Healthy Diet & Budget

sgx.saint · 10 October 2006 at 9:30PM

Hey All.

I hope this is the right place for this thread, if not, mods, please feel free to move it

Basically, I am a 24 year old male student and I really want to start eating healthier but by doing so sticking to a budget.

I currently shop at places such as Iceland, Morrisons and Tesco. But more often or not Iceland as it is closer to home. But I can access these two other supermarkets if needs be.

I am looking for someone who has some time free and would be very generous in perhaps drawing me up a three week or whatever day by day plan of what meal to have at what time etc.

I am a complete novice when it comes to diets and cooking so please go easy. Also, I am not fond of many vegtables or fruits, mainly because I am mildly allergic (believe it) to a lot of them. This is more true of fruit rather than veg.

But I do wish to include these in my new diet as they are quite important.

So I am basically looking for shopping suggestions, meal plans the lot. I currently buy a lot of freezer meals like frozen lasagne as they are so cheap and easy todo.

So I end up buying similar things each time I shop and I really want to break the habbit.

Perhaps if you eat very healthily you can include example meals of what you eat and when. I think the only way I will get on the right tracks is if I have a list of goods of what I need to buy and then a list of example meals to eat on each day. Hopefully by the end of say three weeks I will have learnt enough to continue under my own steam

I appreciate any help!!

Nile · 10 October 2006 at 10:31PM

Hello sgx.saint

I think that the experts on the 'Old Style' board will be able to help you, so I'll move your thread across.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

Regards

Nile

JillD_2 · 10 October 2006 at 10:55PM

I can email you my 3 week-ish plan. We are veggie so it is quite veggie based and I cook everything from scratch which perhaps isn't the best for a nivice! But it does keep the cost down.

If you are allergic to a lot of fruit but can deal with veg then stick to the veg and you will get all the nutrition etc.

I believe you can OM me (but I'm not sure what that will do!!) - so PM me your email address and I will send you my 3 week plan

Do you have access to a freezer ? One good way to make cheap dinners is to make a big batch of stuff like curry, chilli, lasagne, spag bol, eat one portion and freeze the rest is portions.

Easy and healthy stuff to do would be things like:
chilli
spag bol
sausages and mash and beans
jacket spuds cheese and beans
stewy type stuff
eggy things like omelette
pasta bake/lasagne
macaroni/cauliflower cheese

There are heaps of people beter placed to help you on here as well. Perhaps more will be around in the morning.
Lots of luck
Jill

squeaky · 11 October 2006 at 8:21AM

There are quite a few menu plans collected in the link below that should help you out too.

Menu Planning:
The Menu Plans Collection

sgx.saint · 11 October 2006 at 3:50PM

Hey.

I really appreciate the answers and replies so far!

Sorry to be a pain and sound lazy, but I just wouldn't know where to start, and being a student I don't get a lot of time to spend researching diets etc

JillD .... PM Sent

mirakl · 11 October 2006 at 3:55PM

I've never gotten over my student days of being continually skint*

I still make a chilli and a bolognaise that use 1 small pack of mince and 2 of use can get 3 meals each out of it.

Just remember you can chuck in all sorts of chopped up vegetables - whatever's on offer or in season and bulk the dish up a lot.

I throw 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, 2 tins of baked beans, 2 onions, 6 sticks of celery and 2 carrots into one pack of mince, you need a HUGE pot! but it's worth it

Lucie_2 · 11 October 2006 at 5:03PM

It's very difficult to meal plan for other people because you can't take into account their food tastes, lifestyle or budget properly. Maybe you could start by telling us what you have eaten for the last 7 days main meal-wise, and we could offer some suggestions & alternatives, as well as getting an idea of what sort of food you like?
Also, what sort of cooking facilities do you have? Are you in halls, a shared house or your own place? Is there someone else you could share shopping & cooking with? I lived with 3 other girls at Uni & the majority of the time we all shared shopping/cooking duties. I reckon it saved us a fortune.

lightisfading · 11 October 2006 at 6:26PM

There's quite a few student cookbooks around that don't cost much, i'd say see if you can borrow from library/buy a couple of them, look through and see what appeals to you. Usually they're made to be quick, easy, cheap and relatively healthy so i'd say that would be a good starting point!

Also if you're allergic-ish to a lot of fruits and veggies people need to know what you AREN'T allergic to if they're going to help!

JillD_2 · 12 October 2006 at 11:34PM

In terms of diet from a nutrition point of view (as opposed to saving money/planning/shopping point of view) ....

.... I read a book recently that talked about a pyramid of nutrition (or something like that) and its easily found on the net as it seems to be a common concept: http://www.hood-meddac.army.mil/images/nutrition/pyramid.jpg

Where you have 6 portions carbs a day
5 fruit and veg
2-3 dairy
2-3 protein

So if you have cereal/toast for breakfast thats 1 0r 2 carbs
Sandwich or pasts for lunch 1 carbs
Pasta or rice or potato for tea 1 carbs
Some other biscuity/crakery/toast snack - further carb

dairy - milk, chees yoghurt - on cereal, in sandwich, in drinks

fruit and veg - the obvious stuff - plus glass of orange juice, carrot sticks, side salad, beans, dried fruit, fruit smoothies for brekkie

protein - pulses (beans etc), meat, fish, eggs

So for example jacket potato with cheese and beans is an excellent meal nutiotionally and evn better if you had some salad with it and a banana for pudding.

Macaroni cheese with bacon and peas

Tuna pasta bake with some peas/corn/carrots/courgettes

Spaghetti bolognaise
Chilli and rice

The key is variety. If you eat a good range of veg, fruit if you can, carbs, dairy and protein you will be fine.

elona · 13 October 2006 at 8:51AM

If you try to cut down on sugar, salt, hydrogenated vegetable oils and additives then that would go a long way.

skintchick · 13 October 2006 at 10:10AM

What fruit/veg can't you eat? no point us giving recipes if you can;t eat them!! What kind of food don;t you like, in the same vein?

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Healthy Diet & Budget

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