Old Style vs the USDA head-to-head challenge...

Dobie · 12 April 2008 at 1:06PM

Hi weezl74
Have a look at this page on the Vegan Society website;
http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/calcium.php
It makes interesting reading because it explains about vegan sources of calcium but also explains that, if you have a low protein diet, you need less calcium in your diet anyway.
Hope you find it interesting.
Dobie

funkyfunkymonkey · 12 April 2008 at 1:07PM

Just found these figures:

The definition of water hardness is based on the amount of calcium it contains per litre.

Soft water contains less than 30mg of calcium per litre
Moderately hard water contains between 30 and 60mg
Hard water between 60 and 120mg and
Very hard water contains more than 120mg of calcium per litre

And there I was worrying about reducing the calcium content in my milk by watering it down. As I am in a very hard water area, it's staying about the same :j

FFM

weezl74 · 13 April 2008 at 6:38PM

Hiya,:D

Just been doing some research on iron. As I said in my blurb on calcium, I eat less of stuff than Mr. Weezl, because I need less. This was true of fat, calories and protein, untrue for calcium, tricky cos we need the same amount. And as I’ve just been discovering, very worrying in the case of iron.:o
Men need 8.7mg daily, women 14.8mg. :eek:The best websites for my search were the USDA’s food database, into which I typed our daily foods. Also the vegan society. A quote from them:

‘a 1985 survey of young British omnivore women showed that, on average, they were consuming only just over half the current recommended intake. The Dietary and Nutritional Survey of British Adults revealed that one third of all women had low iron stores. Symptons of iron deficiency anaemia include tiredness and breathlessness especially on physical exertion, giddiness, palpitations, headache and poor concentration.’

Worrying stuff gentle reader.;)

Again my trusty friend the internet, a daily food log over the last 2 weeks and lots of time going back and forth between the USDA database, and mysupermarket.co.uk and weighing slices of HM bread etc…, showed that I’m not getting enough iron for about half my week. Something I now feel equipped to put right! Here’s how I plan to do it:

Weezl’s top iron yielding foods for value for money

Pig’s liver 100g, 14p, 23.30 mg iron 5 pence of HM pate will give me a gram a day 2 grams if in a sandwich

lentils 200g, cooked, 6p, 6.66 mg iron, nearly everyday this or chickpeas forms a meal

2 slices HM bread, 2p, 2 mg iron, breakfast, with butter

Houmous sandwich, 3p, 2 mg iron, Lunch if not pate

Long grain rice, 4.5p, 1 mg iron, with my dinner

½ can tomato, 11p, 2 mg iron, in my dinner most days

10 cashews, 14p, 1 mg iron, thinking of adding these as a snack

2 onions, 7p, 1.5 mg iron, in my dinner most days

Again, hope all this is of interest!

Tonight’s dinner, lentil and bacon casserole with long grain rice = 9 mg iron, but I’ve topped it up with my other meals.

So for today at least, I am your ultra fortified with vitamins and iron,

Weezl x

ceridwen · 13 April 2008 at 6:45PM

I'll throw in a thought here. You might be interested to borrow "Self-Reliance" by John Yeoman from the library and have a read of his stuff on food. Should provide "food for thought" methinks.

weezl74 · 13 April 2008 at 6:48PM

Thanks ceridwen, I will do, is he quite hot on nutrition then? Or thrift? Or both!;)

bails · 13 April 2008 at 7:18PM

Interesting stuff about the vitamins peeps - I'm currently on supplements for just about everything as my body can't process the nutrients from food (I wish I could just stop eating then, how MSE would that be!) but longer-term I'd like to know I was getting enough of everything from my veggie diet.
Oh, and you can definitely pop round for a cuppa if you want an extra-hard water fix Weezl

ceridwen · 13 April 2008 at 7:23PM

weezl74 wrote: »

Thanks ceridwen, I will do, is he quite hot on nutrition then? Or thrift? Or both!;)

Thrift defo - you'll find the book as a whole interesting (a distinctly "unusual" stance) and its the section on food that is relevant in this case - as in helpful ideas in eating as cheaply as poss. but still healthy.

bellaquidsin · 13 April 2008 at 8:37PM

Brilliant thread weezl. If you had called it 'Feeding two healthily for £40 per month' I would have read it sooner as I am very concerned to slash food costs ready for DH's retirement next year.

I feel the whole programme would be rather too swinging for us at the moment, but, well, we never know what we might come to.

I'm sure I can learn lots from your ideas and I really admire the energy and intellegence you have dedicated to this project.

Bella.

cheerfulness4 · 14 April 2008 at 8:13AM

bellaquidsin wrote: »

Brilliant thread weezl.
I'm sure I can learn lots from your ideas and I really admire the energy and intellegence you have dedicated to this project.
.

I'll second that. Its not just about saving money regardless but I love the fact that you've not dismissed friends concerns but have taken them all on board.
I'm finding this thread really imformative and helpful. Well done Weezl.;)

weezl74 · 16 April 2008 at 7:40AM

thank you to cheerfullness and bellaquidsin for the lovely compliments.:o

I'm back with two frugal and very healthy recipes (I think they might still be quite frugal even if done organically ceridwen

)

Spiced Lentils with sun dried tomato (makes 14 portions, so reduce quantities if your freezer's too full!:eek:)

500g green lentils
80g dried onions
140g currants (I think you could chuck in sultanas, raisins...!)
garlic, chilli, mixed spice, salt and pepper
280g drained weight sun dried tomatoes

bung it all in slo-cooker, having chopped the sundried toms up into little pieces. 8 hrs later, adjust seasonings and serve. Add salt at the end or the lentils might toughen.;)

17p per serving, or 24p if served with 125g (raw weight) long grained rice. (prices at asda) :money:

A thrifty supper! Also provides 2/3rds of a woman's daily iron requirements, and all of an adult male's.

And for dessert, hows about a frozen yoghurt to boost your calcium intake? Makes 8 servings)

Tastes like Greek youghurt and honey. You could sprinkle almonds or cashews over at the end to really boost the iron and calcium quotient.

2x 500g tubs low fat natural yoghurt 35p each in Lidl
300ml single cream - 52p at asda, I use long life. If you swap for elmlea, it's cheaper, (and lower fat) but reduces the calcium content.
200g runny honey

Whisk til light and airy, (won't thicken) approx 10 mins. Freeeze for 2 hrs ish. Whisk again, freeze overnight.

19p per serving, 176 calories, and just under half your daily calcium requirement.:j

Also it's rather yummy!

I hope you enjoy these recipes. I am really enjoying the challenge of working out how healthy frugal living can be.:T

TTFN,

Weezl x

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Old Style vs the USDA head-to-head challenge...

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