Low carb food and diet on a low budget

Pinkorchid

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Some people have said that keeping to a low carb diet on a low income can be very difficult and expensive for them so some ideas and tips on a more inexpensive way would I think really help them So if you have any good ideas and especially if you manage your diet on a budget please add them to this thread
 
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donnellysdogs

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I posted a subject very similar previously for having a T1 friend on limited income.
Not many responses.. But there are staple foods on low carb and proper low carbing snd increasing fats will fil you up more than carb craving and having snacks etc.

It really deoends upon the food budget that you have for some ideas... And where you are located ie how far is a Lidl, have you got a car, do you shop weekly? Are you willing to cook or do you rely upon ready meals Etc..

I suspect that others will come along if we had a few more details...
 

scottish-jim

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I am on a low budget so I eat pretty much the same thing every day:

A Lidl High Protein Roll with butter for breakfast. (Approximately 50p)

An Asda "Good and Balanced" Ham and boiled egg salad for lunch (2 for £3.00 I'm sure this could be done cheaper)

A chicken breast with either salad or vegetables (Frozen Cauliflower, Broccoli and Sprouts) for dinner (Approximately £2.10 to £2.75 - You could substitute the Chicken for other "cheaper" types of protein)

I shop at either Asda, because it's just round the corner, Farmfoods and Lidl. Look for the own brand stuff at Asda.

I don't cook, in fact I don't have a cooker. Just a Microwave/Oven/Grill Combi.

I buy additional things like own brand ketchups, mayo, salad cream and diet drinks.

With the above I manage to keep track of my finances, my weight and my blood sugar levels. My carbs are around 50g total for the whole day.

Cheers

Jim
 
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Larissima

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Cheap protein includes eggs, tinned fish and chicken legs/wings (or whole chickens). Also tough or fatty cuts of meat which are great slow cooked, such as beef shin and pork belly. Offal is great for nutrition and very cheap - liver (chicken, lamb, pork) and heart (lamb, ox) are widely available and tasty. Own brand olive oil, mayo and butter (or ghee, which can be great value in a large tin) are good fats. Veggies - as mentioned, frozen are often very good value and all the vitamins are preserved, and there are often offers around for green leafy stuff such as spring greens or lettuce. If you can grow your own, even a couple of herbs on the windowsill, it helps the budget. With dairy, own brand Greek yogurt is usually much cheaper than Fage, and with some fresh (or frozen) berries makes a great dessert (or breakfast).
 
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uart

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This is a good question. For me personally I find that my LCHF is significantly more costly than my previous diet. To be honest I'd estimate that I spend about $40 to $50 (aust) more per week on vegetables and nuts and diary, and save maybe $5 on the pasta and rice (and occasionally bread) that I'm now not consuming. There is a big price asymmetry between those two types of items!

To a large extent I think that it does depend on what your previous (pre LCHF) diet was like. Some people I have spoken with swear that their LCHF costs them no more money, or even that it saves them a little bit. I notice however that these people tended to have previous diets that included a lot more processed foods (prepacked and frozen meals, cake and biscuits etc) than I was using, which obviously gives them greater savings when excluded. In my case though, I was on a fairly plain diet where I had long ago cut out most of those processed foods, but was still using the cheap bulk staples like pasta and rice as a significant part of my diet. So for me personally, I found the savings very little and the extra expenses relatively high.
 
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Pasha

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I think that I eat very well, not even sure how much it cost. In any event costs vary by country. To give you some idea of the foods I eat daily.

Spinach, mushrooms, flax seeds, eggs,cottage cheese, brie [very small amounts ex 25 grams], Proteins from, fish, beef, chicken.
More vegetables, celery, lettuce, avocado, radishes,chives, olives,bazil,tomatoes,green peppers.
Some nuts,almonds, pecans [expensive]
Oil, good quality extra virgin olive oil. Butter is probably cheaper.
Portion sizes are nowhere as big as in my pre LCHF days .
 
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uart

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In any event costs vary by country.

Yes, and the economic circumstances might vary considerably by country as well.

I was particularly reminded of this about a month or so ago when a woman from India posted here about the extreme difficulties she was having in looking after her elderly father with diabetes. Several posters were kind of critical of what she was feeding him, but I couldn't help wondering if perhaps some of the LCHF foods being recommended weren't accessible to her, on either economic or religious grounds for example. I would have liked to have discussed her available options a bit more, but she never returned.
 
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Jo123

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I agree with uart, as I eat the perceived healthy diet, lots of pulses, wholemeal pasta, bread etc., and I always kept slim by not eating too much, I find eating low carb much more expensive. My bad cholesterol and trigs went up with low carbing, so I go for the very lowest carb and only try and eat healthy fats to keep my cholesterol down, and it has gone down on this regime. But it is blimin expensive!!
 
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ewelina

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Maybe we could post low carb cheap recipes here. I made tuna burgers from this thread and it was delicious http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/not-really-a-recipe-but-so-tasty.79132/#post-890641
Also slow cook pork belly chineese style or any cheap cuts slow cooked are delicious

If any of you have a polish shop around (there are so many now in UK!) give it a try for cold meats like ham or sausages. Its usually much cheaper than supermarket. I buy my flaxseed there and it costs me 50p a packet. Its called 'siemie lniane' if anyone needs translation :)
 
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AndBreathe

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I posted on another thread about some things I do with the cheaper cuts of meat etc., but here goes.

I find Chef Google to be a great help when looking for inspiration for meals, or for any wierd and wonderful ingredients I come across. I've always been pretty adventurous in my food tastes and I love to try new things. In UK we are very blessed by some of the choices we have, if we keep an open mind and ignore the food miles anything might have travelled. On an aside, I find it astonishing that I can buy a large pineapple in any of the big supermarkets for a fraction of the price I pay in areas growing the confounded things; wither that's in a supermarket or a roadside stall adjacent to the pineapple fields. Lunacy, but that's how we are. But, that's a digression.

Since that recent thread, I've been thinking I'm going to have a real experiment, really focusing on cheaper cuts and "stuff" I've never tasted before, or "Yellow Bargains"; our house name for the reduced chiller. So, yesterday when I dropped into Tesco for a couple of bits, I picked up some River Cobbler, which I haven't tasted before, but it's a dense white fish. That'll go in the oven for maybe 20 minutes, and I'll do it with a few veggies. I'm due a fridge clear anyway, which is when I have a real look to see what needs to be used or out. Looking in this morning, I have some Mediterranean veg which I'll randomly chop into a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil and slap in the oven for 10-15 minutes, before I add the fish. When I do this, I'll no doubt scan the herbs and spices and lob something on there, in addition to a little salt and lots of black pepper. The fish has a reduced price tag of 97p, so that's going to be a cheapie whatever else I add. At the same time, I picked up 2 plaice fillets; each under £1 and now in the freezer.

I talked about the pork/gammon hock I did before; boiled for around 45-60 minutes then cool the joint to room temperature. Save the stock for soup or gravy. I tend to reduce and freeze it. Score the cooling joint skin, so that it creates it's own crackling. This is important as it's soooo delicious. Slip the joint in a moderate oven for 60-90 minutes, depending on size, then increase the heat to 200c or there abouts for 15 -20 minutes to ensure the crackling is perfect. Keep an eye on it at this last stage, to ensure it doesn't burn. I recently paid under £2 for a hock, which gave me 3 decent meals, plus the stock for something else later. For something like this, which is in the oven for a while, I sometimes cook a couple of chicken portions for the next evening, then the hock cold cuts move out a day, but they're fine for 3 days anyway.

Spicy Rack of Ribs, in the slow cooker is brilliant for one of those meals to give a decent ignoring to as it cooks. Firstly, cut your rack of ribs into shorter racks that will sit in your slow cooker. Mix together some paprika, chilli powder, cayenne, basil and cumin and rub it all over your ribs, on both sides and leave that for a while if you can.

For the sauce, I use canned tomatoes, or very ripe fresh ones, a couple or peppers, a glug of vinegar (ideally cider vinegar), garlic. If you don't have fresh, use garlic salt or granules. A small onion and a dash of lime, or lemon juice if you have any to hand. Again, if I have something veggie in the fridge that needs to be used, I just add it to the mix.

Put a litte of the sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker, then add the ribs and remainder of the sauce. Cook on High until the sauce bubbles, then reduce the heat to Low and ignore for 4-6 hours. Deeeelicious. I know these aren't sticky, nor do they have the BBQ crust on them, but bot, are they tasty.

Belly pork is an all-time favourite in our house, but it has to be slow cooked. So, MrB, who is the King of Belly Pork, buys untied belly pork and asks the butcher to make squar-ish blocks, or cuts it himself. When cooking, he rests it at room temperature for a couple of hours, before cooking; usually in the grill, so that it's out of the way of any contamination or flies in the summer. He then roasts for several hours at 150, raising the oven to 220 for the last 15 minutes for crackling. The long slow cooking makes the belly grow, like a tower block (amazing to see), and makes it as tender as anything. Quite stunning, but maybe the fuel costs negate the meat costs a bit?

Spicy beef burgers - From The Incredible Spice Men - Minced meat of your choice, onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, cumin, coriander, turmeric. Squidge up with your hands to combine well, then divide into patties, and fry gently. Serve with whatever you choose. Delicious.

Canned fish is very cheap and can but flaked up and tossed through salad leaves, with a bit of mayo for a delicious salad.

I find a decent spice rack really helps being able to mince or beef shin or braising steak into chilli or curry and so much cheaper then using canned or jarred sauce mixes. Again these can be done in the slow cooker. Short beef ribs, cooked similarly to the pork ribs are delicious, although different spices, probably.


As I say, Dr Google is helpful in channelling me to Jamie, Nigella, James Martin (he loves hearty food), Merrylees Parker for Indonesian ideas and there are some fabulous ideas on this forum, if you search in the Low carb area.

Good luck with it all.
 
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sanguine

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Proper 'local' butchers and greengrocers can be cheaper than supermarkets but not everyone has access to them these days unfortunately.

Bargains in the supermarket just before closing can also be good value, when they're at sell-by date but still perfectly OK.

Cook some meals in bulk so they will last over several days - good with veg soups especially.

Having a cooked breakfast out can be very cheap with all the competition, particularly in towns.
 
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Scimama

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I use a lot of eggs, low cost, versatile and low carb.

I make omelettes, scrambled eggs, poached etc.

I use frozen veg as its cheaper than fresh and in many cases contain more nutrients than the 'fresh' veg shops sell (unless you grow your own which would be better) however I do buy 'fresh' veg that is on special offer or in the value range.

I buy 1kg tubs of low carb full fat yogurt from lidl which I have with flax seed every morning for breakfast.

We have just started (last week) using lidls cheese, its actually really nice and half the price of our supermarket, my son and OH both prefer it.
 
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Brunneria

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I think there is a profound mind-shift that happens when you have been low carbing for a while.

Bread, rice, pasta etc. just sort of fade out of your mindset, and the things that used to go with them, now become the main feature.

Ages ago, the thought of eating hummus with a spoon would have been either bizarre or ridiculous.
Now I do it habitually.
And in Tescos, a pot of hummus is 2 for a £2.
Hummus is often made with rapeseed oil (one of the better oils), and very filling, despite its small volume.
I have eaten lunch at work consisting of 3 cherry toms a pot of hummus and a glass of water.
BG rock steady til evening, and no hunger for 5 hours.

Likewise, a packed lunch of sliced cold chicken, a tablespoon of mayo and 3 inches of cucumber is delicious. Especially if you spice the mayo. Again, no hunger for 5 hours.
so thats 1/4 of a roast chicken (homecooked) £1
a table sp of mayo £25
Pataks curry paste £0.10
3 inches of cucumber £0.30
Thats a heck of a lot cheaper than a round of bought sandwiches, crisps, a drink and a chocolate bar - even on a Meal Deal.

Even that ridiculously expensive luxury 70% posh choc at up to £2.50 a bar becomes much more affordable when you calculate that it will provide between 5 and 10 snacks. The intensity of the flavour is such that 1or 2 squares are plenty for me.

And other luxuries such as coconut milk yogurt seem unattainable (coyos are £1.99 a 125ml portion, which is quite ridiculously expensive). But just buy 2 tins of coconut milk, use a tablespoon of live yogurt as a starter, and you get nearly a litre of delicious coconut milk yogurt for about £2. No need for a yogurt maker either, since it 'brews' at normal room temperature.
 
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AloeSvea

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My experience is in western countries (as a travel bunny), including countries that tax food: In a weekly shop buying whole foods and low-carb options costs much the same as, or is cheaper than shopping lists that include 'the usual' processed food (ie as in pre low-carbing days).

Choosing items on special works a treat - especially when buying meat, fish and poultry, and the preferred free-range poultry and eggs. And utilising Lidl, when in European countries with Lidl, is a real boon for specials, and dairy, meats etc

The 'cheaper or much the same' includes buying expensive low-carb flours like almond flour, and coconut flour, and a good quality coconut oil or two. (When coffers really low I buy two types of coconut oil - one more processed for cooking in, and one really yummy more expensive one for baking.)

Buying organic fruit and vegetables is something that depends on the bank account too - I buy as much as I can organic produce as the budget can stretch to.

Buying supplements is the thing that I find very challenging on a low budget.

What can seriously up your food shop cost is if you are providing processed food (as well as animal products) for non low-carbers on top of your mainly whole food shop.
 
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mehhh2015

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It can definitely be done on a budget as long as one is willing to eat some how very simply and stick to it. It's only when you want to add variety, expensive cold meats and cheeses, that the bill creeps up. Once you have your staple cupboard filled with the necessary stuff, the weekly shopping shouldn't be that expensive if sticking to simple food menus.
 
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AloeSvea

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I can always find brie and camembert on special, although I always try to buy local, and alas, that does not always link up. (We live in interesting times when it comes to food politics and economics - that's for sure.)

Nuts are a big cost too, but I have been able to slip them in even when the coffers are low.

I agree with mehhh - I think perhaps everyone eats 'simply' most of the time - mostly we have a few tried and truly dishes that fill, taste good, and are good on the budget.

My staple 'simple' is zoodles (zucchini noodles) and a homemade red sauce (like an Italian matron I cook up a good amount once a week), with the addition of meat leftovers or canned Omega-3-full fish of some kind (always to be found on special or a good price anyway). Zucchinis can be rather costly out of season - but still cheaper than the pasta substitutes I would buy at health food stores otherwise. Tinned diced tomatoes and good quality tomato puree is cheap everywhere as far as I have seen (for the red sauce). Ditto herbs and spices. And Mr Svea likes to grow herbs when on home ground - which is marvellous.

But yes - a new dish once a week or so, or a new (old) cooking technique to try out to keep it interesting, and yummy. (I say this as someone who does not like cooking, but who loves eating! On a low budget.) Thankfully Mr Svea and I share the once a week new low-carb dish cooking, so I only have to pour over recipe books now once a fortnite or so to have something new, cheap and tasty.
 

AndBreathe

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When MrB is away, and I am solely responsible for cooking for myself (yes, I am very spoiled when he's around!), I find I want to keep trying new things, to keep my interest up. Some have been stunning successes, and typically, some less so, but I've never had anything I've had to fast-forward to the bin.

MrB loves all the chopping, and for him the ritual of starting the meal prep with chopping garlic, chilli and whatever is a great pleasure. For me, I neither have the same level of knife skills as he does, nor do I have that mindset, so for me, the game changers are the stash of lazy jars and tubes in the fridge. I have lazy garlic, ginger, lemon grass, basil, sage, coriander, mint, wasabi and so on. And the spice racks are bulging these days. They save so much time, and importantly for me, it means nothing need be bland, if I want a bit of spice or flavour. As most of these things can be picked up for around £1 a piece, building up the collection over time can be painless, and these days, we never, ever find ourselves throwing our withered garlic, or shrivelled ginger.
 
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Pinkorchid

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I think that it would vary as to cost depending on circumstances as well as budget. Some people cannot get out to do their own shopping so have to rely on doing it online or get someone to do it for them who probably would not have the time to look around the shops for the bargains so that could make it more expensive