Eating healthy for cheap?

abstrakt99

So, I've been stocking up recently and usually for my dinner I'll have a weight watchers ready meal which I put in the microwave, sometimes I'll make myself a sandwich with tuna, chicken, vegetables etc.

Does anybody know whether eating these ready meals is bad? I mean I know that self-making your meals is good but is it a killer to eat such meals as opposed to naturally make your own foods? I guess eating these is much better than eating unhealthily but my budget at the moment due to being a student sucks! So, does anybody have any advice for eating healthier for a lower budget?

Thanks to anyone that can offer advice.

flisafakto

I've been wondering the same!

I would like to make healthy, proper dinners every night, with fresh ingredients, but I don't have the money or the time as a grad student. I usually end up eating something either frozen or half-ready made, and of course somewhat processed.

rocki21

the only thing i say to watch in any frozen meal is the sodium it can be quite high. As long as your staying under your sodium levels i dont see the problems with these meals. I eat them every once in a while but if you have to much salt in your diet then you can start noticing bloating and what not

Chellski

to put it simply... pre prepared food is BAD.. as it is a major source of trans fatty acids and nutrients can be damaged by the preperation... and freezing. they may be not bad calorie wise but NOT healthy. there is a difference between low calorie and healthy (something a lot of people forget)

brookepenni

I have to say - eating healthy is sooooooooooooo much cheaper than otherwise. Since my partner and I have changed our lifestyle - weve saved over $100 each a week.

We make our lunches on a Sunday afternoon - always vegetarian. Curries, pasta's, veggoe bakes, rice paper rolls etc. Dinner, we have vegetables or salad and some lean meat. We buy porterhouse steak and cut it in half - it works out about $3 each. I find vegetables are cheap, fruit can be more expensive - but it pays to buy whats in season.

Id personally avoid those WW meals. As others have said - too much sodium, not enough flavour.

beccyleigh

oven roasted veg such as courgette, aubergine, mushrooms, leek & onion are cheap to make, last a week in the fridge & bulk out pasta dishes when mixed with either pesto or tinned tomato & tinned tuna. can also be eaten separately with grilled chicken & cottage cheese. home made soups are also cheap to make & last long in the freezer. bulk make bolognaise sauce & freeze, will take just as long to defrost as a ready meal does to cook. do a cook day, make up batches, use cheap cuts of meat & cook longer or use a slow cooker.

mangledspoon

I find a lot of those meals are more sauce than meat or veg!! So you get the flavour but not much nutrients or anything that would realistically fill you up. That said - I love the weight watcher's lasagne and canneloni, find those to be the most filling.
As for them being processed and full of salt - very true, but still 10x better than what you might otherwise eat, and a worthwhile swap - after all, they still contain vegetables!
Pretty sure there's not trans fatty acids in Weight watchers food too!

BeccaAnderton

I'm a student at the minute on a very tight budget, but I manage to feed myself for under £20 a week, I shop at the cheaper supermarkets and tend to buy things like frozen veg instead of fresh veg, and the supermarket's own brand stuff, but it can be done!

caznjj

check out some of the sites on bulk cooking (once a month cooking) - if you have freezer space, you can cook a heap of stuff and freeze it, then just heat up when you need it - no different really to buying those meals, and you know exactly what is in them.

CarolynB38

If you do buy fresh veg go for those that are in season as they are usually cheaper. Markets are often cheaper too. Frozen veg is absolutely fine. Check out the reduced price isles too. They are usually stuff that has a short date on it but you can always chop and freeze stuff like carrots, broccoli etc as soon as you get home and those things are usually fine for a short time after the sell-by date anyway. Apples are another good one and they last even longer in the fridge. If you have space where you live you can grow potatoes in a grow-bag or carrots in a pot. There's always the pick-your-own farms too. Sometimes it can be cheaper to buy in bulk so perhaps you and your friends could club together and then split the pack between you. Cooking in bulk is also a great idea if you have the freezer space, although you can always just make double and put the other portion in the fridge for the next day. Tins of tomatoes are quite cheap in places like Aldi and Liddl so they are really good for bulking out a meal.

It can be hard eating healthily on a budget but if you are prepared to put in the effort it can be done. Good luck with it

morenita71

I think it can be done. I've gone back to being a student and the household income has halved.

I think the key things are to plan what you are eating for the week. As well as that eat seasonally - seasonal veg will be cheaper (for example no point bothering with tomatoes now in UK but pumpkin and butternut squash etc.. yes definitely) Things like soup are great! Get some bones from your butcher - see what's on offer in your supermarket etc.. I shop on line - it forces me to plan and I know exactly how much I'm spending.

I have not gone veggie but I do eat less meat (prefer to pay more for good quality organic or free range). We buy a whole chicken and joint it (there are videos on internet to show you how) we make a stock for soups and risottos etc.. And if I make a chilli/spaghetti bolgnese I use lots of veg to make the meat go further or add things like lentils (red ones) which also make the meat go further.

Also dried pulses are good in general - if you plan what you're eating you will remember to soak them etc..

A little bit of planning goes a long way - what are you doing each day, where will you be, how many of you will be eating - PLAN!!! do it! It wil really make a difference.

Good luck!