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Yes, eating healthy is more expensive. But put on perspective, being healthier is less expensive than being sick. Plus, getting to your ideal weight gives you a lot more than a few bucks saved now can ever give you.
Taking time to eat your meals gives you time to enjoy them and let's you identify your satiety cue, which results in less food consumed and less weight gain.
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tuna fish is packed with protein and it's inexpesive. i eat it plain on top of a salad with low cal dressing that i stock up on when it's on sale.
also oatmeal is a cheap healthy breakfast.
i buy lean cuisines and smart ones when they are on sale 5 for 10...that's 2 bucks a meal.
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HALLUCINATING
6/21/08 5:02 P
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| I shop the hispanic market like the other poster suggested and it really saves a lot. we also have an oriental market near us and the prices are great. I can also find stuff there that I never see in the regular market so I can try new stuff at a smaller price.
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I find that my grocery bill is at least 1/4 again more than it was before but I don't eat out like I used to so I am probably right about the same cost wise.
But it does irk me that it is so expensive to eat healthy.
I am not one who eats a lot of pasta and almost never have rice or beans. It is not something I like. So that doesn't help my budget. But what I have done is change how much meat I eat.
I use it as a condiment to the meal rather than the focus of the meal, most of the time.
I grind my own chicken. If you buy the chicken that is lowest in fat you pay 5 dollars for 20 oz. That is just crazy. So I buy boneless skinless chicken breast when it is on sale for 2 dollars a pound or less and dice it up and put it in the food processor. It works great. I then package it up and freeze it for future use. Sometimes I vacuum seal it so it will last a long time.
Watch out for the cheap ground turkey. I looked at the fat content one day and almost half of the calories come from fat. I thought I was being healthier but I wasn't.
Then when I use my ground chicken I add veggies to it.
For example: for chicken burgers,
In the food processor I grind, 1 carrot, 2 small or 1 med zucchini, 4 mushrooms, and 1/8th head of cabbage. Put that in a mixing bowl and add 1 chicken breast ground.
Then your seasonings. I use a pkg of onion soup mix, extra dried onions, italian seasoning, 2 Tbls herb blend seasoning, and worcestershire sauce.
You can use any seasonings you like.
And make your patties and fry them in a non stick pan sprayed with pam.
When you turn them be careful. They break easy but I finally found a trick to keeping them together. turn it onto your hand the first time you have to turn and then let it slide off your hand onto the pan. It works every time.
But in case you have a few that crumble use that meat to make spagetti with the next day.
This usually makes about 6 BIG patties and about 100 cal each.
My family loves them.
When I do the spagetti I add big chunks of veggies with it too. To make it stretch. Like, onion, eggplant, zucchini, celery (but not too big of chunks).... that sort of thing.
Snack on fruit rather than pre packaged items.
If you like the 100 cal packs make your own.
Oh and I don't know about for this time of year but I make soup a lot in the winter and have it for lunch. It goes a long way. and you can freeze it so you can have it any time. Also then if I get hungry at night I can have a big bowl of soup for around 100 cal and not feel guilty for not sticking to my plan.
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CANTRELLMVHS
6/21/08 11:45 A
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| Birds eye and green giant frozen veggies always have coupons in the paper or on coupons.com So I buy boxes of frozen veggies, cheap and take them as part of my lunch. Double serving of veggies for about $.75, after the sale. Or I can use 1 box for dinner for me and my hubby. I am headed to the grocery right now and money is tight, so I am trying to find all the way that i can eat right and save money.
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Also, some foods may seem more expensive, but you need less to fill you up. For example, whole wheat pasta. I am full on one serving of WW spagetti, but the enriched version I could eat & eat & eat. As a family of 5 who LOVE spagetti, I can cook half the amount of WW pasta that I did of white pasta. So even though the WW is more expensive, overall the pasta is costing us less. kwim? I'm sure the same thing happens with brown rice, but I haven't convinced hubby to switch to brown rice yet, and he does most of the cooking.
And truly, buying fresh veggies on sale is cheaper than buying a candy bar or something. I bought $2 of broccoli the other day, and it was enough for 2 meals for our family. That was cheaper than buying an instant rice side dish and way healthier. Oh, and I live in Canada, so prices are probably a little different than in the US.
Buy bulk whenever you can & freeze, such as with meat, some fruits & veggies, meal leftovers, etc.
Christine
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I too am a bargain shopper. At Walmart you can get 1 lb. of ground turkey (in a roll like Owen's sausage) for about $2. I also use the Bird's Eye Steamfresh vegetables (in frozen section) because they steam in the bag in 5 minutes. I buy frozen chicken breast in bulk and just defrost what I need. As for fruits, I like bananas, apples and oranges which always seem to be pretty cheap. The little fruit cups are great too. Get the store sales flyers, Walmart has to honor those. So if Brookshires is having a sale on apples or something, you can get that price at Walmart too.
I agree with a previous poster about the hispanic store. My in-laws have one around their house and we can get really cheap and awesome plaintains, mangoes, and avacados.
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| I try to buy generic brands whenever possible. If there are sales I try to stock up and freeze them if possible. Shop around or check out local sales flyers before shopping. I know some are against pre-packaged food but one of our area grocery stores is always running buy one get one free on 100 calorie packs, crackers, salad mixes, frozen veggies, and fruit cups. They also almost every week have either Healthy Choice, Smart Ones, or Lean Cuisines on sale. I try to load up when I can and I never have to pay full price for these items.
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I have been using those ziploc steamer bags and they are amazing for making quick, inexpensive food. I buy chicken in bulk, divide it up and freeze each piece individually. Then, in the morning, just throw a frozen piece in the fridge and it will be thawed by the time you come home from work. I grill the chicken on my George Foreman grill with some Ms. Dash for flavor and steam some fresh or frozen veggies in one of the steamer bags. Sometimes I will also make some brown rice to go along with it. Quick, cheap, and healthy.
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I also do WW, and find the lean cuisines an easy choice for a work lunch (b/c the points are right on the box and of course, they are convenient) however, I think they have a good bit of sodium in them, so that's probably why you didn't lose much weight (retaining water). I now try to limit them to once a week.
I agree that preparation is the key...there are no surprises when you plan ahead and know exactly what you're eating. Good luck!! And congrats on the weight loss so far.
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| I agree, prepackaged, portioned food does have it's price. You're better off buying the bigger package and dividing it out in portions on your own. The best choice is to still eat everything fresh as much as you can. Fruit and veggies make a better option for snacks and are just as easy. I can't see that they are that much more expensive than the junk they have on the shelves at the grocery store and probably keep you fuller longer and you won't have to eat as much.
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| Don't buy processed or prepackaged foods. A snack for me is an apple, or a pear, etc. Buy generic versions of things like yogurt. Go for an all around more basic approach. I find things like 100 calorie prepacked snack food kind of a bad idea, when you really get down to it.
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AMILNEFLIP
3/5/08 12:34 P
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| Has anyone tried those green bags that have been advertised on TV? They are supposed to keep your produce fresher for a lot longer than if you don't store your produce in the bags. I just wondered if they worked.
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| the trouble with buying produce is that it goes to waste so fast, and when you live alone you have to carefully calculate exactly how much you will eat so you dont waste any because no one else is there to eat it up if you dont!
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| Does it make anyone else a little unhappy that we, the people that are trying to get healthy have to pay so much out of our pockets for doing so? We have to pay more for fresh produce, more for anything else that we eat to be healthy, not to mention anything you might have to buy to exercise? It really irritates me!
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KELLYSKITTIES
3/5/08 7:02 A
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| Check out the eattheseasons.com website to find out what should be in or in soon for shopping fresh. I buy lots of frozen and have always shopped the wall at the grocery store. Lean Cuisine is my choice for fast frozen emergencies. They have cut the additives, the calories are low and the food is great. I signed up at their website and get coupons emailed to me. Otherwise I cook the basic ingredients all up in one day and then pile them in bowls in fridge. We quickly assemble our meals this way. Big bowl of brown rice - big bowl of steel cut oats, chick peas etc. Easy to measure and cook right from the bowls. Kel
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| Buy in bulk, like beans, brown rice and whole wheat pasta. These are great with little of no seasoning and sauces, especially when mixed with vegetables.
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BABYLUVMONKEY
3/4/08 12:18 P
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I have done weight watcher the last 2 months, relying on smartones and lean cuisine, and I am gonna be honest with you, my wight did not budge. I lost a ton of weight 3 years ago, and i did it by preparing for my week, on Saturday or Sunday. Preparing proportioned snacks, the correct portions of rice, chicken, and even frozen veggies and throwing them in the freezer so I could always mix and match to my mood. Lets face it, rice, chicken, turkey, frozen veggies and pasta are pretty low fat. So is fruit if you buy lots of apples and grapes!! I noticed I was the most successful when I was prepared, I am back into those old habits now and I will keep you guys posted on some fun new ideas,
Jenn
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DANIELWIFEY
3/4/08 6:31 A
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If you are picky about fruits and veggies, I find that frozen veggies are fairly cheap. I wait to buy fruit until it is on sale (I got a whole pound of strawberries for 1.75 this week!). When I get desparate, I switch to no sugar added canned fruit.
If you need to rely on frozen food for convience, our grocery store has one light brand (Michilini's or something like that) as a dollar a meal, which, in my opinion is really cheap.
Also, be aware of the days your grocery store has sales. Ours is cheapest on Thursdays I think.
Finally, on occassion, I actually buy groceries at the dollar store. I am aware that some people are too proud to do it, but we try to function without debt, so sometimes its necessary. The dollar stores around here have produce on occasion, and lately have carried some low cal frozen food.
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My tips
Stay away from processed foods (packaged)
cook from whole ingredients (brown rice, ww pasta, veggies, protien etc)
Make the majority of your grocery purchases from the outside of the store, dairy, produce, meats.
For the best prices for veggies and fruits visit your local hispanic grocery store, I find I have cut my grocery bill by 30% with buying fruits and veggies and some meats there!
Cook once and eat 2-3 meals, make your own frozen entrees
Low fat foods, low carb foods, low calorie foods basically all replace the 'forbidden' with chemicals or sugar for the low fat and fat for the low calorie! Dont deprive yourself of any food group, give yourself a balanced menu of whole foods!
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| Shop the sales, go to a local Farmer's Market - buy fresh fruit and vegetables in season ... buy only what you need so there is no waste. Don't buy "packaged" foods... check out SparkRecipes.com for ways to use the foods you like.
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~BECKYBO32~
3/3/08 7:17 P
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I agree with you. I like to buy a lot of fresh produce but it is so expensive. I do buy a lot of frozen veggies. But I love cheese. And to buy the Healthier cheeses I can't afford them. I would love to know if you get any good ideas. And I will also keep you informed. 
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SUGARSTARMAMA
3/3/08 4:12 P
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When I go to the grocery store I'm so irritated at how much low fat meals, fat free or low carb things cost. Does anyone have suggestions on foods or meals that are inexpensive and would be beneficial for weight loss? Thanks 
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