Homeless Nutrition

Wow I'm really sorry that your homeless I would stick to getting something cheap, easy and that won't spoil if left out for awhile: Canned Veggies is a good start, Nuts will have the calories you'll need, dried anything (i.e fruit, meat). If I were in your shoes, so you don't get runned down, buy vitams if you can afford to, as well as some fatty foods (I hate to say it but if you are at the gym 6 days a week, you need to get you calories from somewhere)

I hope this helped, Best of luck to you

Baked beans without too much salt. Can be eaten straight out of the can cold.

Peanut butter, baked beans, salsa, tortillas, canned veggies, soups. Good luck to you! I'm sorry you're dealing with this.

the weather is getting cooler.. so hopefully u can do fresh fruit and veggies without to much trouble. If your gym or school has an ice machine... just grab some ice from there. no reason to buy it if you can get it another way. since you are going to be at the gym 6 days a week.. keep some apples/bananas in a locker Definitely make sure you are doing a multi-vitamin w/limited nutrition.

Look for deals in the reduced produce section of the grocery store ... You can buy refrigerated things as you need them ... Pretend like the grocery store is a buffet ...

Are there any food pantries near by? Always look for stuff on sale, or overstock sale. Usually they just want to get rid of it as fast as possible.

My friend lived out of her car for a few months, after some circumstances. She showered at the gym, and still went to school and was living off unemployment (our rent here is RIDICULOUSLY high). She lived off protein shakes and protein bars, and her friends brought her food or invited her over to eat a meal with them once in a while. Do you not have the option to couch surf for a while with a few friends?

I recommend a vitamin like everyone said as well. I wish you the best of luck, I honestly don't know what I would do if I were you, but I guess if put into the situation, I would just try and survive on bare minimum as best I could.

Check and see if there are any food pantries or shelters near by that may be able to help with food stamps or coupons for reduced food or ones that may possibly even serve meals a few times a week.

Bananas
Peanut Butter
Nuts
Granola Bars
Tuna pouches & crackers
Apples
Clementines
Jerky
Microwaveable soup cups - heat up in the lounge at school
Canned chicken (stir into the soups)


I also know from working in a jail that you don't *need* boiling water for Ramen or Oatmeal - just hot tap water will work (the inmates don't have access to boiling water, but the tap is enough to cook/heat up the food). Keep some pouches and you can heat up with hot water at a gas station or the gym.

Load your Subway sandwiches with plenty of spinach, peppers and tomatoes for an extra serving of veggies. They also sell yogurt there, which would be good to have instead of chips.

Good luck to you. I'm sorry you're in the situation, but I admire you trying to make the best of it. Keep your head up

I do have a cooler. I thought about doing that...just have to see how often I am going to need to fill it with ice. If I need to get new bags of ice every day I don't think I will bother.

I will probably go with canned veggies if it doesn't work out. Thanks for the response Penny.

I'd definitely stick with canned veggies, fish, chicken, etc. and add some fresh when you can. I checked your profile and you're in Miami so you're going to have to fill that cooler with ice way too often. I also saw that you have kids. Have you spoken to anyone at your school or otherwise to get help? A church may help you out. This economy is taking its toll on a lot of very smart and very hard working people. I'm damn impressed that you're just pushing through.

My thoughts are with you in this really tough time. I know from second-hand experience (my own mother) that your options are fairly limited. But one thing that may be worth checking into is to see if some of the shelters will do a hot meal for you. They may not let you stay the night, but a lot of them will do food. I know that St. Vincent De Paul is one that did this for my mom's partner before they were able to find stable ground. That's how they met. There may also be other kitchens that serve meals to the hungry, but not homeless.

As far as nutrition, I would keep the focus on keeping the protein numbers up and letting the calories fall where they may within the limit. I know time is probably not something you have a lot of, but I swear - I've had friends in the freegan community in San Diego, and they ate better than I did. And believe me, they didn't do it because they wanted to. I would hope these days that more food is donated than tossed, though.

The other thing that may be tough is keeping hydrated and well-rested - especially with the schedule and the stress. But please do try. I can't imagine how strong you must be to be so determined - but you have a ton of support and people out here rooting for you.

Best wishes for you in the rough time and I hope things work themselves out quickly so that you will have a roof over your head soon. Major respect for the amount of work you are putting in even in this rough time.

Agree with the others, peanut butter, basic crackers, canned veggies. If it's cool enough, stuff such as bread should keep well enough without refrigeration, and tuna makes a good addition to make a sandwich and probably cheaper than Subway.

It sounds like you've gotten some great suggestions, so I just want to say I'm sorry about your situation. I'm rooting for you as you finish your Masters.

Wow, dude, that's rough........................

All of the suggestions here are good..............and maybe your community has a food shelf or other cheap food sources to tap into? As hard as it might be to swallow your pride, you could get help from a church group or other shelter-type situation. Don't know what kind of neighborhood you're in, but if you have access to a library computer, you could do some searching for assistance.

Much love and success to you..............you seem to have an attitude that will get you through this hard patch.

God bless.

Been there, it's not so bad! Let the grocery store keep perishable items cold for you, look at the the store as ur cooler. Green essentials is equal to 6 lbs of greens...$4.50 for two servings. Can opener is going to be needed for proteins like beans and smoked salmon, oysters, etc. Have some crackers readily available for that. Subway isn't that bad if you know what u need for protein and priced well too. I lived off of a $10.00 a day budget including gas and beer...which is all I had on certain days...beer is good food, kinda. I kept instant coffee handy and would get a cup of hot water for free at taco bell or whatever's open and close by. Taquerias always have steak tacos for two bucks and you get the chips and salsa for free, think that was my favorite and with a beer. Also the carne asada burrito w whole wheat tortilla is ample for dinner and breakfast the next day. Good luck and keep us posted buddy! Better than having to share w a roomate at times!

Call local churches, they should be able to direct you to help or to a food pantry or shelter.

People have come up with a great list, but I wanted to add roasted edamame. They have a good amount of protein and fiber. Not sure if this would work for you, but is there a friend that would let you keep ice packs in their freezer? That would help you expand your choices from time to time.
Best of luck!!