Eat Healthy for Cheap?

Does anyone have any economically ways of purchasing healthy/lo-fat/lo-carb (get me skinny!) foods for cheap/or fairly cheap?

1.  Beans...really cheap if bought dried and very easy to prepare in a slow cooker or the like.  A pound of black beans is about $0.77 at Wal-mart around here and there are a million things to do with them...

2.  Farmers markets...this time of year there are tons of roadside stands and such...foods like zucchini and squash are selling for about $1 a pound which is pretty cheap.  If you go with seasonal foods, you can usually get a good price.

3.  Gardening...while not everyone's cup of tea, for about $1.50 you can buy 4 zucchini plants and in about 1 month have fresh zucchini.  I put in 4 zucchini and 4 squash in my side yard every summer.  They've been in the ground three weeks and I have cigar-sized fruits already.

There are some ideas to start you out...good luck!

Ohh been there!

Main thing is to shop sensibly. what I used to do was

• don't buy pre-cooked or diet foods- these are all really expensive and don't help weightloss or improved health
• plan your meals for the week- taking into account which veggies and fruit are in season-
• write a shopping list and stick to it.
• soups are great! try homemade veggie soups with seasonal veggies, barley is cheap and makes great soup- or add some pasta or rice for a more filling dish
• oatmeal for breakfast will keep you going all morning and is very cheap
• beans beans beans full of protein- many different types and are yummy
• drink water and tea don't buy soda
• pack your lunch to take to work (saves a hell of a lot of money
• carrot sticks, airpopped popcorn, and sultanas are great economical snacks
• keep your bread in the freezer and only take out a slice at a time when you need it (lasts longer and you eat less of it)
• tuna in water is great and versatile too- you can make
  spaghetti sauce - like a bolognese- tomato based
  sandwiches
  tuna salad
  fish burgers (homemade of course!)
• make a big pot of tomato spaghetti sauce and freeze it in portions

hope this helps!

b

 

Michelina's Lean Gourmet Meals Available at walmart for around $1 a meal alittle high in salt  but i eat quite a few of those when I'm in a hurry the lowest score ive got on here for one is C+

Make your own yogurt. It's easier with a yogurt maker, but you don't need one. I like 1% or 2%, but skim works just fine too. With milk at $3 a gallon, it works out to 15 cents per 6 oz container.

I'd say don't try to go 'low carb' if you want to save money....  If you want foods that are cheap, nutritious, low calorie and filling there are quite a lot of good quality carbohydrates that will help 'get you skinny'.  Bean, lentils, chickpeas, wholegrains (wholemeal bread and pasta), brown rice,  starchy vegetables, fresh fruit.... all have a high carb content but are your best friends on an economical, healthy diet.