahPotatah2024

Eating healthy with Type 2 Diabetes is Possible on a Limited Income

Did anyone mention the low glycemic chart? Here, these foods tend to be cheaper anyway than the processed boxed foods.
Low glycemic index (GI of 55 or less): Most fruits and vegetables, beans, minimally processed grains, pasta, low-fat dairy foods, and nuts.
Moderate glycemic index (GI 56 to 69): White and sweet potatoes, corn, white rice, couscous, breakfast cereals such as Cream of Wheat and Mini Wheats.
High glycemic index (GI of 70 or higher): White bread, rice cakes, most crackers, bagels, cakes, doughnuts, croissants, most packaged breakfast cereals.

Instead of this high-glycemic index food


Eat this lower-glycemic index food

Insread of White rice
Brown rice or converted rice

Insread of Instant oatmeal
Steel-cut oats

Insread of Cornflakes
Bran flakes

Insread of Baked potato
Pasta, bulgur

Insread of White bread
Whole-grain bread

Insread of Corn
Peas or leafy greens

To learn more about keeping your meals healthy and on track with Diabetes, read Healthy Eating for Type 2 Diabetes, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.

You could try those hydroponic veggie gardens and it would be cheaper in the long run. I have a couple of these little aerogardens that make it easy.
https://aerogarden.com/home/

I really think it can be less expensive to eat healthy than to not.
& The #1 way I save money (and keep from wasting food) is by meal planning at least one week in advance with my days consisting of the minimum amount of calories needed to maintain my weight.

Hobartlemagne

Dont get sucked into the point of view that organic is the only way to go.
Conventionally grown foods are cheaper, and are still more worthwhile than junk food.

COGypsy

Just be careful that you don't spend a ton of money to "save" it. If you have to buy appliances, storage stuff, special new pots and pans, or food in quantities you'll never use before it rots, then you aren't really saving money. I know for me, shiny new toys can be inspiring for a day or two but I always end up annoyed when all they do is end up as wasted money I might as well have given to Goodwill directly. I also find that getting "organized" to do something is always more interesting than actually using the things, so I have to be careful about diving into new ideas. Keep it basic and you can add the bells and whistles later once you have the habit in place.