Eating healthy with low budget

[Alstar]

How can someone drastically change their diet when they live in an urban environment and are a really, really tight budget?

Some background information: I'm plain sick of eating meat and artificial foods which I know aren't good for me, but the lack of options is really restricting. I feel like crap after I eat any meat or dairy, so I plan to go full or semi-vegetarian at some point in the future, or any other sort of diet alternative that offers optimal health.

My main problem is my budget. I have 2€ or so a day to spend on food, and that will be even less in the coming months. Fruit is very expensive here and I can't afford it without annihilating my budget.

So, do you have some suggestions?

EDIT: Further information: I really am looking for something to revolutionize the way my body functions, because I genuinely hate it at the moment. Feeling sick and lethargic most of the day, as well as having to take a piss every half hour isn't my plan for the rest of my life.

[Vasco]

It's hard for me to suggest anything definite as i have no idea what 2 euros can buy where you are located.
Is organic produce available at all? That should be your first step. Think of it as an investment in yourself, you'll be truly amazed what a difference it makes.
Provided you eat out a lot, you need to change that and start cooking. That means pack your own lunches as well.
So yes, organic veggies, grains (basmati rice-white or brown, buckwheat, quinoa), fish (chunk light tuna, sardines, anchovies - these are the less expensive choices), beans, some chicken. I would also cut down on red meat and eliminate pork entirely.
Hope this helps a bit.

[Lioness]

Frozen fruit is a good bargain, and bananas are usually cheap. Frozen strawberries or peaches can make a nice smoothie with a banana. You can cut up ripe bananas and freeze them for later use. I use milk, but you could use soy milk or juice if you don't want dairy.

Oatmeal is dirt cheap, and healthy. Use the old-fashioned kind, throw in some raisins, nuts or whatever you like.

Canned fruit is not as nutritious as frozen, but it still beats junk sweets and you can load up on a sale. You can snack on canned pineapple, tropical fruit, pears (in juice, not syrup) or unsweetened applesauce. Plain popcorn is a good snack too.

Almost nothing is cheaper than kale. I use it in salads instead of lettuce. You may not like it, but I find it crunchy, with more taste and far more nutrients than iceberg lettuce. If you master cooking beans and rice from scratch, you can practically live on that for next to nothing.

[bluestar]

Get hold of some dried mung beans and lentils (dead cheap) and you can experiment with other seeds as well -and start sprouting them. It's easy. I do them in a jar, rinse 2-3 times a day with fresh water, and drain well each time, and put a muslin cloth over the top (so air can get through, but not flies!)
You'll have stacks of live excellent nutritious salad for very little money. Sprouts are packed with goodness and protein as well. And for a handful of dried beans or seeds you'll get a week's worth of sprouts!

Another little trick: most stores will have a "reduced in price" section....check it out! Some stores do better deals than others. You might be able to find things like grapes half price (just have to pick out one or two brownish ones and the rest are fine)....a bag of apples less than half price.....sometimes other foods that might be getting close to their best before dates, that kind of thing

[firenexx]

Buying completely organic food would not work on this budget. For grains, maybe, if you choose to eat grains, but for everything else it'd add 10-15% on your grocery bill.

You need fruit to survive. So buy the cheaper fruits, and not the more expensive fruits. For now. Buy a lot of bananas and apples.

When you eat food, use as much of it as possible. Celery and carrots are cheap vegetables. Don't cut away 3 inches at the end when you can cut away 1/4 inch. When you eat an apple, cut it and eat everything (EVERYTHING) except for the seeds and stem. You need to get your money's worth.

Leafy greens tend to be fairly cheap. Buy various lettuces, kale, spinach, chard, etc.

Get a veggie steamer.

Save the water (jar in fridge) when you steam/boil veggies, so that when you make soup you have the veggie stock with added nutrition.

At college I had a friend whose mom worked at an organic farm. He gave me bags of free veggies. Intention manifestation. I intended to get organic food at a low cost; that opportunity then popped up out of nowhere.

For grains, beans, etc - find a health food store with bulk bins- often times this will be cheaper than buying bags @ the grocery store.

Buy in bulk for things that won't spoil. Nothing wrong with a 20lb bag of beans, it's not going to go bad anytime in the next 5 years.

[ginkgo]

I am living in Arizona now. Citrus fruits grow like crazy out here. Many have orange and grapefruit trees growing in their backyards. There are many houses up for sale (owned by a bank) that have these fruits growing in their front and back yards.

A friend uses organic fertilizer on her lemon, grapefruit and orange trees. Lemons are great for lemonade sweetened with stevia. I pick enough of them from this friend's 3 trees to eat lots of them for myself and also for my friends. Hundreds of tons of these fruits, out here, are not picked and just rot.

Kristin Kirkpatrick, M.S., R.D., L.D.: 10 Ways to Eat Healthy Without Breaking the Bank

[Clint Cora]

Eating well does not have to be expensive. Increase intake of fish, particularly the inexpensive ones like haddock and cod. Red meats are expensive so decrease or cut them out completely. Replace with fish and chicken.

Buy in bulk whenever possible and reduce the processed foods intake. You can easily buy raw ingredients like pasta, rice and fresh vegetables and process them yourself all you want at home.

[36burrows]

Are you able to plant a garden? Are there any local farmer's markets? Both of these will save some money on food costs. It does suck how expensive food is getting.

You might also try finding some ways to bring in some extra cash. Look into what you enjoy being creative in and what you're passionate about, and see if you can turn it into some extra money.

[russianrocket]

Originally Posted by Clint Cora

Eating well does not have to be expensive. Increase intake of fish, particularly the inexpensive ones like haddock and cod. Red meats are expensive so decrease or cut them out completely. Replace with fish and chicken.

Buy in bulk whenever possible and reduce the processed foods intake. You can easily buy raw ingredients like pasta, rice and fresh vegetables and process them yourself all you want at home.

When it comes to calories/protein/fat per $, you'd be surprised how not expensive red meat is.

[firenexx]

I should also mention that leafy greens are very easy to grow indoors with minimal equipment (pots, compost/organic fertilizer, a fluorescent light of appropriate rating, light timer)

[agsags]

Oatmeal
Beans
Frozen Vegetables
Eggs

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by russianrocket

When it comes to calories/protein/fat per $, you'd be surprised how not expensive red meat is.

When it comes to the above, you will find that McDonalds and other fast food places are the best for giving you the most calories and fat for your dollar. Vegetables are the worst at the above since they have a lot of fiber that gives you no calories, no protein and no fat.

Now if you eat no food, that is free and gives you no caories. But what would be worse than this, using the above criteria, would be foods like celery and carrots. They are negative calorie foods. So you pay money for them and they give you negative calories or take calories away from you.

[russianrocket]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

When it comes to the above, you will find that McDonalds and other fast food places are the best for giving you the most calories and fat for your dollar. Vegetables are the worst at the above since they have a lot of fiber that gives you no calories, no protein and no fat.

Now if you eat no food, that is free and gives you no caories. But what would be worse than this, using the above criteria, would be foods like celery and carrots. They are negative calorie foods. So you pay money for them and they give you negative calories or take calories away from you.

I have no idea what point you were trying to make with your tangent, but it has nothing to do with what I said, seeing how this thread is about eating HEALTHY on a budget.

[nienie]

My advice would be to stock up on things such as beans, canned/frozen fruits and vegetables and grains. The beans and grains can form part of your meals and will stretch a long way and are usually less expensive than meats and fresh fruits and vegetables.

For fresh produce you want to look out for any local markets. I live on around £10-15 per week when I am at university (in a city) and about a third to a half of the week's budget is spent on fruit and vegetables but I can get a big bag of vegetables and fruits from a local market in the city for as cheap as £5 which will last me an entire week. Its fresh and cheaper than buying overpriced organic food from the supermarket.

If you only have access to a supermarket learn when items are reduced, usually in the evening/morning, and go shopping at this time. I always hunt for reduced price foods because sometimes you can get a real bargain if you see something you can freeze or cook in bulk and store away. Also look out for coupons/free loyalty cards for your local supermarket/favourite products and take advantage of these.

Good luck.

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by russianrocket

I have no idea what point you were trying to make with your tangent, but it has nothing to do with what I said, seeing how this thread is about eating HEALTHY on a budget.

You have no idea. None at all. Not even a clue. Could it be possible that I was pointing out that measuring the value of food by cost per calories and fat is not the best way. That is what you did. It is like saying that meat is the best value or cheapest food in the world at how many antibiotics you get in the food per dollar.

[russianrocket]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

You have no idea. None at all. Not even a clue. Could it be possible that I was pointing out that measuring the value of food by cost per calories and fat is not the best way. That is what you did. It is like saying that meat is the best value or cheapest food in the world at how many antibiotics you get in the food per dollar.

No, my point was very valid.

Tell me then, how do you value a food, and what makes a food cheap or expensive? The guy is asking how to eat healthy on a budget. That means he has a budget, and he needs to get a certain amount of calories/nutrients for the amount of money he has. If he spends all his money on calorie lacking food, even being healthy food, you are still left with not much food for the money you spent.

[Criseyde]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

You have no idea. None at all. Not even a clue. Could it be possible that I was pointing out that measuring the value of food by cost per calories and fat is not the best way. That is what you did. It is like saying that meat is the best value or cheapest food in the world at how many antibiotics you get in the food per dollar.

How about this: there are many methods by which one might calculate the value of a food, and different methods might work for different people depending on their priorities and circumstances. Sound good?

Originally Posted by russianrocket

The guy is asking how to eat healthy on a budget.

Thanks for the reminder!

[jimsandler]

Originally Posted by bluestar

Get hold of some dried mung beans and lentils (dead cheap) and you can experiment with other seeds as well -and start sprouting them. It's easy. I do them in a jar, rinse 2-3 times a day with fresh water, and drain well each time, and put a muslin cloth over the top (so air can get through, but not flies!)
You'll have stacks of live excellent nutritious salad for very little money. Sprouts are packed with goodness and protein as well. And for a handful of dried beans or seeds you'll get a week's worth of sprouts!

These are two of the best seeds for sprouting. They are very inexpensive, easy to grow, will be full-size in only a few days & just a few tablespoons of seed will quickly fill a huge jar. Stir-fry with rice & veggies for meals that only cost a few cents! Some other seeds that I regularly sprout are alfalfa, clover, radish (all excellent in sandwiches or as salads), fenugreek, broccoli & cabbage (these two are not cheap unfortunately), adzuki beans, whole green peas & hulled sunflower seeds. Also be aware that lentils come in many sizes & colors (such as black, French blue, Red Chief, etc.) and that will make for some extra variety.

Another inexpensive idea that I always keep on hand is homemade hummus. All it contains is garbanzos, tahini (sesame seed butter) or hemp butter, olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper & garlic powder, all ground up in a food processor. Just one pound of garbanzos will result in a huge container of hummus for dipping fresh vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers, etc. and it's a much healthier choice than mayonnaise when spread on bread for alfalfa/clover sprout sandwiches.

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by russianrocket

Tell me then, how do you value a food,

1. Its effects on your health
2. How much you enjoy eating it
3. Its price in monetary terms

If we all just went by the criterion of calorie per dollar, we'd just be eating white sugar every day.

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by Alstar

So, do you have some suggestions

I would suggest trying to earn more money or relooking your budget. Maybe you can find ways to save money on some other things, so that you have more to spend on food.

[Clint Cora]

Originally Posted by russianrocket

When it comes to calories/protein/fat per $, you'd be surprised how not expensive red meat is.

True but most people on a budget will not be analysing things like this. Unfortunately, the low budgets will determine what goes into the shopping cart.

[Torran]

Well If you want to eat healthy food at low budget you must have to Freeze Vegetables and Fruits , Meat . I also freeze these things for one week and enjoy to eat when I need .

[Clint Cora]

Originally Posted by Torran

Well If you want to eat healthy food at low budget you must have to Freeze Vegetables and Fruits , Meat . I also freeze these things for one week and enjoy to eat when I need .

Actually, this is what I do as well. For many of the vegetables, I'll buy fresh, especially if on sale, then cut them up at home and freeze them. Same with chicken and fish.

[jimsandler]

Originally Posted by Clint Cora

Actually, this is what I do as well. For many of the vegetables, I'll buy fresh, especially if on sale, then cut them up at home and freeze them. Same with chicken and fish.

yes, that is a great point about buying food just because it is on sale and freezing it for when you actually need it. in fact, buying already frozen vegetables when they are on sale and stocking up is a big strategy for me ... things like peas, spinach, green peppers, etc. Always having a good supply on hand means you can make a big pot of soup anytime. also, frozen vegetables don't have to travel hundreds of miles to the supermarket (while ripening) so they are usually even fresher than fresh produce.