Eating Well V's Eating Cheaply??

Almo

thriftlady wrote: »

I've just fed my family spaghetti with butter, cheese and garlic -and nothing else and I don't care:D How does anyone know what else we have eaten today, or what we will eat tomorrow, or indeed through the week? You don't have to treat every single meal as a lesson in nutrition.

Yum, can I come to yours for dinner thriftlady?

Mojisola

squirrelchops wrote: »

For more lycopene I will eat fresh toms!!!!

Cooking increases the amount of available lycopene so you'll benefit from eating the tinned toms.

weezl74

Lois_and_CK wrote: »

Hi Weezl. Do you happen to have any links or anything to these articles? I'd be really interested. Thanks!

'High protein diets appear to lead to increased calcium losses. Calcium
requirements for those on lower protein, plant-based diets are
believed to be below the usual recommendations.
The [American] National Research Council itself (which set the RDA values
in the first place), acknowledges that people have been able to maintain
calcium balance on intakes of as low as 200 - 400 gm/day. They recommended
the 800 mg/day because of the excessively HIGH PROTEIN diet of most
Americans (see NRC, RECOMMENDED DIETARY ALLOWANCES, 9TH ed., 1980, p. 120-29)'

Found this for starters, and will search through my google bookmarks for some other stuff I found!:D

Penny-pincher, thanks , yeah only 3 and a bit weeks to go!

We'll see how my lentil-fed baby manages in the outside world!;)

Lois_and_CK

Thanks Weezl, much appreciated. I've done some searches on the internet, but all I seem to find are adverts for protein shakes rather than decent articles on health effects.

SunnyGirl

Just my 2p worth having read the thread yesterday & this morning without posting yet. In answer to the original question, for myself, no I wouldn't prioritise health over cost BUT if I had to for a short time I would with no qualms. I have done in the past when DH lost his job & I was on maternity leave and would again if needed. I currently spend in the region of £300 per month on groceries to feed dh, myself, two 16yo's, a 14yo and a 10yo. Once a week we have a main meal of hm veg & lentil soup, naan & a pudding usually made with fruit. This is on the night when everyone is doing activities & are home at different times. They can heat up their soup, naan & pudding themselves IYSWIM.

I think that most of us OS'ers would say the same. We can feed our family's cheaply, I look at it as a skill & count myself lucky that my parents taught me how to do so, and if desperation strikes we can do it for the bare bones.

To anyone doing it all on a very very limited budget at the mo I take my hat off to you & applaud your efforts. Nobody will come to harm in the short term I promise! BTW all my family are perfect weights & BMI for them and all partake in excercise outside of school/college.

Justamum

leiela wrote: »

Oh i totally agree its not necessary to have protien and fat in EVERY meal

Protein requirements aren't as large as people assume - about 10% of the daily calorie intake should be protein. So if someone is eating 1500 calories a day they only need 150g of protein, which isn't a lot really. So 'padding out' with veggies is perfectly acceptable, and in terms of vitamins, crucial!

Justamum

greenbee wrote: »

I'm not vegetarian, but have been advised by both my GP and nutrionist that excess animal protein should be avoided, and that I should increase plant proteins in my diet. At the moment, I'm trying to have animal protein no more than 3 times a week, and I certainly have more energy when eating predominantly vegetables.

Too much animal protein leaches calcium from your body so is not good for you. It is perfectly possible to obtain all the required amino acids from a vegan diet.

Justamum

leiela - have you thought that maybe you are eating too much protein? 200-300g a day sounds quite a lot. I found this which might (or might not) be interesting.

"protein is not necessarily the most important food source for muscle building. Actually, when bodybuilding, your primary consideration should be taking in adequate energy, or enough calories. Research has shown that consuming an additional 2270 to 3630 calories a week (approximately 500 extra calories a day), along with appropriate weight training, will result in one pound of muscle gain. Muscles rely on glycogen (the energy they use for fuel) to perform work. When bodybuilders replace carbohydrate with protein in their diet, they have lower muscle stores of glycogen. For that reason, a high protein/low carbohydrate diet cannot provide enough glycogen for our muscles, so they may feel weak, tired, and fatigue quickly.

In addition, our bodies need to convert any excess protein we eat in order to burn it as energy or to store it as fat. Protein conversion helps us get rid of the nitrogen contained in amino acids (the building blocks of protein), which we eliminate through urination; however, it can also contribute to dehydration, muscle cramping, and excess stress on liver and kidneys.
As a result, it's important for a bodybuilder to take in enough carbohydrates. Carbs are used to fuel the muscles you'll use to help build lean body mass. Lots of extra protein by itself will not add muscular bulk — carbohydrates actually spare protein so that it can be used to repair muscle tissue, which is how we build muscular strength and size.
How much protein do bodybuilders need? First figure out how many calories you need. If you're not taking in enough calories, you can't build muscle tissue efficiently. That's because your body will be burning most of your calories, not using them to repair muscle tissue. For example, take a 180 pound guy — if he's moderately active, he probably needs about 2700 calories a day (plus or minus a few) to maintain his weight. Besides his moderate daily activity level, he could burn about 500 calories during an hour of heavy weightlifting. If he wants to add one pound of muscle weight per week, he needs approximately 500 extra calories per day plus about 500 more to make up for the energy deficit from intense weightlifting. This makes his grand total to be around 3700 calories a day.
So how can we translate this number to his protein needs? The RDA for protein has been established at 0.8 grams/kg of body weight for adults. This is not enough to build muscle mass for intense athletes. Although it's difficult to pinpoint a specific number because you have to take into account many variables, research has determined an acceptable range: even at the very high end, the top protein intake needs to be 1.5 - 2.0 g/kg of body weight. For our 180 lb. (divided by 2.2 = 82 kg) lifter, this would be 122 - 164 grams of protein per day. Since protein has 4 calories per gram, then this amount of protein would comprise 13 - 18 percent of his daily caloric intake of 3700 calories; the usual recommendation is about 12 - 15 percent. As you can see, a huge excess of protein is not needed. You can check out the chart below for some ideas about where to get your protein.

Protein-containing foods
5 oz. steak, cooked 35g
5 oz. roasted chicken 43g
5 oz. tuna 43g
1 egg 6g
1 c. milk 8g
2 T. peanut butter 9g
2 slices of cheese 14g
2 slices of whole wheat bread 5g
1 c. cooked broccoli 5g
1 c. beans (legumes) 15g

It's easy to get enough protein from food — and quite easy for many people to overdo it. If too much high-fat protein is taken in, and not used, gains may be seen in fat tissue rather than in muscle tissue. Hopefully you now have a better idea about the healthiest way to build muscle. Good luck with your bodybuilding program!"

weezl74

HeidiBoo wrote: »

If anyone was to see my meal plans for the week they'd be shocked, but as already pointed out, this may not be how people eat every week. I'm hoping I shall have a little assistance by next week, but if not then it'll be another week of 'crap'

I'd rather eat the 'crap' I can currently buy than the alternative....

Hi Heidiboo,

Like penny-pincher I think you're doing a grand job from your meal ideas you've posted. :beer:, and sorry things are so tight at the mo.

Just a thought, if you are breast-feeding, your body will definately be giving your baby all the nutrients needed. So a cheap idea while things are tight and fresh fruit seems like a total luxury, might be to get some of these (for example):



which work out as 1.1p per day. Then you know that your body won't end up depleted in any of its stores while feeding your baby, and you can fill up on other things while still knowing your vits and minerals are there! Just a thought...

The cheapest I managed to find '5 a day' of different colours was 18p per person per day, so 1.1p beats that hands down whilst you wait for your finances to be a bit more free-flowing.:beer:

Love Weezl x

OrkneyStar

ceridwen wrote: »

As a little practical suggestion - perhaps people who list their menuplans on that thread in future could list EVERYTHING they eat - including fruit/veg, snacks between meals, etc - as otherwise the "true picture" is missing.

Superb suggestion, in theory! It would simply not be practical for me to list everything we all eat on here (I do have an excel spread sheet with brekkie, lunch and dinner on it though, for my own purposes!)- largely due to having better things to do with my time (like making those foods and spending time with DS being two top ones!).
I will probably continue to list my meal plans but will likely add a disclaimer or something lol!
Seriously OP, I do get some of what you are saying, but it was simply how you said it, you also proceeded to discount many of the meal plans yet fail to explain how you managed such a great diet on not too much money! And I would be interested to see your menu, not purely to criticise it, just out of interest!
I wish all posters all the best, and in difficult financial times it is not always easy feeding your children/family/self/pets a varied and healthy diet but we can all try!
I also agree with PP and the others, you have done well with your meal planning thread and I am so glad to have joined it, also got some nice recipes AND been reassured that it is ok to have poached egg on toast one night, as part of a varied diet!