• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

affording low carb ??

ben1972$

ben1972$

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
I am a type 2 diabetic on insulin. I keep trying low carb but I just find it all so expensive.
I manage a few days then food runs out & I get stuck what to eat. Money is very tight & I am struggling.
How do you afford low carb ???
 
this is a difficult one..........

I don't low carb, but I don't think I eat lots of them consistently.........

what kind of foods do you want to eat and did eat before the low carb?
 
novorapidboi26 said:
this is a difficult one..........

I don't low carb, but I don't think I eat lots of them consistently.........

what kind of foods do you want to eat and did eat before the low carb?
Click to expand...

I only used to eat once a day before low carb. It was meat, veg & potatoes. I still dont eat breakfast as it makes things expensive. I have been eating meat & green veg. 2 times a day & drinking water. I am hungry alot of the time.
I just feel helpless as I carnt afford to cure my diabetes.
 
Hi Ben - I can see where you're coming from as nuts etc can be expensive and I guess rice & pasta are always cheaper. Do you have a Lidl or Aldi near you? I find several things there much cheaper. Not sure how much small tins of fish are as don't eat fish but perhaps that with salad. Eggs I find fairly cheap and filling on a lchf diet & I eat them a lot! Cauliflowers at my local market are sometimes 50p (maybe £1 on occasions) and the cauli rice is good & would perhaps make 2 meals. Not sure what else 2 suggest but am sure some1 else will b along soon. All the best
 
Medusa41 said:
Hi Ben - I can see where you're coming from as nuts etc can be expensive and I guess rice & pasta are always cheaper. Do you have a Lidl or Aldi near you? I find several things there much cheaper. Not sure how much small tins of fish are as don't eat fish but perhaps that with salad. Eggs I find fairly cheap and filling on a lchf diet & I eat them a lot! Cauliflowers at my local market are sometimes 50p (maybe £1 on occasions) and the cauli rice is good & would perhaps make 2 meals. Not sure what else 2 suggest but am sure some1 else will b along soon. All the best
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
well, you cant cure it............:(...........

but it sounds as though your eating a good low carb diet with the meat, veg and some potatoes..........

is the meat, veg and potatoes un-affodable at the moment.....?

what would be affordable.......?

I would be starving on that diet that's for sure so I don't imagine it will be easy for you............its OK to have carbs, you just need to find out what carbs and in what quantities give the best results for you.......

the diabetes doesn't need to destroy all that is good in life.........:)
 
novorapidboi26 said:
well, you cant cure it............:(...........

but it sounds as though your eating a good low carb diet with the meat, veg and some potatoes..........

is the meat, veg and potatoes un-affodable at the moment.....?

what would be affordable.......?

I would be starving on that diet that's for sure so I don't imagine it will be easy for you............its OK to have carbs, you just need to find out what carbs and in what quantities give the best results for you.......

the diabetes doesn't need to destroy all that is good in life.........:)
Click to expand...


I have had diabetes for about 7 years untreated because all the medication was making me ill. They finally tried me on insulin. I hate taking it but I do try my sugars are about 15 when I hate my diabetes & about 8 when I care about it and remember my insulin.
I am still trying to get to grips with it all. I have had hypos with the fast avting insulin as they habe left it up to me to word out doses.
 
Money is no barrier to low carbing.

Eggs

Meat

Salad. 50p a bag in Aldi.

All affordable. Buy a whole fresh chicken - cook on a Sunday. Divide and freeze.
 
Yes low carb needn't be expensive I don't spend as much money as I used to on food when I had a very sweet toothed husband to cater for now he is T2 so I no longer buy high carb or sugar stuff like cakes biscuits sweet yogurts etc that he loved.
Eggs are cheap and there are so many ways to have them,cheese is good to and not to expensive If you can shop in Aldi Lidl or Iceland and you can always make a salad with those You say you are already eating meat and vegetables so that is good and if you can't afford the more expensive meats then chicken or turkey are fine and much cheaper especially if you buy bags of frozen chicken portions from Aldi's Lidl or even Iceland if you are near one. Tinned sardines are another option if you like them they are cheap and very good for you...I love them mashed with vinegar and sometimes add add some finely chopped onion and some mayo and pile them on Burgen toast.. I don't know if you can eat bread... and pop under the grill I often have this for breakfast, I have,loved that since I was a child.. Buy some mince and make your own beefburgers really easy just mix in some herbs and seasoning and a pack of mince will make quite a few then you can freeze them and I do this with chicken or turkey mince as we don't eat beef mince. I use Quorn as an alternative to beef mince to make a cottage pie with a sweet potato and celariac topping
Homemade soup is a great for filling you up and such a good winter warmer Cauliflower soup is lovely sometimes I add a leek to it I use half water and half milk and put in a chicken stock cube it is especially good if you add some crumbled stilton or any blue cheese when you serve it, a whole medium size cauli will make enough soup for about 3/ 4 servings. I make butternut squash soup the same way
Nuts are good for a snack and I have found the cheapest are Lidls for those they do packets of mixed nuts...no peanuts in them.. as well as packets of brazil nuts and walnuts and peanuts and cashews salted and unsalted my husband eats these now instead of sweets As already said vegetables are really inexpensive in Aldi as are fruits if you eat them If you can shop in Aldi Lidl and Iceland you will find low carb is really no more expensive than normal eating. We are pensioners and we eat well and never go hungary
 
Last edited:
Are them mixed nuts in Lidl low carb?

The ones I looked at weren't.

Agree with everything else you say.
 
AnnieC said:
Yes low carb needn't be expensive I don't spend as much money as I used to on food when I had a very sweet toothed husband to cater for now he is T2 so I no longer buy high carb or sugar stuff like cakes biscuits sweet yogurts etc that he loved.
Eggs are cheap and there are so many ways to have them,cheese is good to and not to expensive If you can shop in Aldi Lidl or Iceland and you can always make a salad with those You say you are already eating meat and vegetables so that is good and if you can't afford the more expensive meats then chicken or turkey are fine and much cheaper especially if you buy bags of frozen chicken portions from Aldi's Lidl or even Iceland if you are near one. Tinned sardines are another option if you like them they are cheap and very good for you...I love them mashed with vinegar and sometimes add add some finely chopped onion and some mayo and pile them on Burgen toast.. I don't know if you can eat bread... and pop under the grill I often have this for breakfast, I have,loved that since I was a child.. Buy some mince and make your own beefburgers really easy just mix in some herbs and seasoning and a pack of mince will make quite a few then you can freeze them and I do this with chicken or turkey mince as we don't eat beef mince. I use Quorn as an alternative to beef mince to make a cottage pie with a sweet portato and celariac topping
Homemade soup is a great for filling you up and such a good winter warmer Cauliflower soup is lovely sometimes I add a leek to it I use half water and half milk and put in a chicken stock cube it is especially good if you add some crumbled stilton or any blue cheese when you serve it, a whole medium size cauli will make enough soup for about 3/ 4 servings. I make butternut squash soup the same way
Nuts are good for a snack and I have found the cheapest are Lidls for those they do packets of mixed nuts...no peanuts in them.. as well as packets of brazil nuts and walnuts and peanuts and cashews salted and unsalted my husband eats these now instead of sweets As already said vegetables are really inexpensive in Aldi as are fruits if you eat them If you can shop in Aldi Lidl and Iceland you will find low carb is really no more expensive than normal eating. We are pensioners and we eat well and never go hungary
Click to expand...

Thank you for the great advice. I will go to lidl next shop. I need to look at what I can eat more.
 
@ben1972$ I can see where you are coming from, Not everywhere has Aldi or cheaper stores that are close to home etc;. AS @pavlosn says he has started a good thread which should help.
I am not sure what budget your finances can afford, however the diet that helps your control with Diabetes must take priority for you to stay in your best possible health.
If you give us a idea whose stores are near you etc; I sure we can give you even greater tips and bargains on offer etc;
Best of luck.
 
izzzi said:
@ben1972$ I can see where you are coming from, Not everywhere has Aldi or cheaper stores that are close to home etc;. AS @pavlosn says he has started a good thread which should help.
I am not sure what budget your finances can afford, however the diet that helps your control with Diabetes must take priority for you to stay in your best possible health.
If you give us a idea whose stores are near you etc; I sure we can give you even greater tips and bargains on offer etc;
Best of luck.
Click to expand...
Well I live a few streets from waitrose but it's far to expensive. Its about a 10 minute car drive to tesco & lidl. I have about £50 a week for all my shopping that includes washing powder & toilet roll etc.
 
ben1972$ said:
Well I live a few streets from waitrose but it's far to expensive. Its about a 10 minute car drive to tesco & lidl. I have about £50 a week for all my shopping that includes washing powder & toilet roll etc.
Click to expand...
I have a sneaky feeling Waitrose have brainwashed you.
You must buy your fuel at Tesco (I take it you have a car ),
Get ready you're about to get told how wealthy you are.:)
 
So that's not bad really. If you shop mainly at Lidl for the washing powder and toilet rolls you should be able to have about 40 quid to spend just on food. I use aldi which is very similar to Lidl for tins of tomatoes, kidney beans and chickpeas which I seem ok with eating - you can make a nice veg chilli with chopped onions, a couple of the cheap peepers from the bags of cheap peppers that everywhere does, bit of celery , tin of kidney beans , few mushrooms. Serve with some grated cheese and a small salad. You can add few carrots to the chilli to bulk it out if they don't spike you. If you buy the special offer veg or meats then you get a lot for your money. Frozen veg is cheap - no need to get the posh branded ones just get the smartprice or equivalent peas , broccoli or cauli. Cheese is still quite chela and useful and tinned fish is always good with bit of mayonnaise and chopped red onion. Make soup with veg and couple of stock cubes and freeze the extra. Cauli soup made with frozen cauli, leek and one large potato and half milk and half stick is lovely -add cheese to it and blend up. Filling and quite cheap. If you can eat bread then serve it with a slice of cheese on toast for filling lunch or light dinner. Sausages are reasonable but choose higher meat congruent ones. Make a stew with mushrooms, bit of onion, diced swede and carrot and serve with cauli mash or swede mash. It's all about thinking outside the carb box.
 
izzzi said:
I have a sneaky feeling Waitrose have brainwashed you.
You must buy your fuel at Tesco (I take it you have a car ),
Get ready you're about to get told how wealthy you are.:)
Click to expand...
I dont have a car. My friend takes me if I need to go. Couldnt afford a car.

I am currently homeless and living on a friends floor after split up of a relationship.
 
Back
Top