Need Some Help

jopowell84

Ok so i am 5ft 2in and 176 lbs, most of which i know is swelling, bloating and inflammation. I had my gallbladder removed in 2008, so i have alot of problems with acid, and i am lactose intolerant. I have also found i have a problem with any gluten. But i still have to eat those things, Why because its cheap. When i have stopped eating gluten, dairy, and anything greasy i lose all the swelling and alot of weight which is really good. But it drained the bank. So i was hoping someone could help me on how to eat a clean pretty much paleo diet for me , a husband, and 2 kids (3 and 1 1/2). And here is the hard part....I only have 100-125 to spend on all food for the entire week. My kids have a problem with dairy also so we already spend alot just getting almond milk so the get good protien and calcium, they are very active, tiny kids and eat alot. I hate feeding my family processed crap, but i almost feel like i dont have a choice sometimes. Eating some beef or hot dogs with mac & cheese and some frozen veggies isnt really my idea of a healthy dinner but its all i can think of with the budget i have.

Any ideas? Any moms out there that can help?

My kids wont eat any chicken, turkey , beef unless its fried or mixed in pasta. they will eat fish. they wont eat eggs. we try to hide the meat in there food but they just pick it or spit it out.
I need meal ideas for an entire week that i can repeat. I can usually do dinners ok but its the Breakfast, lunch and snacks that i am having a problem with.

melsinct

If the budget is tight, screw almond milk. That stuff is $$ if you just want the protein from it. Turn instead to the actual nut (almond or otherwise) or meats, beans, etc. Eggs are one of the cheapest forms of protein- omelets, egg salad, hard boiled eggs, deviled eggs, etc. are all delicious and cheap.

Processed crap IS expensive, so don't feel like you have to feed that to your family. You don't. There are many threads on MFP (use the search feature) about eating healthy on a strict budget. Shop the sales and stock up on meats when they are a good deal. Beans are as cheap as it gets. Rice is gluten free if your family likes it and very cheap. Frozen veg is generally dirt cheap and just as nutritious as fresh. Crock pot meals tend to take cheap cuts of meat, makes them delicious and tender, and generally makes a ton for not much money.

Dinner ideas:

Stir fry: saute mixed frozen veg, add in protein/meat of choice, season it with whatever you like (soy sauce, chili peppers, whatever) and serve over brown rice

Chili: You can make it with beef, chicken or whatever meat you like and beans, using the beans to stretch the meat further. It freezes beautifully and you can make a huge vat of it on the cheap.

Vegetable Fritatta: Eggs = cheap. Enough said!

Roast chicken with veg on the side: Roast a whole chicken and you will feed your family for days.

Firefox7275

You don't have to go for paleo to avoid wheat, there are reasonably priced gluten free starchy carbohydrates - root vegetables, brown rice, dried beans and lentils for example. It's only expensive if you try to replace processed wheat products like bread and pasta with similar processed wheat free products, not if you eat simple wholefoods. Meat is actually quite an expensive component of the diet, recommended portion sizes are quite small so you can save money by sticking to this. Ground beef can be stretched miles by adding cheap vegetables (dry red lentils, onions, celery, carrots, canned tomatoes) to make a Bolognese sauce or chilli con carne or moussaka. Nothing wrong with frozen vegetables, they can be as or more nutritious than fresh, cheaper and less waste.

You also don't need processed almond milk which is mostly water anyway, there are plenty of healthy non dairy sources of calcium and protein like (frozen) green vegetables, canned oily fish with the crumbly bones left in, certain nuts and seeds. Live plain yoghurt and certain cheeses are naturally low in lactose anyway, it is milk and some cheeses that are high. Have you all been diagnosed with lactose intolerance or are you assuming the sugars are the issue and not the proteins?

Are you having to go lower fat without a gallbladder? If so you can't do reduced carb on top, you could easily end up deficient in one or more nutrients. The long chain omega-3s in oily fish are powerful anti inflammatories and can be beneficial in digestive issues, far healthier than eating meat. Canned is much cheaper than fresh fish and an excellent source of calcium and magnesium. Also ask your doctor about a course of freeze dried probiotic capsules (friendly bacteria), if you are eating processed food and have had surgery your gut flora could well be out of balance.

Have you considered seeing a registered dietician?

jopowell84

Thank you for your ideas they are great ideas but,
Paleo is the best bet for me since anything with wheat, MSG or any other gluten makes me sick, and yogurt is dairy i cant do dairy and anything with aspertame makes me sick and that is in Most yogurts. I am also looking for kid friendly ideas.
(And if I could afford a Dietician i wouldnt have a problem buying the food i need.)
I found this which will help you understand why im having a hard time............

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gluten-free-diet/my01140

Allowed foods
Many healthy and delicious foods are naturally gluten-free:

Beans, seeds, nuts in their natural, unprocessed form
Fresh eggs
Fresh meats, fish and poultry (not breaded, batter-coated or marinated)
Fruits and vegetables
Most dairy products

It's important to make sure that they are not processed or mixed with gluten-containing grains, additives or preservatives. Many grains and starches can be part of a gluten-free diet:

Amaranth
Arrowroot
Buckwheat
Corn and cornmeal
Flax
Gluten-free flours (rice, soy, corn, potato, bean)
Hominy (corn)
Millet
Quinoa
Rice
Sorghum
Soy
Tapioca
Teff
Always avoid

Avoid all food and drinks containing:

Barley (malt, malt flavoring and malt vinegar are usually made from barley)
Rye
Triticale (a cross between wheat and rye)
Wheat

Avoiding wheat can be challenging because wheat products go by numerous names. Consider the many types of wheat flour on supermarket shelves — bromated, enriched, phosphated, plain and self-rising. Here are other wheat products to avoid:

Bulgur
Durum flour
Farina
Graham flour
Kamut
Semolina
Spelt
Avoid unless labeled 'gluten-free'
In general, avoid the following foods unless they're labeled as gluten-free or made with corn, rice, soy or other gluten-free grain:

Beer
Breads
Cakes and pies
Candies
Cereals
Cookies and crackers
Croutons
French fries
Gravies
Imitation meat or seafood
Matzo
Pastas
Processed luncheon meats
Salad dressings
Sauces, including soy sauce
Seasoned rice mixes
Seasoned snack foods, such as potato and tortilla chips
Self-basting poultry
Soups and soup bases
Vegetables in sauce

Certain grains, such as oats, can be contaminated with wheat during growing and processing stages of production. For this reason, doctors and dietitians generally recommend avoiding oats unless they are specifically labeled gluten-free.

You should also be alert for other products that you eat or that could come in contact with your mouth that may contain gluten. These include:

Food additives, such as malt flavoring, modified food starch and others
Medications and vitamins that use gluten as a binding agent
Play dough
Watch for cross-contamination
Cross-contamination occurs when gluten-free foods come into contact with foods that contain gluten. It can happen during the manufacturing process, for example, if the same equipment is used to make a variety of products. Some food labels include a "may contain" statement if this is the case. But be aware that this type of statement is voluntary. You still need to check the actual ingredient list. If you're not sure whether a food contains gluten, don't buy it or check with the manufacturer first to ask what it contains.

Cross-contamination can also occur at home if foods are prepared on common surfaces or with utensils that weren't thoroughly cleaned after being used to prepare gluten-containing foods. Using a common toaster for gluten-free bread and regular bread is a major source of contamination, for example. Consider what steps you need to take to prevent cross-contamination at home, school or work.

jopowell84

You don't have to go for paleo to avoid wheat, there are reasonably priced gluten free starchy carbohydrates - root vegetables, brown rice, dried beans and lentils for example. It's only expensive if you try to replace processed wheat products like bread and pasta with similar processed wheat free products, not if you eat simple wholefoods. Meat is actually quite an expensive component of the diet, recommended portion sizes are quite small so you can save money by sticking to this. Ground beef can be stretched miles by adding cheap vegetables (dry red lentils, onions, celery, carrots, canned tomatoes) to make a Bolognese sauce or chilli con carne or moussaka. Nothing wrong with frozen vegetables, they can be as or more nutritious than fresh, cheaper and less waste.

You also don't need processed almond milk which is mostly water anyway, there are plenty of healthy non dairy sources of calcium and protein like (frozen) green vegetables, canned oily fish with the crumbly bones left in, certain nuts and seeds. Live plain yoghurt and certain cheeses are naturally low in lactose anyway, it is milk and some cheeses that are high. Have you all been diagnosed with lactose intolerance or are you assuming the sugars are the issue and not the proteins?

Are you having to go lower fat without a gallbladder? If so you can't do reduced carb on top, you could easily end up deficient in one or more nutrients. The long chain omega-3s in oily fish are powerful anti inflammatories and can be beneficial in digestive issues, far healthier than eating meat. Canned is much cheaper than fresh fish and an excellent source of calcium and magnesium. Also ask your doctor about a course of freeze dried probiotic capsules (friendly bacteria), if you are eating processed food and have had surgery your gut flora could well be out of balance.

Have you considered seeing a registered dietician?

Lactose intolerance comes with the no gallbladder thing.

Firefox7275

Lactose intolerance comes with the no gallbladder thing.

So do your children not have a gallbladder either?

Thank you for your ideas they are great ideas but,
Paleo is the best bet for me since anything with wheat, MSG or any other gluten makes me sick, and yogurt is dairy i cant do dairy and anything with aspertame makes me sick and that is in Most yogurts. I am also looking for kid friendly ideas.
(And if I could afford a Dietician i wouldnt have a problem buying the food i need.)
I found this which will help you understand why im having a hard time............

Again beans, lentils, wholegrain rice and root vegetables are totally 100% naturally gluten free. I am totally confident of this being qualified to degree level in lifestyle healthcare (nutrition and physical activity). There are better sources of nutrition information online than the Mayo Clinic, consider coeliac (gluten allergy) charity websites, the UK national health service, US government, world health organisation, any university. If you believe you have a gluten intolerance you don't need to be obsessive about avoiding the tiniest traces of gluten, only if you have a full blown allergy. If you think you do that needs diagnosing because it damages the lining of the gut, causing sufferers not to absorb nutrients properly.

Children have been eating the same foods as adults for tens of thousands of years and they need all the same nutrients. There are plenty of websites online with tips and recipes for how to get children to eat green vegetables and oily fish. Please don't underestimate the importance of long chain omega-3s in brain development and the benefits in preventing or treating numerous health problems from eczema to asthma to irritable bowel syndrome. I have had many nutrition clients with children who have improved their whole family's diet without spending a fortune.

jopowell84

I wasnt really looking for health advice, i was hoping for some gluten free meals not just dinners and that link was just an example of what i need to avoid, i know i should avoid it because it makes me sick so if something makes you sick you avoid it. I added my health problems to stress that i needed wheat/ Gluten free ideas nothing more. Of course my kids have gallbladders.

I was just wanting some meal ideas i guess i should have been clear that i needed Famliy/ Kid friendly ideas. And too much Canned fish these days can kill you due to mercury levels, and i should not eat it anyway since its made with broth and unless it says Gluten free/ wheat free it will contain Gluten/MSG which is horrible for you anyway, even almost all soups have it.

Sorry started to rant....just wanted meal ideas not a lecture or course in what is healthy i know what i should eat.

caribougal

There are several great blogs and cookbooks for eating gluten/dairy free.

Try:
www.paleoparents.com. They have a book called Eat Like a Dinosaur that is written for kids with all kid-friendly recipes, and all common allergans are labeled, and for every recipe they specify which steps the kids can do. It's cute.

www.nomnompaleo.com. My favorite blog. Great ideas for easy and quick meals, and she also wrote about how she converted her kids to eating Paleo.

I think Robb Wolf has a book on eating Paleo on a budget.

jopowell84

There are several great blogs and cookbooks for eating gluten/dairy free.

Try:
www.paleoparents.com. They have a book called Eat Like a Dinosaur that is written for kids with all kid-friendly recipes, and all common allergans are labeled, and for every recipe they specify which steps the kids can do. It's cute.

www.nomnompaleo.com. My favorite blog. Great ideas for easy and quick meals, and she also wrote about how she converted her kids to eating Paleo.

I think Robb Wolf has a book on eating Paleo on a budget.

Thank you i will check it out

sunnyside1213

I have no gall bladder and I have no trouble with food. However, I chose to eat clean and no processed foods. Maybe that's why?

ShmoozyQ

http://picketfencepaleo.com/

Frigs

Heres an inexpensive chili recipe...222 calories per cup. An you could always substitute ground turkey for even healthier...I make a quart a week to have around for the family in the winter...

2 large cans of kitchen ready tomatoes(28 OZ), 2 lbs ground beef, 2 small onions, 1 large can of beans (28 OZ) ( kidney, black, or cannelli ), 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper ( If you use all green it's less sugar but I love the colors ), 1-2 TBSP chili powder, salt to taste, pinch of crushed habenero pepper...

Brown the meat with the diced onions, add the diced peppers, add the tomatoes...cooks up quickly....Very inexpensive, lots of protein and even potassium with all the peppers.

Good luck...