Feeling Discouraged..if it's not one thing it's another. Fiber?
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cwolfman13 wrote: »what are you eating as a vegetarian that you aren't getting fiber? most vegetarians i know eat a lot of veg and fruit and legumes, lentils, oats, etc...
and taking a little vitamin D supplement really isn't a big deal...
I don't eat fruit. I can't afford enough for me to eat it. My kids eat it. Vegetables I eat are mainly jalapenos, green pepper, onion, lettuce, tomato. They're cheap and last long (except tomato). Baby carrots as a snack sometimes. I can't afford a lot more than I eat now and I don't log all of it, but it's not much. I hate lentils, they're gross. I like beans. Oats, I don't like. I don't like cereal either. I eat bread, beans, protein substitutes, the veggies listed, lots of egg whites, cheese and pasta mainly. I don't like sweets usually, although I did eat some halloween candy lol0 -
Do not mess around with not taking your Vitamin D supplements. I had a very unpleasant muscle situation due to being low on VitD this year and even with health insurance, I'm out thousands.0
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Verity1111 wrote: »
I don''t need to do a damn thing honestly. Id idnt ask for your opinion on if Im eating "junk" food. I asked what had fiber in it. But thanks for your judghmental opinion that I didnt ask for. My diary is MUCH better than I used to eat and this is fresh food compared to what I ate before which was literally no vegetables or fresh food at all, just microwaved food. I have to make meals for 4 people besides myself and they all eat different things. Im not spending all day making myself a fresh meal too. I dont like most vegetables and Im not going to live on lettuce. The question was about fiber. So yeah, if I want more fast food that's really my business. I'm losing weight so that's not really what I asked you.Ok, saw your diary is open. If I were you, I would seriously rethink completely about eating habits. Yes, as you have seen many times here and I am sure others will reiterate, calories matter for weight loss. But, as you are finding out, a diet mostly based on "junk" food, means you are not getting the nutrients your body needs. I think you should cut back a lot on the processed food, treats and bread-y stuff, and work a lot of less processed foods into your meals: more vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans. I admit when I see vegetarian, this is not what I have in mind. You do not need protein bars or one more kind of prepackaged treat to add, you need less fast food, less calorie-dense food, more nutrient-dense food .
Your food choices are resulting in deficiencies in basic nutrients. I have no doubt you are losing weight - weight is about calories. Nutrition is more than calories though. And your nutrition is not balanced, it is basically pizza and treats based. If you are also cooking for family, then why not try to eat the same things as they do and portion them according to your calories, or replace wherever needed (e.g. if they are having meat?).
You made a post asking how to eat more fiber: the common sense answer is to replace some of all this bread and pizza with food that is fiber rich. You asked for fiber rich food ideas: fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans, all suitable for a vegetarian. Why this upsets you, I have no idea.
Are you JOKING? I rarely ever eat sweet treats. I had some damn halloween candy and logged it for the following days. I hate most sweets. The one thing I had since Halloween was a pie I logged today (half of one). The only savoury "treat" was hot chips. I drink only water unless I need a monster to stay awake. I asked for ideas on what to ADD I didnt ask for you to be ignorant and start criticizing me. AND I have fkn ednos so I dont appreciate it and it will just send me into a downward spiral where Ill end up starving myself so can we just not?-1 -
You seriously need to calm down and stop snapping at people who took time out of their day to try to HELP you. Your exact question was "How can I fix this?" and you were given some very good suggestions. You also said "I REALLY NEED HELP BETTERING MY DIET", and now you're getting mad that people are offering helpful suggestions on how to do that. No one is criticizing.0
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deluxmary2000 wrote: »You seriously need to calm down and stop snapping at people who took time out of their day to try to HELP you. Your exact question was "How can I fix this?" and you were given some very good suggestions. You also said "I REALLY NEED HELP BETTERING MY DIET", and now you're getting mad that people are offering helpful suggestions on how to do that. No one is criticizing.
I dont NEED to do anything. And they were criticizing. "I honestly can't wrap my head around a vegetarian who eats pizza all the time but doesn't eat veggies." and I dont feel I eat many snacks Im always starving. I hate apples. I am not being grossed out just to gain fiber. I asked for ideas on fiber. I TRIED to edit the bettering my diet part at first to avoid this but it wouldnt (and wont) let me. I should have specified more I ONLY want info on fiber rich foods. -_-0 -
Well I'm sorry you don't like the answers, but people answered you - beans are cheap. Oatmeal is cheap. Frozen veggies can be cheap (stock up when on sale). You keep eating pizza when you're supposedly broke when you could buy much more nutritious food for less money than pizza costs.
www.budgetbytes.com
Also quite sure your kids could benefit from a diet more varied than pizza as well.0 -
Well I'm sorry you don't like the answers, but people answered you - beans are cheap. Oatmeal is cheap. Frozen veggies can be cheap (stock up when on sale). You keep eating pizza when you're supposedly broke when you could buy much more nutritious food for less money than pizza costs.
www.budgetbytes.com
Also quite sure your kids could benefit from a diet more varied than pizza as well.
Seriously? The pizza was already in the house and we can go shopping once per month if lucky so I cant just buy veggies nonstop we need food that lasts. We literally have no food money at all so I cant just go out and buy food. they are barely getting food until we get stamps. We have what we have. Right now we have peanut butter and jelly, bananas, broccoli, pasta and frozen pizza. That's about it.0 -
well, i guess all is lost....0
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Verity, I'm very sorry to hear about your financial situation. I think some of the confusion stems from not understanding your full situation as you didn't clarify your money issues in your opening post. Also, if you want to eat better but every suggestion is met with that you can't afford it, it becomes difficult to give you any feedback. There are some amazing sites out there, as Franci pointed out. Stocking up on-sale veggies, oatmeal is VERY cheap, etc. I do lots of omlettes with frozen veggies, discounted fruit (eat it the same day or it goes bad) oatmeal, huge bags of dried beans & rice is super cheap and lasts forever, take on small freelance jobs as necessary, etc. when money gets tight. Perhaps try to up your healthier food intake for the whole family one day a week to start and see how that works with your finances? Is there a local organization where you can get better food? A small, part-time job someone in your family can take on to increase the food budget?0
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Kashi Berry Crumble is delicious - but also quite expensive if you literally have no food money at all. There are much cheaper options for high fiber foods (beans, vegetables, lentils as others have already suggested).
Also, frozen vegetables last just as long as frozen pizza.
I do hope you decide to take some of the good advice you've been given in this thread. Right now it seems as though you're looking at "band-aid" fixes rather than a holistic approach to fixing yours and your family's overall nutrition needs. Try to get past being offended that people are questioning your food choices, and realize that they're doing it because they care. If they didn't care, no one would have commented.0 -
If you're not logging all the veggies you eat, you're probably getting more fiber than you think.
Also, consider buying a generic version of Metamucil. It might be cheaper per gram of fiber than a cereal. It's usually orange flavored and you mix with water.0 -
large can of Progresso - Vegetable Classics Vegetarian Vegetable With Barley Soup = 6g of protein & 6 grams of fiber and only costs 1.58 at walmart.. actually pretty good and filling.
add a grilled cheese sandwhich with it for about 12g more grams of protein and 4g of fiber (one slice of 2% cheese/2 slice bread) and you got yourself an affordable meal for under 450 calories...even the kids will enjoy it!
popcorn is low in calories and cost. its a great source of fiber, eating just a small amount like 22g (about 30g popped) gives you 4g of fiber, doubling the amount can easily be an option for you if you have calories left.0 -
Tinned baked beans on wholemeal toast is a cheap meal with lots of fibre, bananas don't cost much and have fibre and potassium amongst other nutrients ... maybe choose wholewheat pasta and brown rice for a little more fibre too. Some frozen veg are cheap, convenient, high in fibre and no waste, e.g. peas and sweetcorn. Economy brands of supermarket foods are often just as good as the higher-priced ones; could check the nutrition labels before you buy. As mentioned above, popcorn is great too.0
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Verity1111 wrote: »Well I'm sorry you don't like the answers, but people answered you - beans are cheap. Oatmeal is cheap. Frozen veggies can be cheap (stock up when on sale). You keep eating pizza when you're supposedly broke when you could buy much more nutritious food for less money than pizza costs.
www.budgetbytes.com
Also quite sure your kids could benefit from a diet more varied than pizza as well.
Seriously? The pizza was already in the house and we can go shopping once per month if lucky so I cant just buy veggies nonstop we need food that lasts. We literally have no food money at all so I cant just go out and buy food. they are barely getting food until we get stamps. We have what we have. Right now we have peanut butter and jelly, bananas, broccoli, pasta and frozen pizza. That's about it.
Ok so you're asking for advice on what to eat but you have no money to buy it, then you yell at people who tell you what you could buy because you have no money.
I'm so out of this thread.0 -
To the original poster, you seriously need to chill out. People here are trying to help you and give you real advice. Sheesh, you sound like a little kid, getting all defensive. Don't ask for help if you don't want it.0
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Frozen veggies, which are full of vitamins and fiber are CHEAP. I get the store brand bags of frozen veggies and my local Kroger regularly has them for $1/bag (not sure where you are located, so don't know if you have Kroger chains or not). I stock up on them and just keep them in the freezer. Take out a bag at a time and microwave - voila! Instant healthy, nutritional side dish with dinner.
Beans, especially dried beans, are dirt cheap and have a ton of fiber. You can make soups, stews, dips, etc. with them. They would certainly go a lot farther in feeding you and your entire family more nutritionally, much healthier, more filling and CHEAPER, than frozen pizza.
Fresh fruits, another great source of vitamins and fiber - shop what is in season and on sale. My local Kroger has recently had apples on sale for 3/$1 and grapes at $0.99/lb. I also have to watch my pennies. My husband is disabled and I am the sole wage earner in my household. I have learned how to pinch pennies when my life changed suddenly a few years ago! I only buy fruit and fresh veggies that are in season and on sale. It makes a huge difference in my grocery bill, yet I always have fresh veggies on hand.
Potatoes, especially sweet potatoes - another great source of vitamins and fiber and also incredibly cheap! Bake the, roast them, grill them, boil them, mash them.... They are incredibly diverse, supply lots of nutrition and most kids love them. Besides the fact that you can usually get pounds of them for pennies on the dollar.
Pinching pennies doesn't mean you have to skip on your nutrition. It only means you need to get more creative. With better nutrition, you will feel better and be healthier and being healthier will save you FAR more money in the long run!! Speaking of health - get the Vitamin D supplements. $36 for a years supply is far cheaper than the money you will spend if you end up with some of the side effects of not having enough Vitamin D. Heck the dr. co-pay alone for an office visit is probably close to that!
Oh, and please read the advice in this thread without getting so upset. There are some fantastic suggestions for you if you listen. Nobody was trying to criticize you. You can't "hear" the tone in people's voices when typing on the computer and that causes problems at times like this. One piece of advice that I was given a long time ago and has helped me immensely in life is to always assume the best of intentions in everything others say to you. This has proven to be true over and over again. Most people want to help, even if that's not how they "sound" and that is truly all I have seen in this thread.0 -
I don't read diaries and am not out to criticize anyone. I totally get that people who don't have money do without all kinds of things. I get that moms put themselves last and go hungry while feeding the kids. But your kids need you and making sure you can be around and be well enough to feed them means you need to be reasonably healthy,which you won't be if your D drops low enough. Take your D.Verity1111 wrote: »
Thank you for everything there. First of all, for all these judgmental people to know, I have 3 kids under 5 and my boyfriend and I are very low income and one of my children has nonverbal autism and no coverage. We get food stamps and Im working with $300 for 5 people per month. Sometimes we almost starve so the kids are well fed. I'm sick of people going on about how many veggies I eat. I don't log them all but I cant AFFORD to be eating 5 giant plates of vegetables per day. Not to you, but to others. You were polite, so not you. Also, all that frozen pizza? A lot of it was stole off my kids leftovers because I had no other food. Now, I love raspberries. lol. I honestly didn't take my VItamin D because I am always worried about my partner and my kids. I felt so guilty spending the money on my Vitamin D today. It was $36 for a year supply, but I know if I don't buy it all now I won't buy it later. I don't feel like it's really worth the money or like I'm worth the money, I guess. We need a lot of other things and I tend to just put my needs last.Dairy products have protein and many milks have extra D added to them because the whole damn country has issues with D, lol.
Take your D supplements. Nobody knows the feeling of hating swallowing pills more than me, but if D is all you have to take, just take it. It's not that hard. For most people, just swallowing the pills solves the problem! If you have immune diseases, that can make it harder to keep the D where it should be, but the doctors will know that and will work with you. If you live in a place where it is possible, getting some sunlight every day might help. Ask the docs.
If you talk to old people or sick people (or me), they will tell you (go on and on about it, really) that having to take bunches of pills is pain in the butt. Take calcium five times a day, without any fiber, but don't take it for four hours before or after this M, which must be taken on an empty stomach...and don't eat for one hour before or after you take M pill. Take P and Q, be sure to take them with food and don't take them (or any food) within two hours on either side of X, which is best taken at night but cannot be taken with M, which is also best taken at night (or maybe in the morning, we aren't sure.) Take the vitamins, with food to avoid being sick, but not within four hours before or after M and not within two hours of X...and take them with fat, but be sure not to eat very much fat. Also, if you could manage to wake up in the middle of the night to take more calcium, that would be great, but if you cannot go back to sleep, then don't wake up, but then you need to begin the calcium first thing in the morning, but you cannot take it because you have to take M when you get up since you cannot take it at night with X. We know that it's not possible to follow all the rules, but they're all important and have to be followed. Thanks and have a good day!
Did you skip that paragraph because it was too confusing? Have trouble following all that? Try living it. If all you have to take is D, just suck it up, swallow the pill, and be glad your whole life doesn't revolve around the timing of food and pills.
Plenty of fruits and veggies have lots of fiber. In fact, if you're eating a lot of them, you will get your fiber without even trying. I'm over the fiber goal daily and don't even work on it because the fruits and veggies take care of it. Raspberries have a lot of fiber. If you eat a wide variety (different kinds and different colors) of fruits and veggies, you'll go a long way toward hitting all your diet goals and will surely hit the fiber one.
For protein, there is dairy (low-fat or no-fat if you're watching your calories), eggs, fish (if you eat fish), tofu, tempeh, meat substitutes like Quorn, veggie burgers, edamame and other other veggies that have protein.
Dried peas and beans are cheap! If you have the cookware to make them, you can make some good stuff. Another cheap source of veggies is to get them frozen. There are more and more frozen veggies all the time. It's not just corn, carrots, peas and green beans anymore! Sometimes, I can even buy bags edamame (very yummy and a nutritional powerhouse, but expensive as veggies go) for $1.00. When they're $1 I buy like ten bags, lol.
There are frozen fruits, too.
I'm not trying to force you to eat more fruits and veggies. Just helpful hints. I've been broke, too.
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I noticed somebody already mentioned Budget Bytes, but here are a couple other websites:
http://happymoneysaver.com/
http://frugalitygal.com/
Budget Bytes has a great post about buying dry beans and cooking them easily in a slow cooker so you won't need to buy canned beans and can save a few bucks.
Also, you could try farmers markets if you have any in your area. Produce is typically cheaper (just make sure you know how much produce normally costs at your local grocery store) and if you are receiving SNAP benefits, there are some markets who will not only accept the credit, but also match up to a certain amount (so if you spend $20 of your SNAP, you will get another $20 in produce for free). You might have to do more research on the farmers markets, though.0
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