Poverty and diet

Keep on keepin' on.....................

Beans/legumes are a good source of protein, and filling. Most groceries have sections for meats and produce that are getting a little old. Good luck!

You'll be happy to hear that --for strict weight loss alone-- the type of foods you eat do not matter at all.

One professor of nutrition ate nothing but "junk food" and lost 27 lbs to prove to his students that it really is total intake, not types of food, that is responsible for weight loss. http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/

For health, you'll want to eat a balanced diet, but carbs are not inherently bad. There's no reason to avoid them.

Also, 1200 calories is probably not enough for you. Try using a TDEE calculator to find your approximate energy requirements for fat loss. Try this one: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

I've spent the better part of the past year homeless, currently in a program to help me get out of the situation. Food stamps have been incredibly helpful, as have food banks. Eggs are a good, cheap source of protein if you're like me and hate the texture of beans. I scour sales flyers in the hopes that my favorites will be on sale. Sometimes i go without. I've been known to eat a bowl of dry grape nuts! Sometimes I'll even treat myself with food that some people would be appalled that someone would buy with food stamps!

Rice, beans, legumes, frozen vegetables, all pretty cheap and good for you!

Frozen bagged veggies are usually on sale, or the store brand ones are pretty cheap. I love them! You can throw in any spices or even butter. I also get rice cheap as well. You could make a veggie stir fry with the rice and veggies. I saw someone else mentioned canned beans, I love them also. They are good source of protein. definitely look at the sales flyers and see what's on sale each week and try to plan around that. I hope the food stamps come quickly for you :-) I know it can be a rather long wait sometimes. I've been on them before when my Son was a baby. It's nothing to be embarrassed about at all. Good luck to you!! :-)

Have you looked into the Food Depot? I know in some cases you can go and pick up produce and healthy stuff- you should look into it.

http://www.thefooddepot.org/

I live in NM- I feel you. I know it's hard. Keep your head up.

On another note: what about sodium? A lot of the cheaper food brands are just loaded with it. I know sodium is one of those things you need to be careful of. How do I mitigate the problem?

I only worry about sodium when I'm retaining water. When I'm bloated i can tell.

After that I don't think you need to worry about it too much unless you hit a weight loss plateau. Like the others said, as long as you are hitting your calorie goals, you should still lose.

When things get tight for us we turn to beans, eggs, brown rice (a little more expensive but better for you), frozen or canned fruit and veggies canned tuna, apples, bananas and potatoes. When its on sale we look for other fresh fruit or veggies and boneless skinless chicken breast.

Find a place to purchase bulk- we have a place called Sprouts here in AZ with great deals.
Stop shopping Walmart and regular chain groceries
Find a produce "market", we have one here that sells incredibly cheap "seconds"
Grow a few things in pots or yard if you can-try dollar stores for pots and dirt, lettuce, basil, chard and cilantro are all great options, easy and vitamin loaded
Find a food coop for low income-I think most large cities have them
Produce stands if you live in more rural areas can be great, especially for seasonal produce, hit them at the end of the day for good deals
Learn to dehydrate,freeze or can foods when you find super cheap deals
Go vegetarian, except maybe whole chicken or leg quarters
Try Mexican and Asian groceries, more good deals
Watch the weekly sales-I feed my dogs raw meat and never buy anything unless it's marked way,way down
Chicken and pork are cheap, beef expensive. Turkey around the holidays can be found super cheap, bake and use for sandwiches and salads
Pasta, beans, rice,potatoes,sweet potatoes. You can buy pinto beans in 20-50 lb bags at Hispanic groceries.
Learn to bake-flour, yeast/sourdough starter are cheap, baking powder for quick breads, find a place with bulk grains
Try some unusual whole grains-example whole wheat can be purchased in bulk from Mormon pantry supplies, we have lots of them in our area, use wheat/barley as rice for increased whole grains.
Try a new fruit or vegetable, and/or grain every time you grocery shop. Asian groceries are great for unfamiliar,cool stuff.
We eat lots of eggs. We eat no processed foods except an occasional frozen pizza. We also eat stone ground and rolled oats, which I find really cheap in bulk.
If eligible, apply for Food Stamps and Wic.
Many cities have community gardens where you can have a plot to grow veggies. Learn what types of things to grow and when to plant them. Seeds are cheap, just don't buy all the bagged dirt and fancy fertilizers.
Learn how to lacto-ferment your excess produce to make pickles, saurkraut and kimchi. Lacto-fermentation provides lots of extra nutrients and only requires salt, water and a jar. You can pickle just about any veggie and most fruits. Don't let produce go to waste. Pickle it or get it in the freezer or dry it either in the sun or the oven. Asian and European cultures pickle everything!