Weight Loss

I have a huge issue with this whole weight loss thing.  The prices to eat healthy!  Before my diet consisted of what the kids ate (pizza, turkey burgers, chicken and potatoes ,etc), now on my new way of life, I've ditched the pizza, chips and soda and replaced it all with blueberries, high fiber cereals, oranges, etc.

You know what, I thought my grocery bill was going to be cut in half on this diet as I wouldn't be buying Oreos and Lays chips, you know what happened, my grocery bill is triple in cost! 

I spent over $2.50 for 3 small oranges at the normal grocery store (not the Organic/Whole Foods place).  I spent $5.99 for a small package of raspberries (same for blueberries).  My organic whole grain bread was $5.99 (the loaf is half the size of say Wonder Bread).  My husband said I need to replace all my steaks and pork chops with seafood.... well shrimp, flounder, mahi mahi, etc. is very expensive.

I can now understand why the families who make less than $50,000 can not afford to feed their children healthy options and why there is major obesity.  It's a lot easier to pay for Mac and Cheese for a family of 4, than to make a healthy fruit salad loaded with watermelon, strawberries and pineapple. 

Anyway, wanted to complain about this.  Thoughts?

Raspberries and blueberries are expensive fruits to begin with, cause there is a lot of labor to pick them.  For the oranges, they're expensive right now because they are not in season (meaning they were in costly cold storage, or had expensive air freight).

Right now melons should be super cheap, and the peaches/nectarines are getting cheaper every day.  Also, usually you can get a pineapple for $3 or so, and cut up, that lasts me a whole week!

I hear ya sister LOL.  I just posted about this a few days ago. I am in the exact same position as you. Check out the "Eating Clean is cleaning me out....in more ways than one post" I got some good tips there. I have a family of 6, and 5 of them are growing boys. I did so well at the grocery store shopping the sale flyer, using online coupons etc, but now that I'm eating healthy nothing I need is on sale. Well, the shrimp was but it was still 5.00 for 1 lb. Ground Turkey is three times higher than ground beef and it goes on an on and on. I have to restock my pantry with "better for me ingredients" and we all know what that entails.

I will be putting in a garden next year. 

 

kaffwynn, that's really good advice - to realize that small, delicate fruits are always going to cost more because they're hard to pick and transport, and in-season fruits are going to be cheaper than out of season fruits (not to mention they'll taste much better). 

I found this guide online, which might be helpful:  http://utextension.tennessee.edu/publications /spfiles/SP527.pdf

 

 

Original Post by betsydiet2008:

I can now understand why the families who make less than $50,000 can not afford to feed their children healthy options and why there is major obesity. 

Yep.

Since I started CC 6 weeks ago, my grocery bill has tripled.

If you're willing to plan ahead and learn to cook then you will save a ton of money by eating healthy.  You will have to cook at least once a week in order to save money and time throughout the week.  You will need a refridgerator.

PROTEIN:

• Eggs...they're cheap and healthy and they store well in the refrigerator.  Buy a dozen or two dozen, you can scramble them, fry them, poach them, hard boil them, use the in salads.  A great source of lean protein and healthy fats in the yolks.  To hard boil them, put them in water at room temperature for 10 minutes, then add heat (medium-high) and boild them ~12 minutes, then remove the heat and cover the pan for 20 minutes.  Rinse and refridgerate.
• Rice and beans...buy them in bulk, they are so much cheaper than mac'n cheese.  Beans you'll want to soak overnight before cooking, this gets rid of some of those toxic gasses and then you cook them, adding salt for flavoring at the end.  You can make a pot of rice and beans (I'd recommend a mixture of different beans rather than all of one variety, just scoop out a bit of whatever looks interesting in the bins).  For the rice, buy the whole grain or wild or brown, they're much healthier.  Rice and beans make a complete protein and have lots of fiber and healthy vitamins and minerals.
• Tofu, ~$1/lb, it's cheap, it's relatively easy, what's not to like?  It takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with.  Garlic is great for this.

Healthy fats:

• Cook with olive oil and you're set.  The first bottle might set you back a bit, but it will last quite a while.

Whole grains:

• Whole grain pasta, flax pasta
• Wild rice, brown rice, barley, etc.
• Whole grain bread and tortillas

Fruits and vegetables (Buy frozen, you'll save a ton of $, generally the frozen are as good as the fresh and they keep longer):

• Frozen raspberries, blue berries, strawberries, pineapple, etc.  They're generally $2-$3 per pound instead of $5 per tiny container.
• Broccoli, grean beans, etc. $1-$2 per pound.
• Unfortunately, lettuce does not do well frozen, so look for lettuce and tomatoes at bulk stores like COSTCO, Sam's Club, etc. if they're your preference.

 

I cook for one, so my biggest problem is fresh produce going bad. I've turned to frozen and canned fruits and veggies and in the process found it to be alot cheaper.

The frozen berries make great smoothies and the canned tomatoes are great bases for soups and sauces. I only get fresh fruit that's on sale....for example, I bought 3 apples for a dollar on Monday and they are on my desk, reminding me of that snack :)

Shop the sales....plan your meals for the week on whats going to be on sale that week. Buy in bulk...go to places like Costco and Sams.

Here are a couple meals I do that will give me 4 servings for less than $6.

Veggie Beef Soup - Ground Beef (I'll buy what's on sale, brown the meat and then rinse most of the fat off), a frozen bag of mixed soup veggies (usually $1 at Krogers), can of tomatoes.

Chicken, Beef, or Pork Stirfry - Whichever cut of meat that's on sale, a bag or two of frozen veggies, maybe some rice...voila!

Beans and rice - Cook the beans in water with a can of tomatoes and some spices & rice

My dad went with me this past weekend and had a fit about the prices of "my" food. We are on a veryyyyyy tight budget. So he had in his carriage all the food for the family for the week and in my cart I had my foods to add to his foods so I can eat with them. His cart was $150 and mine was $80. His cart was full, mine wasn't even close.

The woman in front of me heard our conversation and she has 4 kids too. she bought the pasta, pizzas, etc... and her bill was $135. But there were no fresh or frozen anythings. She has canned veggies with salt, she had sugary cereal, pop-tarts, pizza's with 3 meats, you get the picture.

Ours was $150 because we had frozen veggies for the kids, eggs and turkey bacon for their breakfast, an array of meats and actual cheeses, yogurts, fresh apples, pineapples, etc..

In my cart I had my Almond Breeze, my beans, my rice, my bread, eggs for my deviled eggs, onions, salad fixings, greek yogurt, 4 gallons of water, the meats I like, oatmeal, and a few other odds and ends.

I am going to expand my garden next year!

I don't know if you have an asian super market by you, but we do, and we shop for our fruits and veggies there.

a whole carton of strawberries: .99

a huge bag a baby carrots: 1.00

etc. etc. you get the picture

You'll feel fuller on a slice of the wholegrain bread than the Wonder bread!

But there are lots of good tips on here.  Choose apples, nectarines, watermelon over raspberries.  Or buy frozen.  Find a cheaper grocery store if you can, or one that sells in bulk.  Bake your own bread if possible.  Make a big pot of low-fat chili or noodle-free veggie lasgna for just a couple of bucks.

Mahi mahi? Just forget it.  Eat a smaller pork chop :)

If it's available to you, join a CSA.  It's like having the farmer's market delivered to you for a great price.  Check out www.localharvest.org. 

Well, I don't know.

Let's see.. for lunch today I had a chicken strips/veggie stirfry.

1 package frozen vegetables - in this case Mexican style with broccoli, corn, cauliflower, red peppers = $1 on sale (I stock up when they go on sale!)  Each bag has about 5 servings.  I ate 3 servings for lunch today.  20c a serving, so that was 60c.

4 oz. boneless/skinless chicken breast.  I buy a large package boneless/skinless breasts for about $12 and divide it up, probably makes about 12 portions, maybe more.  So $1 per portion.

So my lunch cost $1.60, plus I added some sour cream and salsa.  A whole tub of sour cream is $1 and those 1/2 gallon organic salsas are $3 at Costco, so the cost of those two items is negligible.

A lot of the time I'll have only two serving of veggies with my chicken and add a low carb tortilla and make a wrap - a package of 12 tortillas is about $2.50.

I don't know why your hubby insists on sea food.  You could buy a package of ground turkey for around $2.50 which will give you 4 servings.

To feed our family of 7 we have increased our veggie garden space this year, and we're starting to reap the benefits there.

Personally, I think that frozen can be just as healthy as fresh BOUGHT vegetables, since the veggies are flash frozen at their peak nutrition.  Veggies start losing nutritional content from the time they're picked, and who knows how long they sit on trucks and then on shelves in the store?  Healthiest of course is when you can go out to your garden and pick the veggies and then prepare them right away.

Look for frozen fruits as well, they can be cheaper than fresh, especially when they're out of season.  Visit a farmer's market and buy veggies and fruits that are in season, they're always cheaper than imported out of season produce.

Brown rice?  Don't buy it in those tiny expensive packages.  Visit an asian food store and buy it in 25 lb bags!  Freeze portions for a day or two before storing in airtight containers.

Whole wheat pastas are not really that much more expensive than regular pastas.  Buy that in bulk at Costco/Sams.

As for breads - buy yourself some stone ground whole wheat flour (keep it in the freezer, it does NOT store the same as white flour) and bake your own bread.  Bread machines are VERY handy and are getting quite cheap... or if you have a KitchenAid mixer you can use that to knead the dough.  If you don't like full WW, then do 1/2 white and 1/2 WW.  All you need to make a very good bread is water, flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and either butter or oil.  You can play around with ingredients and add some flax, or some 7 grain cereal, wheat germ, etc.  Oh, and don't buy instant yeast at your local store, buy it at Costco or Sam's where you can buy 2 lbs of instant yeast for around $3.  Get a small jar and keep some in your refrigerator, store the rest in an airtight bag/container in the freezer.  Fill the small jar as needed. 

And PLEASE don't say you don't have the time to bake bread - if you have a bread machine you only need 2 minutes to drop everything in the machine and then 3 hours later you have a great loaf of bread.  If you're strapped for cash, visit a thrift store or craigslist.... bread machines are a dime a dozen at both places.

We're a family of 7, with only one modest income and we eat really well!

Good luck! 

Original Post by smwhipple:

• Unfortunately, lettuce does not do well frozen, so look for lettuce and tomatoes at bulk stores like COSTCO, Sam's Club, etc. if they're your preference.

 Also for lettuce, ditch the pre-prepared salad mixes (bags of spinach too,) lettuce mixes, etc... You can get a huge bunch of greens for a lot cheaper if you take the time to shred and store them yourself! I stupidly just found that out after months of buying what I thought was the better deal. Nope, and it's usually fresher cause no one had to waste time packaging the greens!

Steaks and pork chops do not need to be replaced with seafood.  In fact, you don't want to overdo anything.  Too much seafood and you have to consider mercury as a potential risk.  Definitely be aware of your portion sizes and throw a some extra veggies into the mix if you want the volume.

My favorite premade lunch/dinners are any combination of rice or pasta (1 serving), 1 serving of protein, and then 3-5 servings of vegetables.  Also, ditch ordering pizzas.  Find a frozen pizza with a reasonable number of calories that you like and make a bag of your favorite frozen vegetables to go with it.  My favorite is BBQ Chicken from Trader Joe's and a pound of broccoli.

Since I started CC my grocery bill has gone down considerably. From $400 (and I live alone!) to $150. Don't buy grocery at Kroger Wal Mart or whatever other chain store. I shop at the local arabic store, a cart full of  veggies and fruits is only $60-70.  Compare that to $200 for buying relatively the same at Kroger. Use olive oil, as suggested. It has a stronger flavor, so you wont need as much, it's healthier, and a large bottle can be used forever. I don't even remember the last time I bought oil. I also ditched bread completely and switched to whole grain pasta and brown rice. These can be purchased in bulk (I keep mine in the fridge). Instead of cookies and chocolate I started buying carrots and other crunchy veggies, a  bag of carrots can be chewed off in 2-3 days, whereas a bag of cookies or a pound of chocolate which I used to love would disappear within an hour leaving a considerable hole in my pocket. Also, a pack of chocolate puffs cereal somehow tends to last less for me than a pack of hard to chew whole grain Kashi cerelas (I attribute that to the fact that they ARE hard to chew).

THanks for all the wonderful advise.  I'm going to keep my eye out for sales on some frozen items for smoothies.  I'm going to try and yes, I'm going to hit the Asian markets, as the last time I was there, I too, noticed that the produce prices were 1/2 the cost than Albertsons.

I did some researching too.  I googl'ed "can't afford to eat healthy" or something like that, and was surprised how much came up.  There was a study done a few years back at the Univ. of Washington on this topic.  While I do understand that its expensive to pick blueberries and thus the cost to the consumers, some of these articles showed how grocery stores MARK UP these items even more and then DISCOUNT the hamburger helper stuff even less.  It's almost like they're helping with America's weight issues.  Same can be said for the fast food places.  Why is a McDonald's hamburger only 99 cents, while something more healthy such as a fast food item at Chipotle (beans, chicken, veggie buritto) like $6.00. 

It's almost like grocery stores and restaurants are aware that the more affluent customers will pay buko bucks for fresh Apricots and they are aware too that the poorer individuals will buy the Ramen in bulk for $0.22.  They can give the Ramen away essentially, as the Rich folks make up the difference by paying for the high cost produce items.  Wouldn't it be better to have grocery items relatively all cost somewhere in the middle, so people would make better choices.  It would even out too, as you could charge $2.00 for a bag of Ramen and $2.00 for a bag of apples.

 

I agree, healthy food can definitely seem expensive at times, but a little innovation can go a long way.

Barbara Kingsolver (of Poisonwood Bible fame) has a new book out, Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, speaks a lot to living cheaply and healthily (among a billion other topics on food). It's fabulously inspirational and SO eye-opening on how the typical American relationship with food came about and how we can change it all!

 

My personal experience has been that my grocery bill goes way down when we eat healthy. But I fix everything from scratch and don't eat near as much when we aren't eating healthy. Before I wasted a lot of money on sodas, sweets and snack food. Now, I drink water, don't eat sweets or snack food. Another thing is we ate out a LOT before and now we hardly ever eat out. I know we have saved a ton that way.

Now, it's just me and my husband. But I'd like to think that if the kids were still home, I would make them eat healthy too. And we did do that mostly when they were growing up. I didn't put on as much weight until after they left.

We also eat beans and rice and don't have that much meat in our diet. I know this helps too. I shop the perimeters of the store (fresh produce and and other non packaged items) and I avoid even going down most of the isles where the prepacked things usually are. Good luck to you. I think if you take some of the tips already offered you will find you can eat healthy and save some money, too.

~Beth

I agree. I spend WAY too much money on healthy food for myself. But I tell myself that this is all WORTH it. It's better than paying for medical bills later on. Health is priceless. I can skimp on everything else, but I should not skimp on food. Of course, if I can save money by buying in bulk or buying stuff on sale or eating produce in season, all of those are definitely good tips that I follow!

When it comes to fruit and vegetables, you really need to go with what's in season... right now strawberries, blueberries and grapes are cheap because it's summer and they're in season locally, but apples, pears etc are expensive. Come the Winter, the stone fruits will go through the roof because they're being imported from far-off lands, and the tree fruits will become cheap. Frozen vegetables are much cheaper than fresh and just as nutritious, plus with the convenience that you don't have to prep them. 'Diet' stuff is generally expensive, but not essential to healthy eating... you can eat just as healthily on store-brand brown rice, beans, and frozen veggies as you can on the el primo deluxe brand. (The Mexican stuff tends to be the cheapest of all - look in the 'ethnic aisle' if you can't get to an actual ethnic grocery store.)

HAHAHAHA! This is great. You sound exactly like me - p'od. My mom doesnt' work and my dad has a middle class job. It's impossible to eat. A watermelon costs .79 cents a pound and for a small watermelon that's a lot. Cantaloupe are 5.99$ for a small cantaloupe. Call that cheap? Mmhm... it's a bad fruit season for us or I wouldn't be complaining. Right now I live on a steady diet of swirl pops and cookies because that's all we can afford.