Is there such a thing as a cheap diet?

AllOutof_Bubblegum

Yep. It's called the "eating less" diet. We don't need to buy expensive health foods, we just need to eat less of the same stuff that made us fat in the first place.

kdeaux1959

It is perfectly ok to eat less and achieve results. Many of the "diets" out there are indeed expensive... In fact, many of them are expensive because that is their purpose... Profit... Just eat the best quality that you can, exercise and you are not cheating the system one bit... You can only put into it what you have to put into it...

Naturally, you want to eat BALANCED... Include some fat, some carbs, and protein in your diet... Minimize "junk" food such as chips, cakes, candies, etc. Maximize whole foods such as chicken, fish, fruit, and veggies.

You've got this!

amwbox

Its a myth that healthy food has to be expensive.

Some of the very cheapest things you can buy are extremely nutritious and filling. Beans, grains, potatoes, rice, milk, eggs, flour, etc. This stuff should be supplemented with the expensive meats and produce. The expensive meats and produce shouldn't be the bulk of what your eating...at least if you wanna do it cheap.

The catch though...you have to learn to cook. If you want speed and convenience...you'll have to accept that it costs more.

kommodevaran

Its a myth that healthy food has to be expensive.

Some of the very cheapest things you can buy are extremely nutritious and filling. Beans, grains, potatoes, rice, milk, eggs, flour, etc. This stuff should be supplemented with the expensive meats and produce. The expensive meats and produce shouldn't be the bulk of what your eating...at least if you wanna do it cheap.

The catch though...you have to learn to cook. If you want speed and convenience...you'll have to accept that it costs more.

This is so true.

kirili3

It depends where in the world you are, but usually fresh produce and unprocessed food isn't too expensive, as long as you're prepared to cook them. Cutting out the processed food can make space in the budget for any excess, but my issue is that some processed food is great! I try to make a compromise - having green vegetables with some processed food (e.g. dumplings) in a small portion. Cheese can be an expense, but not as bad when it's grated and put into serving sizes in cling wrap, so a little goes a long way. Basically, if unprocessed food can make the bulk of the meal, then it's possible to balance the budget, as long as cooking time is made. It doesn't have to be all that much cooking time either. I do rather love one pot cooking .

chani8

Unprocessed meat and chicken is a whole lot cheaper than what you'll buy in a box.

Boil a whole chicken, let it cool, strip the meat off of it, and you've got chicken to make fajitas and grilled chicken salad, chicken sandwich, casseroles, stew/soup.

ETA = but often just boiled chicken with broth and veggies is very satisfying. Try various spices to change it up.

mockchoc

If you don't have a slow cooker or pressure cooker I suggest you get one. They are great for cooking cheaper cuts of meat in because they make them really tender plus it doesn't take much effort to make. Make a big batch and have it a couple of nights through the week or freeze some for another time.

Quasita

Here's a way to save some money that a lot of people don't realize exists... You know your local chain grocery store, like a Kroger? The ones with "value cards" or membership cards? Many of them can be linked to digital coupons online, many even through the store website itself. It's a great way to plan some purchases and save some cash without having to keep track of paper. Just the other week, I saved over $60 buying a couple weeks worth of groceries... They have lots of coupons for yogurts, cheese, breads, even things like Boca burgers. Checking ads will also tip you off to the weeks where the store has buy one get one or half price meats... Buy on those weeks in bulk and freeze meat in the marinade.

Also, while it may not be the best meat you ever had, keep an eye out for sales on frozen burger patties and frozen chicken tenderloin. There are a couple bonuses to using them rather than fresh... I always find that I end up having to cook all the fresh stuff once I open the package (yes I know you can freeze it but prepping fresh for freezing can be a hassle).. with frozen, you can grab a couple tenderloins or a single patty and cook it when you need it, and it only takes a couple minutes. Depending on when you buy, a bag of frozen tenderloins can be like $5.99 whereas a fresh pack of them can run you over $8 most of the time.

I'm the person that buys things like Chia seed to add nutrients and bulk. You can usually find a quality and cost efficient option for stuff like Chia, quinoa, other dried goods, and some other things, on Amazon. Some product lines sold through Amazon also have rewards programs where it's cheaper if you sign up for recurring purchases, so if you use that sort of thing regularly enough that you buy a bag every 2 weeks, it's definitely worth ordering rather than shopping in-store.

purpleleopard76

I used to buy all my chicken breasts, fish etc from the chilled section in the supermarkets until I discovered that I can buy double the quantity if I buy them frozen from a freezer shop and there is often a deal with 3 for £10.

For £10 I can get 1 kg chicken breast fillets, 1kg cod/haddock/basa fillets and 1kg pork loin steaks. This will pretty much do my dinners and lunches for the week and I just add sweet potatoes, veg, couscous, wholegrain rice, pasta or whatever else I fancy on the side.

I used to think that it was lower quality meat / fish which was sold frozen but there really is no difference and many of these can be cooked straight from the freezer so no worrying about having to remember to defrost first unless you're going to use it to make a casserole or curry or something.

I used to pay around £5 for 10 mullerlight yoghurts but now I buy plain low fat greek yoghurt in 1kg tubs for £1.80 instead and just measure out servings into a small plastic tub with some frozen fruit. If I want it flavoured I mix some strawberry / raspberry protein powder through.

I am eating better now and have actually cut our shopping bill in half just by making these changes and by shopping in the discount chains instead of the big supermarkets.

shapefitter

Get some advice from your chef.

tracydr

I must be going for the wrong foods lol I'm a meat lover so I try to trick my body by eating veggie burgers and chicken patties. I'll definitely try cooking and eating more actual veggies though lol XD

Try crock potting a bunch of dried beans. Then, freeze in quart bags. Lots of great veggie burger options using black beans or garbanzo beans. Lots of hummus type dips are very inexpensive to make from dried beans.
I buy bulk dried beans and peas. Use them to pre-make cooked beans for all sorts of meals. Chicken or beef chile, bean soup,etc. I actually can my beans with a pressure cooker but freezing is great,too.
Buy bone-whole chickens and turkeys on sale. You can precook one and use it all week for sandwiches, soups and other great foods. We are having our fourth dinner off a large,baked chicken tonight. I will still have 1/4 left for another meal, plus leftovers from each dinner that I've made with it.
You can grow a whole lot of salad,basil( good in hot weather for pesto) and other herbs in pots. If you learn what time of year different veggies grow best, you can grow a bunch to supplement your groceries. Things like fresh basil, cilantro and parsley I use almost like greens, making pesto and salads. Herbs are extremely nutritious, as are so many other leafy veggies.
I have a flower garden on my front patio that is only 12" wide and about 8 feet long. I've grown chard, amaranth ( tastes like spinach and makes grain like quinoa) and okra in just that tiny space. Asian long beans grown on a trellis and vining plants like cucumbers are also great, small space plants. I grow Armenian cucumbers because the regular cucumbers are harder to grow in the heat. The Armenian cukes never get bitter and stay delicious until they are baseball bat sized! I love them with a bit of rice vinegar.
Also, some big cities, probably most, have places where you can get very inexpensive boxes of food if you're low income. Our daughter has gotten a lot of cheap, healthy food this way.
I could probably feed my husband and I for less than $5.00 a day and eat very healthy food if I was really trying.

Thezestiest

buying dry goods in bulk is a great tip. You can also probably find these things at a local Food Co-op (our local one has bulk rice, beans, etc for a good price).

DCarter1701

I found my food budget went down when I started MFP simply because I was eating less. And eating less candy and junk food. Junk food is expensive for what you get

I base my diet around Greek yogurt, eggs, chicken breasts bought in bulk (for protein), vegetables and fruits (in season--don't buy asparagus in winter or strawberries in January unless they're frozen!), and rice and quinoa and brown rice pasta. I have to eat gluten free, so I buy a few select specialty products and make them last. For instance, Food for Life Brown Rice English Muffins, I buy a box of those and only use a half muffin for a serving.