eating healthier while poor.
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goaliesmate wrote: »To maximise the nutrition from your limited budget avoid buying big brands, buy in bulk, buy frozen, by dry beans and pulses rather than canned - a bit of soaking before cooking cuts the cooking time - and bake your own bread. Good quality bread becomes a meal when added to soups and meagre stews. Boost protein levels by adding mushrooms and beans to meat dishes.
Mushrooms!! Yes. Thank u. It's an easy addition, need to check prices. I don't think they're too pricey tho.0 -
missiontofitness wrote: »softblondechick wrote: »My opinion is no pasta, or bread. Lose the processed food carbs. Weight will melt off.
Not necessary. Weight will melt off with a calorie deficit, simple as that.
Calories are calories, whether they are coming from vegetables, bread, or ice cream.
SHE HAS PCOS.
Eating lower carb is not optional in her case.0 -
Silly question but, can you cross the border to go shopping? In Northern Ireland lots for people to cross the border to buy cheaper petrol and diesel, as well as food, clothes, etc. in the Republic of Ireland.0
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kkarcher94511 wrote: »buy chicken breast in bulk when on sale and freeze it, same for tilapia and other whitefish as it tends to be very cheap. canned tuna and chicken are other good cheap protein sources. I also do the bulk peanut butter and am able to get FRESH, organic, no ANYTHING added PB for half the price off crappy PB. Nonfat cottage cheese and nonfat plain greek yogurt when on sale. i buy eggs for less than $6 for 4 dozen at costco and liquid egg whites for about $7 a case. proteins and meats are the most expensive so fill up with as MUCH seasonal veggies and fruit as you can! frozen vegetables are a staple in our house too. "Healthy" is not expensive. processed is much more expensive, you just have to put a little more time into prepping food:)
A costazulvioleta6 wrote: »missiontofitness wrote: »softblondechick wrote: »My opinion is no pasta, or bread. Lose the processed food carbs. Weight will melt off.
Not necessary. Weight will melt off with a calorie deficit, simple as that.
Calories are calories, whether they are coming from vegetables, bread, or ice cream.
SHE HAS PCOS.
Eating lower carb is not optional in her case.
Thank you. I have to eat some carbs, but I gotta keep em low. I aim for 50-55 carbs per meal.0 -
Not sure if you've seen this cookbook before.
It was made by a nutritionist to help people who receive SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program, formerly known as food stamps in the US) stretch their food budget while maximizing nutrient density.
https://8b862ca0073972f0472b704e2c0c21d0480f50d3.googledrive.com/host/0Bxd6wdCBD_2tdUdtM0d4WTJmclU/good-and-cheap.pdf
Also putting in a third vote for Budget Bytes, though her prices are FAR lower than where I live. The principles she uses include using small amounts of higher priced but very flavorful items and managing portion sizes to be reasonable.
And I spend a lot less when I eat vegetarian/vegan than when I eat meat. Plus it's more fiber and therefore more filling.
Especially during the summer, I like to go to farmers' markets near the end of the day and ask if they have "seconds" which are "less than perfect" fruits and veggies... maybe a blemish or a bruise. I've gotten some great scores for immediate consumption and freezing that way.0 -
StephanieMoon6 wrote: »coueswhitetail wrote: »Beans and lentils are great for nutrition and diabetes....And very cheap.....buy canned black beans.....drain them...mash them up...add cumin, onions and put into whole wheat tortilla for fast and healthy burrito.....add frozen or canned corn, tomatoes, spinach for more health.....cheap...easy...tasty.....in general its much cheaper to get your protein from beans than from meat....and beans help stabilize blood sugar and keep you full longer
I usually do all this cause I'm xicana lol. Except i call it a taco, not burrito. You're right, tho. Beans and legumes go a long way. My mami makes amazing lentils or lentejas as we call them.
Moros y cristianos? Love those, but I really can't have the white rice. Even legumes are something that you have to portion very carefully due to carbs.
There are many things on your list that you probably need to edit out or eat very rarely--cereal, bananas, pasta, and bread are among those. I would suggest adding more non-starchy veggies to your list of common foods (lettuce, cabbage, kale, green beans, spinach, etc.) and experimenting with less expensive sources of animal protein, like chicken and turkey.
Do you have Grocery Outlet or another similar store near you? I always go to overstock stores like this first and then pick up the rest of my list at traditional grocery stores. You can get some AMAZING deals, especially on things like meat, cheese, dairy and oil. Trader Joe's/Aldi's can also be a cost saver.
Eating seasonally, freezing, canning and growing some of your own food are more ways to eat well without spending a lot of money. I have a community garden plot which provides a significant amount of my food year round. I also do u-pick in the summer (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, etc.) and freeze produce for the rest of the year. Bonus: extra exercise and it's a fun activity for kids. You might look into CSAs as well--the price varies, but sometimes you can get very good deals. Gleener groups are another thing to look for--I belong to one where you get to keep half of what you pick (free) and the other half gets donated to the local food bank.
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azulvioleta6 wrote: »missiontofitness wrote: »softblondechick wrote: »My opinion is no pasta, or bread. Lose the processed food carbs. Weight will melt off.
Not necessary. Weight will melt off with a calorie deficit, simple as that.
Calories are calories, whether they are coming from vegetables, bread, or ice cream.
SHE HAS PCOS.
Eating lower carb is not optional in her case.
I'm aware; I read her OP. My comment was more in general. I did forget the context of this post, though, when making it. So my bad.0 -
hey OP props on quitting smoking
what you listed already sounds pretty good. the suggestion to add mushrooms and beans was a good one toosoftblondechick wrote: »My opinion is no pasta, or bread. Lose the processed food carbs. Weight will melt off.
don't listen to this person0 -
So agree with the buying fish and chicken in bulk!!!! I do invest in a good set of spices that will help zest up the meals. Frozen veggies are well and good if you can tolerate them not being fresh. Congrats btw on quitting smoking. I used to smoke for 27 years, it truly was worth getting rid of that terrible habit.
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NuggetLovesEdie wrote: »Not sure if you've seen this cookbook before.
It was made by a nutritionist to help people who receive SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program, formerly known as food stamps in the US) stretch their food budget while maximizing nutrient density.
https://8b862ca0073972f0472b704e2c0c21d0480f50d3.googledrive.com/host/0Bxd6wdCBD_2tdUdtM0d4WTJmclU/good-and-cheap.pdf
Also putting in a third vote for Budget Bytes, though her prices are FAR lower than where I live. The principles she uses include using small amounts of higher priced but very flavorful items and managing portion sizes to be reasonable.
And I spend a lot less when I eat vegetarian/vegan than when I eat meat. Plus it's more fiber and therefore more filling.
Especially during the summer, I like to go to farmers' markets near the end of the day and ask if they have "seconds" which are "less than perfect" fruits and veggies... maybe a blemish or a bruise. I've gotten some great scores for immediate consumption and freezing that way.
Thank u. I just discovered a farmers market and co-op garden, so I'm hitting those up too.0 -
ChiffonLaRue14 wrote: »So agree with the buying fish and chicken in bulk!!!! I do invest in a good set of spices that will help zest up the meals. Frozen veggies are well and good if you can tolerate them not being fresh. Congrats btw on quitting smoking. I used to smoke for 27 years, it truly was worth getting rid of that terrible habit.
What spices? And yes, fuxk cigarettes!0 -
hey OP props on quitting smoking
what you listed already sounds pretty good. the suggestion to add mushrooms and beans was a good one toosoftblondechick wrote: »My opinion is no pasta, or bread. Lose the processed food carbs. Weight will melt off.
don't listen to this person
Thank you!!0 -
Hey y'all. Thanks a lot for ue suggestions, articles, links, etc. It is gonna help me greatly.0
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Also please feel free to send me a friend request on here or follow my IG: fronterafeminist. I'll be posting meals workout stuff on there soon. I'm looking to make friend with all people that are on health journeys, esp people and women of color, gay/queer folk, and/or poor folks, and those with PCOS and or diabetes. 0
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StephanieMoon6 wrote: »Basically, this is what I eat: eggs, spinach, cheese, ground beef, fruits like mangoes grapes strawberries bananas, cereal, protein (I bought it when I had extra money), oatmeal, chicken breasts, potatoes (sometimes, cause low carb), whole wheat bread and pasta, beans of all kinds, rice. And a lot of avocado which I love but I can't really afford it all the time.
Everything that you use ground beef for, use ground turkey instead. It's half the price and half the calories.
One of your best investments would be a food scale if you don't have one. You can find them for $15 and they are essential to tracking your intake accurately.0 -
StephanieMoon6 wrote: »Basically, this is what I eat: eggs, spinach, cheese, ground beef, fruits like mangoes grapes strawberries bananas, cereal, protein (I bought it when I had extra money), oatmeal, chicken breasts, potatoes (sometimes, cause low carb), whole wheat bread and pasta, beans of all kinds, rice. And a lot of avocado which I love but I can't really afford it all the time.
Everything that you use ground beef for, use ground turkey instead. It's half the price and half the calories.
One of your best investments would be a food scale if you don't have one. You can find them for $15 and they are essential to tracking your intake accurately.
Thank u, I'll look into a food scale.0 -
Here's a tip I picked up from my ex. Watch the meat section for sales on things that have reached the "best before" or expiry date, usually they'll go on sale on the date actually marked. They're still good, and you can freeze them for later. You can get a nice piece of filet mignon, or a beautiful roast (which will feed everyone) for like 40-70% off that way.0
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