Eat Well For Less Series 3

lessonlearned

Yes thanks I have. I am learning all the time about grain free alternatives. I join in on the lo carb thread. Lots of recipes and tips on there.

Made a fab "courgetti" the other night.

It's just that I do miss nice bread. Hey ho.

shelley+6

I use to be very good at feeding everyone well on a very low budget. But 2 months ago we discovered allergies and probable coeliacs in my little boy and husband, I also have to eat the restrictions as breastfeeding. Problem is now we have to be dairy, egg and gluten free my shopping bill has nearly tripled and we just can't keep going like this. We shop at aldis mostly for normal stuff and sainsburys/morrisons for allergy safe stuff.

Pollycat

PasturesNew wrote: »

I just eat what I fancy and I buy cr4p I fancy ... and then I post here just to show those quiet lurkers that it's not just them eating cr4p ... and it's to be applauded

Well done for speaking out and not pretending you only buy the organic ranges hand-imported from goat-herding artisans in the Andes, supporting the Fair Trade movement

I always find your posts on the 'what are you making for dinner tonight' thread very interesting.

PasturesNew wrote: »

I gleefully bought the Heinz once .... only to discover it's got little bits of chopped gherkin in it. And that gherkin/pickle(?) really spoilt the taste for me. If they removed the gherkin I'd be up that aisle like a rat up a drainpipe

Even now, some 10+ years later, I still mournfully pass it on the shelves, thinking "I wish you didn't have gherkin in"

I used to pick out the green bits (the sort we buy has biiiiig chunks of gherkin in it) but somehow I got the taste for gherkins.
We even have them sliced on home-made burgers.

GwylimT

shelley+6 wrote: »

I use to be very good at feeding everyone well on a very low budget. But 2 months ago we discovered allergies and probable coeliacs in my little boy and husband, I also have to eat the restrictions as breastfeeding. Problem is now we have to be dairy, egg and gluten free my shopping bill has nearly tripled and we just can't keep going like this. We shop at aldis mostly for normal stuff and sainsburys/morrisons for allergy safe stuff.

We have this issue, with a nut allergy in the mix too. Personally we avoid special gluten free products etc, the fat and sugar levels are normally horrendous the salt levels are often higher than 'normal' products as well, plus really we don't actually need the sort of convenience food thats provided in the freefrom section.

What sort of stuff are you struggling with?

I assume tests have already been carried out, otherwise if you remove gluten from your diet any medical tests will then not pick up coeliacs.

shelley+6

Not tested yet for coeliacs as the Dr and dietitian wants my little boy 16months to put weight on first before going back on gluten for the test.
The trouble is how to work around the issues as alternatives are so expensive. We are a family of 6 with extra 2 at weekend. Safe bread, pasta, cereals and flours are triple the price sometimes even more than that of normal items. Alternative milk isn't cheap either even when on offer. I'm so stressed with it at the moment.

GwylimT

shelley+6 wrote: »

Not tested yet for coeliacs as the Dr and dietitian wants my little boy 16months to put weight on first before going back on gluten for the test.
The trouble is how to work around the issues as alternatives are so expensive. We are a family of 6 with extra 2 at weekend. Safe bread, pasta, cereals and flours are triple the price sometimes even more than that of normal items. Alternative milk isn't cheap either even when on offer. I'm so stressed with it at the moment.

Uht soya milk is very cheap, however if hes breast feeding he doesn't need it anyway, why do you need bread, pasta or cereal?

shelley+6

Bread, pasta and cereal has always been everyday items and I've not figured out alternatives. Soya milk is the one milk I cant stand, I did try that first as it was the cheapest. But it tastes awful to me. It was the dietitian who said to give my son milk in between feeds rather than water to boost calorie intake, I'm also advised to give him puddings twice a day again for calories like the alpro soya dessert pots. Though I try and make my own with coconut milk as its a lot cheaper and quick.

GwylimT

shelley+6 wrote: »

Bread, pasta and cereal has always been everyday items and I've not figured out alternatives. Soya milk is the one milk I cant stand, I did try that first as it was the cheapest. But it tastes awful to me. It was the dietitian who said to give my son milk in between feeds rather than water to boost calorie intake, I'm also advised to give him puddings twice a day again for calories like the alpro soya dessert pots. Though I try and make my own with coconut milk as its a lot cheaper and quick.

You personally don't need milk as an adult, so don't drink it if you don't like it.

Rice, quinoa, lentils, buckwheat are good pasta alternatives, porridge is a good cereal alternative and incredibly cheap, bread is sugar central so any alternatives are just as bad. You're better off making things like rice flour roti.

nwc389

Farway wrote: »

Not sure which posh item has replaced the Lidl piccallili [sp?] but it has vanished form my locla Lidl, and I loved it, rammed full of veg stuff and not just watery yellow liquid with a few meagre veg floating around, like some have

Piccalilli has vanished from my local lidl too ! My OH has been moaning about the lack of it for weeks now .

lessonlearned

Shelley. I second Gwlyms advice. Avoid all commercial gluten free products like the plague. They are vile, loaded with unhealthy additives and horrendously expensive.

We are learning more and more about the adverse effects of gluten on the human body. Many of us just can't take it.

I'm afraid there's only one thing for it.......cook from scratch. If tyour husband and son really are Coeliacs rather than just grain intolerant then you won't be able to risk most commercial products. Wheat is in just about everything.:eek:

Take a look at Paleo style eating. And contrary to popular belief it does not have to break the bank. You don't have to go mad on huge slabs of meat. The healthiest way is small amounts of meat or fish and then masses of vegetables and salads.

Sukis recipe for peppered steak is a classic example.You only need small amounts of protein each day, the main bulk of your diet should come from vegetables, seeds, nuts (assuming no allergies) and small amounts of fruit.

You can make pizza bases with cauliflower, spaghetti using courgettes instead of pasta, lasagne using leeks instead of pasta.

Nut milks and butters are more expensive than traditional dairy but if you use them sparingly it won't be so bad. Oils instead of butter or margarine.

Dairy........it's usually the lactose that's the problem. If they can tolerate lactofree milk it's not too expensive. Not everyone can tolerate soya or indeed any kind of legumes.

I am not coeliac but I can't eat any grains - not even rice or oatmeal, legumes, so soya is out, not supposed to eat dairy but I can manage a little and I'm supposed to avoid all plants from the nightshade family although I do indulge in tomatoes occasionally.

I have had a bit of a learning curve, and much if it is trial and error. It's not quite as bad as it sounds - you just have to learn to do things differently. I do slip off the wagon sometimes but I really pay for it so I've learned that it's just not worth it. As long as I stick to the programme I stay well.

I buy almond flour, coconut flour, nuts and seeds etc from Amazon....much cheaper than most supermarkets and health food shops.

If your husband cannot toLerate dairy or even lacto free cheese and craves cheese you can buy cheese made from coconut milk - not cheap but it satisfies the odd craving.

You can learn to bake Paleo style so they won't be deprived of treats such as cakes, biscuits etc.

It is definitely more awkward - especially eating out or "food on the go" but I haven't found it more expensive. You just need to learn as much as you can, cook from scratch, and learn to make substitutions which work best for you.

Good luck. It might be easier for you if the whole family changes the way you all eat. Fairer on your husband and son so they don't feel deprived, and probably less work for you and probably cheaper.