Whole Food eating on a budget

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Replies

  • MeeshyBW
    MeeshyBW Posts: 382 Member
    i tend to eat lots of rice ( buy a bulk bag ) with olives , sun dried tomatoes, and tuna. everything is getting so overpriced here in the UK. quinoa is really quite pricey here as are many foods which are reasonably price in the USA.


    It is actually at the point where its cheaper to buy junk food than real food here.

    It's ALWAYS been cheaper to eat junk food than whole food. One McDonald's value meal can give you more than enough calories for an entire day! But that's not very healthy.

    I'm talking about supermarket food. Fast food is not food. Anyone who relies on fast food as a valid meal option is just kidding themselves.

    Who seriously eats a happy meal and it fills them up? It's just sugar and fat. Over the course of a week if you ate fast food for 3 meals for 7 days of course a weekly shop is cheaper!
  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
    Coupons are my savior.

    Mambosprouts.com
    Common kindness.com
    Whole foods.com

    All have lots of discounts.
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    When people say healthy food is expensive what they really mean is that healthy food takes longer to prepare.

    i.e They are so used to fast/convenience food that the idea of peeling, chopping and waiting for food to actually cook is completely alien to them.
  • MeeshyBW
    MeeshyBW Posts: 382 Member
    When people say healthy food is expensive what they really mean is that healthy food takes longer to prepare.

    i.e They are so used to fast/convenience food that the idea of peeling, chopping and waiting for food to actually cook is completely alien to them.

    ^^^ THIS!. Me and you are two peas in a pod hun. People be too lazzzzzy to cook.
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
    Bump
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    I'll say this, a bag of apples costs the same as a bag of potato chips, (if not less) and lasts days longer. Peanut butter and apples is more cost effective than potato chips and cookies, plus you will want to gorge less. Many are the times I have eaten an entire bag of chips. Never have I eaten an entire bag of apples.
  • thisisme13
    thisisme13 Posts: 150
    I eat a primarily raw vegan diet and don't find that it is too much in cost. Obviously it's more than I used to spend eating a vegetarian or regular diet however I don't find I'm spending too much more.

    Shop where it is cheapest. You don't have to shop at health food stores or fancy stores. I buy my produce from whatever store has the best sale. I try to plan my eating around what is on sale. I won't buy strawberries for example if they are not on sale. I buy the cheapest fruits and veggies. Lettuce recently was $3 for a small head... so I won't buy lettuce this week.

    Personally, I don't find eating healthy to be any more expensive than eating processed garbage all the time. It all comes down to where you shop, how you plan, etc. Eating healthy doesn't have to cost more.
  • mikeberthold
    mikeberthold Posts: 24 Member
    I don't understand why people think whole foods is expensive and I especially don't understand why some people refer to processed foods as "food."

    Because some people don't have the same phobias others do?
  • KatieHall77
    KatieHall77 Posts: 129 Member
    Do you live in an area where you can garden? I save a ton of money growing my own lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, green beans, and squashes. I freeze whatever is left that my family doen't need, plus I always wind up giving away dozens of pounds of produce to neighbors.

    Start small. My first year, I just did cucumbers. You can get a whole package of seeds for about a dollar- then once you get the hang of it, diversify a bit to include more veggies.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    I'll say this, a bag of apples costs the same as a bag of potato chips, (if not less) and lasts days longer. Peanut butter and apples is more cost effective than potato chips and cookies, plus you will want to gorge less. Many are the times I have eaten an entire bag of chips. Never have I eaten an entire bag of apples.

    I ate almost a whole bag of cuties once in one night (mandarin oranges)
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    Yeah. Cuties are so small and not at all filling. It easier to eat them in quantity. That's why apples are better.
  • chelseagirlfl
    chelseagirlfl Posts: 207 Member
    Wouldn't this be better entitled "Vegan eating on a budget."

    I came here with whole food ideas . . .

    I was listing different types...not necc. recipes that were all of the things listed...I need to use better grammar. Sorry. :) Please forgive me..
  • chelseagirlfl
    chelseagirlfl Posts: 207 Member
    Frozen vegetables are often more nutritious than fresh (because they are preserved from freezing) and often go on sale.

    What????????????????????????????

    Lol.

    I always do fresh...unless there is something I want that is not in season. I would not think frozen is better nutrition wise..but, thats a guess..I have not researched that. I too thought What?
  • chelseagirlfl
    chelseagirlfl Posts: 207 Member
    OP should make a new post in a Vegan group asking how to eat vegan on a budget.

    Half of "whole foods" are animal based in one way or another: milk, eggs, all meats, even honey, because boohoo the poor bees in the bee farm are captive...lol

    I'm sorry to have brought up such a dark vision for the honey bees to your attention...please don't cry...LOL
  • LJSmith1989
    LJSmith1989 Posts: 650
    I'll say this, a bag of apples costs the same as a bag of potato chips, (if not less) and lasts days longer. Peanut butter and apples is more cost effective than potato chips and cookies, plus you will want to gorge less. Many are the times I have eaten an entire bag of chips. Never have I eaten an entire bag of apples.

    thats because apples suck :(
  • chelseagirlfl
    chelseagirlfl Posts: 207 Member
    OK, I have a family of 4. I am the non meat eater..and they eat everything. It can get pricy..here in Florida. a Bag of apples at the local Publix is like 4.99. and avocado is 1.99 a head of lettuce 2.00. If I buy watermelon 6.99 for a whole melon. It seems here that a small package of couscous is like 5.99, a bag of lentils 5.49...I think that is alot. because I used to be able to walk into Winn Dixie and Publix and hit their BOGO and get all the processed foods on sale. Nothing that is really good for you is on sale. I just founf ALDI and that place has saved me. Because I cook almost two separate meals a day and have to provide food for my BF and his father who are no interested at all in healthy eating. I am looking for all ideas that are made with nothing processed that are not complicated, it can be meatless, or gluten free, or dairy free I am pretty open. I am striving to be vegan but, not to an extreme where I would boo hoo on the honey bees. I am a veggie lover, but, I won't cringe if someone eats it near me or mentions it, and I don't food judge people based on their diet.
  • LJSmith1989
    LJSmith1989 Posts: 650
    OK, I have a family of 4. I am the non meat eater..and they eat everything. It can get pricy..here in Florida. a Bag of apples at the local Publix is like 4.99. and avocado is 1.99 a head of lettuce 2.00. If I buy watermelon 6.99 for a whole melon. It seems here that a small package of couscous is like 5.99, a bag of lentils 5.49...I think that is alot. because I used to be able to walk into Winn Dixie and Publix and hit their BOGO and get all the processed foods on sale. Nothing that is really good for you is on sale. I just founf ALDI and that place has saved me. Because I cook almost two separate meals a day and have to provide food for my BF and his father who are no interested at all in healthy eating. I am looking for all ideas that are made with nothing processed that are not complicated, it can be meatless, or gluten free, or dairy free I am pretty open. I am striving to be vegan but, not to an extreme where I would boo hoo on the honey bees. I am a veggie lover, but, I won't cringe if someone eats it near me or mentions it, and I don't food judge people based on their diet.

    We had a recent wholefood store open near us £12 for an apple pie... you can stick that where the sun don't shine!

    Tesco and Sainsburys <3
  • chelseagirlfl
    chelseagirlfl Posts: 207 Member
    I'll say this, a bag of apples costs the same as a bag of potato chips, (if not less) and lasts days longer. Peanut butter and apples is more cost effective than potato chips and cookies, plus you will want to gorge less. Many are the times I have eaten an entire bag of chips. Never have I eaten an entire bag of apples.

    thats because apples suck :(

    Not as much as a $12.00 apple pie LOL
  • IrishChik
    IrishChik Posts: 465 Member
    Veggies are cheap as hell. What are you talking about?

    I too, thought you meant, whole foods, not Vegan food. How much cheaper can you get? I guess you could start growing your own.

    Why must you be so rude?

    When the OP isn't buying meat or dairy and wants whole foods, what difference does it make if she eliminates those two groups from her menu? It's her personal choice. And being rude does nothing but make the OP wonder why she came here asking for help in the first place.

    Since she is not buying from those two groups, she's need at least TRIPLE the amount of whole food from fruits and vegetables. OP was merely asking some tips on how to do that on a budget; because honestly, when you use that as the basis for your meal and NOT meat or dairy it CAN be expensive, especially if you are buying organic. And not everyone lives in a district where there is a farmers market or a co-op. Or even a Whole Foods Market for that matter.
  • jacque930
    jacque930 Posts: 122 Member
    I find that eating healthy it actually not more expensive. I spend less because I am eating the proper PORTION size. I don't need more because more will just go to waste. I use to stock up on sale items and other not so healthy options and use to spend more at the grocery store than I do now. I may spend a little more on fruits and vegetables but I am now eating the proper portion size of items and therefore have more left overs to provide for more meals.

    Amazing how a little goes a long way...
  • Derpina7
    Derpina7 Posts: 552 Member
    An awesome blog I came across a little while ago: http://www.rawon10.com/
    Meals and snacks based on roughly $10/day, I've tried a handful of recipes and they've all been great :)
  • shining_light
    shining_light Posts: 384 Member
    Oh god, if I was eating vegan, my food budget would be so cheap. All of my non-meat proteins(beans, nuts, and seeds) can be bought in bulk at my local supermarket for absolutely dirt cheap. Vegetables really ARE cheap as hell.
  • Basilyn
    Basilyn Posts: 1
    Derpina7, thank you for the rawon10 lead! I just joined myfitnesspal, and that will help me get started.
  • BonaFideUK
    BonaFideUK Posts: 313 Member
    Vegan diets costs peanuts. Raw veggies and fruit is cheap, tinned fruit, beans, etc are all cheap.

    Buying whole meats instead of processed junk is what kills my budget.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
    OK, I have a family of 4. I am the non meat eater..and they eat everything. It can get pricy..here in Florida. a Bag of apples at the local Publix is like 4.99. and avocado is 1.99 a head of lettuce 2.00. If I buy watermelon 6.99 for a whole melon. It seems here that a small package of couscous is like 5.99, a bag of lentils 5.49...I think that is alot. because I used to be able to walk into Winn Dixie and Publix and hit their BOGO and get all the processed foods on sale. Nothing that is really good for you is on sale. I just founf ALDI and that place has saved me. Because I cook almost two separate meals a day and have to provide food for my BF and his father who are no interested at all in healthy eating. I am looking for all ideas that are made with nothing processed that are not complicated, it can be meatless, or gluten free, or dairy free I am pretty open. I am striving to be vegan but, not to an extreme where I would boo hoo on the honey bees. I am a veggie lover, but, I won't cringe if someone eats it near me or mentions it, and I don't food judge people based on their diet.

    Since you live in Florida, check around to see if there are any local farmer's markets near you. You can get some good deals of produce and eggs that way. Check out Locally Grown.
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
    Does anyone else find it hard to eat healthy due to the high cost?
    Anyone have any go to meals that are inexpensive to make?
    Whole food, no dairy, no meat, no proccessed food.

    I don't like to cook, have gone back to college, and want to save money.

    I swear by dried lentils -- they're cheap, nutritious, have loads of protein, and you don't have to soak them. Add vegetables for a lentil stew. You can buy lentils for $1.50-2.00 a bag at most grocery stores, or buy in bulk from a health food store (and get organic).

    Here's a simple recipe:
    One cup of dried lentils
    Two cups of water (or a little more)
    Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, put on a lid, and simmer for about 40 minutes or until done.
    Delicious cooked with chopped up butternut or acorn squash - throw the squash in while the lentils are cooking..
    Also good with a chopped onion, a couple of carrots, and a little broccoli.
    You can also add a little brown rice cooked in a rice cooker for a filling meal.

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