help me out a little please...well maybe alot

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  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    prettigirl01 wrote: »
    what do you guys think about fruit? I heard some fruits have a lot of sugar so which ones would be best for me? I will add that I have a fruit allergy and a lot of fruits I cant eat without taking an allergy pill 30 mins before. It sucks but I guess id rather do that than eat canned fruit which is packed with sugar

    Look for fruit canned in fruit juice rather than sugar, and look for frozen fruit, which is usually frozen without any added sugar.

    Frozen is great because you can shake out just what you need and put the rest of the bag back in the freezer. I love berries, but either you buy them in little tiny boxes that are really expensive, or they go bad really really fast (or both). Frozen blueberries can be kept in the fridge and you just scoop out a few, microwave them for a few second to thaw, and add to your breakfast or eat as a snack.

    The main fruit my family eats is apples, though. Yeah, they've got sugar, but if you're eating whole apples you're also getting fiber and they're very satisfying. One of my kids would go through a big bag a week if I let him.

    I wouldn't force myself to eat something I'm allergic to by taking allergy pills before eating. IF you're allergic to a specific type of fruit, there are other ways to get the vitamins that are in that fruit.
  • queenofpuppies
    queenofpuppies Posts: 189 Member
    First off, nice work on cutting out the alcohol! That's really hard and if you can make that kind of change you can for sure make healthy changes to your diet too. As for eating healthy, it really can be cheap especially if you get really in to planning meals and making batches for later. I like to make a big pot of stew, soup, or chili on sunday afternoon then portion it out for the week nights when I know I wont have the energy to cook. Figure out what bulk/dried foods you like because they are cheap and don't go bad then find ways to prepare them that you like (I'm talkin' lentils, beans, split peas, rice). Eggs might be a good option for breakfast...and eating protein in the morning might make you less hungry at lunch. Good luck!
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    One other thought - I am very into meal planning. I got into it for budget reasons but have found its good for nutrition and diet reasons too. Meal plans, by taking the "what the heck am I going to EAT tonight?" out of the equation, really can save you.

    But the trick with meal planning is to start very modestly. Lots of people decide they are Going to Eat Better! And Going To MEal Plan!! and they sit down and plan out a week of complicated menus that look just like the ones you used to get for school lunch program or something like that, and the menu doesn't reflect real life and what you need to do on specific evenings or how long it takes to get home and start cooking.

    Start modest. One way to do that is to plan specific "nights." Even I still do that. Tuesdays are "taco Tuesday," and we always have something wrapped in tortillas. You might do "Breakfast for dinner Fridays" or "Weekend Leftovers Monday." Things that you can rely on, and build a habit of doing, and then they become second nature.
  • Blueseraphchaos
    Blueseraphchaos Posts: 843 Member
    I am on a very low food budget myself. I buy a lot of the big bags of frozen veggies, some fresh fruits... And I personally eat tofu quite often, which is a cheaper protein source than most meat. I buy dried beans and canned beans as well - dried are a better bargain but sometimes I forget to soak them so the cans come in handy. I buy whole grain bread and brown rice because I noticed that whole grains keep me fuller longer, even though they cost more than the highly processed grains.

    I have my food diary open to friends if you want to add me. I have a lot of recipes and am always happy to answer questions about them.
  • wndlady
    wndlady Posts: 70 Member
    Homemade popcorn is very cheap and can fill you up. Larger containers of yogurt, eggs, baked potatoes with frozen broccoli and cheese. Spaghetti with ground turkey. Beans and rice, homemade soups, salad with meat and cheese.

    Best of luck. It's more about learning the amount of food you should be eating than the perfect foods.
  • jelleigh
    jelleigh Posts: 743 Member
    I may be repeating others but I have found some great advice on Pinterest for bulk recipes / freezer bag meals. I remember one where the lady made, In 1.5 hours , 30 meals and it eas all super cheap. She had tips on what deals to look for and what meals to make out of them. I can't find the link now (plus not sure if forum rukes let's me post outside links?) But it was really great advice. Things like waiting till you aee carrots and onions and potatoes on sale for $1 and then how to supplement easily and cheaply into entire meals. Great thing is that they were also cockpit meals ao you can throw them in in the am and come home to healthy easy food!

    Also, like already said, protein is the hard thing. Tuna, eggs and beans I think are the cheapest way around it. I sometimes wait till I see a big hug of protein powder go one a big sale and then I will make a quick shake for breakfast or overnight refrigerator oats with it - just for variety. You can buy a big bag of whole oats for cheap and it's a tasty and fast/healthy breakfast.
  • Vex3521
    Vex3521 Posts: 385 Member
    Also, can get meats cheaper closer to the time the store is closing at night. There's nothing wrong with the meat it's just the packed date or sell by date (can't remember which) and the stores want it off the shelves rather than having to take a loss and toss it. It helps stretch a budget when it's really tight.
  • eday79
    eday79 Posts: 86 Member
    There's some great advice on here.
    I've sent you a friend request :)
  • Qskim
    Qskim Posts: 1,145 Member
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819925/the-basics-dont-complicate-it#Item_53
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    Check out the YouTube channel Clean and Delicious- she has a lot of really simple really healthy recipes!

    Mostly I do even more simple stuff- Greek youguet with fruit, rice cakes topped with cottage cheese, apples, bananas, carrots, celery, broccoli, green beans, zucchini, salads, spaghetti squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, brown rice, chicken, ground beef, ground turkey...

    Healthy foods are simple basic foods- fruits, veggies, greens, cultured dairy, meat, complex carbs. They also happen to be pretty cheap if you know how to shop which I'm sure you do. In the long run I think you will find cooking meals actually is cheaper than McDonald's! its surprising how much meat you get when you roast a whole chicken yourself! And better tasting too. Fast food is all fat, salt, sugar... it has strong flavors, but not really GOOD. No nutrition, not satisfying. Home cooked & simple food tastes good and wholesome, not salty & fatty & fake like fast food. Much nicer.
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