Healthy eating on a budget

[Ju1ie-Ann3]

Hi all.

I am recovering from binge-eating disorder which has left me with skewed understanding of portion sizes (and i really cannot apply the NHS eat well plate!). I am also a mature student in the middle of doing my nursing course at uni.

Can anyone advise me how yo eat healthy on a tiny budget please?

Thanks

[Zest]

hi Ju1ie-Ann3,

Welcome to the Healthy Eating forum. I noticed there are a few 'related posts' next to yours concerning 'healthy eating on a budget' - e.g. a link to one of them is here:

healthunlocked.com/healthye...

That might be a good starting point, and you can look for others by putting your words in the 'search healthy eating' box - just as a starting point till you get some more replies to your post.

Wishing you a great week.

The change4life web-pages in NHS Choices are also good for recipe ideas etc.

Lowcal

[Ju1ie-Ann3 in reply to Zest]

Thanks 😉

[geekgirl101 in reply to Zest]

To give my advice based on experience there's a few pointers I can offer here.

You'll find that online shopping is a good way to save money if you bulk buy several days' worth of stuff with a decent shelf life and aim for the cheapest delivery day/time where possible. Even if the delivery is another £3 this can save you much more than going into a store where you may end up accidentally spending £15-30 more (it has happened to me often!) If you spot that you're about to overspend you can adjust your shopping trolley before you submit it for delivery, which is much harder to do when you're actually in the store scanning at the till.

Popping into stores every so often to check the budget shelf section where foods have been reduced due to having less than 48 hours before their use by date is handy to save a few pennies here and there. Some stores will even sell them at a further reduction if you visit late at night when the food simply must sell and cannot be reshelved.

Try to aim for a good amount of protein in your diet. This can be lean and skinless meats like chicken and tuna, nuts, cheese and beef. Beef, cheese and nuts have a lot of saturates in them though so watch the rest of the day that you don't overeat other high saturate foods. Protein is a wonderful nutrient that can help in many ways. It benefits people who work out by building up muscle, it fills you up and keeps you full for most the day, and it plays a fantastic role in weight loss. Eat enough of it a day depending on your level activity. If you do a lot of activity like swimming, jogging, gym exercise etc. then you can eat more of it than normal, otherwise try to aim for as much as your daily recommended amount as possible. You will find less urge to hit the snacks if you consume enough protein in your day and this will help you save money also when you're not needing to buy them.

Also try to keep the other important nutrients at a balanced level where possible. Having a little less than your daily amount is ok especially if you're aiming to lose weight, but if you have way too less then not only will you be feeling hungry halfway through the day your body may start craving for them and this is why crash diets fail.

[Ju1ie-Ann3]

Thanks....lots of great tips there. i really appreciate it 😉

[PhilFreeToAsk]

I did a quick analysis on breakfast cereals in another post. Organic muesli (wholegrain and seeds) that I make from base ingredients from the local health shop costs 20-22p per serving. Organic porridge costs 10-12p per serving. The idea was to show that it is possible to get some foods cheap organically so imagine what the cost would be if you chose non-organic.

Avoid processed foods as much as possible including breakfast cereals.

Some people say that the Eatwell plate is not balanced enough and that 50% should be from fruit and veg. In the UK the portion size is much lower. In Japan, their recommendation is over 13 portions of fruit/veg. In France, 10 portions. Buy fruit/veg in season as they are likely to be cheaper and fresher.

To cut down on costs, brown rice and pulses are cheap. Tomato puree is a cheap way of getting concentrated tomatoes for sauces.

Cut out or reduce sugar. Avoid refined carbs but use wholegrains. Just that shift should make you feel fuller with less need to snack.

Phil

[Ju1ie-Ann3]

Brilliant. Thank you

[misty030457]

Hello there yes ive lost 2stone eating chicken & bolied pototoes and veg and turkey as these meats are not fatting you can eat as much white meat but red meat is very very fattning and also chicken is cheap aswell and drinking fruit smoothies I make my own as I have a blender so I can make diffrent flavours each day and also eat fruit aswell as drink it you will lose llbs aswell as exercise each day hope this helps like it did me good luck Angie

[Ju1ie-Ann3]

Thanks Angie

[williamedavis12]

Nice tips greekgirl!