Cheapest Healthy Diet

[Aqua Blue]

It is a coop found in I think about 15 states mostly in the midwest(where prices and selection tend to be poor in stores). Last time we got 2 clamshells of cherry tomatoes, about 2# of grapes, a musk melon, clamshell of blueberries, 5 plums, 3 mangos, 6 peaches, 1# baby carrots, 2 red peppers, head of romaine lettuce, eng Cucumber and 9 red potatoes. It is every 2 weeks, altho I think I could get it at another site locally on the opposite week.

My arthritis stops me from having a garden. I have tried several times and it is just not worth the pain.

[Fawn]

I am not interested is seeing how low I can go, or following the FDA nutrition guidelines, just taking the waste of of my grocery shopping.

The kids are gone this week, so for today, that meant eating what is in the house, not making a meal plan.

Breakfast: cup of yogurt, biscuit (left over from last week) scrambled egg

Lunch: hummus and celery, orange juice, left over grilled chicken breast

Dinner: 2 glasses Merlot, 2 cheese sticks and an apple

[Tussiemussies]

It is a coop found in I think about 15 states mostly in the midwest(where prices and selection tend to be poor in stores). Last time we got 2 clamshells of cherry tomatoes, about 2# of grapes, a musk melon, clamshell of blueberries, 5 plums, 3 mangos, 6 peaches, 1# baby carrots, 2 red peppers, head of romaine lettuce, eng Cucumber and 9 red potatoes. It is every 2 weeks, altho I think I could get it at another site locally on the opposite week.

My arthritis stops me from having a garden. I have tried several times and it is just not worth the pain.

That is a shame Aqua Blue, sorry to hear that...

[try2bfrugal]

Try2bfrugal, would you tell us some about how you juggled the various foods as you worked out what combination would give you the nutrients needed? I’d be interested in reading about your original diet as to what foods were the best and what things cost, and the recalculation of what they would cost today. Also were there any nutrients that were especially hard to get in a frugal way?

The most expensive nutrients to get the recommended amounts were calcium and vitamin B12. I think the dairy industry has a hand in setting the calcium requirements too high in the U.S. compared to recommended levels in other countries.

Other than that here is a shopping list -

Bulk purchases from warehouse stores - cheese, rice, powdered milk, dried beans, pasta, popcorn, flour, nuts, dried fruits, oil and vinegar.

I bought a collection of spices that will last a long time on sale for 50 cents each from Rite Aid.

Produce from the ethnic food stores - whatever is 20 - 30 cents a pound on special each week. In season items can be dried if you have a dehydrator or frozen if you have a big freezer. The ethnic stores also have ingredients like limes and ginger very cheap.

Stockpile meat and eggs when they are on sale as loss leaders from the retail grocery stores, especially 99 cent chicken breasts. I use the bones along with vegetable scraps, like onion and carrot peels, to make stock.

Add in stuff you can get free or a good deal here and there. This week my local Safeway has a coupon for free juice with no minimum spend. Last month the warehouse store we shop at had one pound packages of spaghetti for $ .25 and tuna packs for half price, so I stockpile those items.

Paper goods are replaced with cloth and cleaning supplies are all made from natural ingredients like vinegar and baking soda. Plastic bags are replaced with washable bags or containers.

From this list you can make all sorts of menus and eat pretty healthy on half of a food stamp budget. For example, you could eat 2 - 4 pounds of fresh or dried produce for $1 (depending on the specials or what you have stockpiled), a pound of chicken breasts (use the bones for stock for soup or for the rice instead of water), and 50 cents worth of some combination of rice, flour, pasta and beans for starches. There is way more than enough for most people to eat in a day and it would only cost $2.50 a person which is about half the food stamp budget per person per day in California (~$5 a day).

[Fawn]

I agree that the calcium levels are set too high if one eats meat as a condiment and avoids soda and other foods and drinks that create a negative ion charge in the blood stream. This is where a lot of the calcium goes, neutralizing the blood pH of someone on a meat and soda diet.

I am avoiding simple carbs for myself, but still buy them for the teens who need much higher calorie intake than me and do not like whole grains so much.

[Fawn]

8/2:
Breakfast- 1 cup yogurt and oatmeal
Lunch- black bean/corn/tomato salad
Dinner- shrimp bisque, steamed brocolli

All dishes made w/ pantry items.

[Aqua Blue]

That is a shame Aqua Blue, sorry to hear that...

To me the real bummer was I went to all the expense of having 2 raised beds made and still couldn't do it.

[Fawn]

8/3
Breakfast: oatmeal, cup yogurt, banana
Lunch: apple, packet of tuna, rest of hummus and celery
Snack: 3/4 cup of fresh blueberries
Supper: rest of shrimp bisque

I'm working this weekend, and the pantry is getting low. It's a toss up if I will make it to Monday morning without needing to buy food. Kids are back Monday noonish.

[Tiam]

.20 cents for grass fed hamburger? Is that explained?

[lizii]

Late breakfast:

2 slices of toasted multigrain with butter, avocado and a slice of tomato on top.

Late dinner:

banana, peanut butter and banana sandwich, grilled cheese sandwich, a bowl of split pea and ham soup, sandwich of cold ham, tomato slice and lettuce, poached eggs on toast, chocolate ice cream for an occasional treat, a bowl of blueberries or strawberries, a glass of chocolate milk, one cup of black coffee per day, no sugar or salt added.

As I am housebound, I get very little exercise, and don't need much food, but I'm very healthy at age 81, so must be doing something to keep me that way.

I have at least one glass of white wine in the evenings, sometimes two, depending on what I want.