Is it possible to eat frugally...

[Luckybustert]

...if you have special dietary needs? Breads, pastas, and potatoes are all inexpensive ways to stretch a meal, but what if you or a family member can't eat them?

[Grainlady]

When you are facing a special diet and major food changes, make a list of all the things you CAN enjoy, it's still amazing how much food you can get reasonably priced on every diet plan, restrictions or not. You just may have to make new or different food choices, find NEW alternatives, rather than depend on high-processed favorites, but I'm sure it can be done - even on a budget.

"Stretching" food by adding too many carbohydrates (bread, pasta, potatoes) isn't a good plan either. You should only consume a specific amount of servings per day of any given food group. We need a balance of foods from all the food groups in our diet, not an over-abundance of low-costing carbohydrates. When you consume whole foods that are high in fiber and nutrition you tend to eat less and feel full faster, so those are a great choice.

High-carb foods like breads, pasta, and potatoes don't replace, nor do they "stretch", foods from the other food groups. You still need 3-ounces of meat per serving (or the equivalent in meat alternative) twice a day. Tuna casserole always has WAY too many carbs (1/2 cup pasta is a serving from the bread/cereal group) while most tuna casseroles fall short of a 2-3 ounce serving of tuna per person. So a traditional tuna casserole, high in carbs and low in protein, isn't a great meal choice to begin with. If you want to "stretch" tuna (a protein), which tends to be your expensive food item in a casserole or recipe, you can only stretch it by adding a less-expensive protein (eggs, beans, gluten), not a carbohydrate.

In our personal diet, breads, pasta and potatoes are things we eat very little of even though we CAN consume them. We eat a low-glycemic diet (by choice) and choose primarily whole foods over processed foods and still purchase all our food on a strict budget ($75 every two weeks).

Hubby and I follow the old Basic-4 Food Program because the New Food Pyramid provides way too many carbs and calories for us. So our diet looks like this:

Bread & Cereal - 4 servings (mainly whole grains - all homemade)
Fruits & Vegetables - 4 (or more) servings
Meat/Meat Alternative - 2 servings
Milk/Dairy - 2 servings

I'm a stickler for serving sizes.... I guess I've taught nutrition classes long enough that serving sizes are just second nature to me.

Think outside the box... If you can't have bread, make your sandwich out of two large lettuce leaves. I make small 1-pound loaves and cut the slices thin so they are about 1/2-ounce each, so 2 slices is actually one serving of bread. A pasta salad is a large portion of chopped vegetables and only a tiny amount of pasta.

I make high-protein pancakes out of whey protein and we use them for wraps for sandwiches, so they contribute to the protein servings, not the bread servings, and are inexpensive to make. If you can't have potatoes, maybe you can substitute mashed cauliflower. I make a low-glycemic, high-protein granola-like "cereal" from homemade gluten which costs a fraction what processed cereal costs...

If you care to get a little more specific about your food restrictions, perhaps we can help find some cost effective substitutes.

Hang in there.... Change is never easy!

[Darlene]

:cool2: I agree with Grainlady who said many of the things I was going to mention. It's amazing what a difference getting pre-made foods out of your diet can do. With planning ahead and giving yourself the gift of time to prepare some of these foods you can live high-off-the-hog so to speak.

[Contrary Housewife]

What Grainlady said...

DH should not be eating bread, ice, pasta, white sugar, etc. We eat a lot of vegetables, fruit, and have healthy 4-6oz servings of meat. You'd be surprised how full you can get off that, and how little it can cost if you shop smart and work the sales and have a stockpile to pull from.

As an example, I am going to get chicken breasts on sale today, 1.19 per pound. I am going to get several pounds. This will keep us in chicken for then next couple months. I won't have to buy any at $3+ per lb which frees up money for other things. Interspersed with the cube steak bought at $1 per lb, the sausage, pot roast and fish also bought on sale we have a variety to eat from.

I'll also buy whatever vegetables are on sale this week, and some frozen ones to keep on hand. I have a raincheck for the sale price on the frozen ones, and I will be getting a 6-12 month supply because the price is super low. Having the big freezer lets me take advantage of the deals and keep my food costs low.

[Tai]

It is absolutely possible. Right now, I'm trying to lose some excess baby weight (and the babies are 2, 3, and 8...) and I've cut out a lot of foods.

If I'm going to make a casserole, and want to stretch out our meat, I use beans or lentils to boost the fiber and protein of the dish. For example, my shephards' pie can be made gluten free, requires only 1/2 lb of meat for 5 people, about 1/3 the calories of the "traditional" dish, and full of fiber and protein- because I use lentils in the meat layer and bucket loads of veggies, and top with mashed veggies (sometimes frozen cauliflower mash, sometimes sweet potatoes, sometimes regular mashed potatoes).

[Luckybustert]

Think outside the box... If you can't have bread, make your sandwich out of two large lettuce leaves.

I do this with hamburgers (similar to Carls Jr. low-carb burger, but I actually dry the lettuce off first!) and it's really good.

I'm allergic to wheat and soy, and I feel my absolute best when I'm on a diet that is higher in protein, and low in carbs. I've had some success at cutting out the wheat, but it seems like soy is in practically everything these days. Bypassing pasta is the absolute most difficult for me; I don't miss the bread but occasionally. I do have things like this occasionally, but I always end up paying for it physically.

[Luckybustert]

It's amazing what a difference getting pre-made foods out of your diet can do.

I agree with you. The difference in how I feel when I cut out them out of my diet is amazing. It makes me wonder how many health problems are attributable to products the food companies are selling us.

[hollyhill]

Can you have any starches or grains?

I guess I would focus on rice, oatmeal, corn meal and legumes as starches and healthy inexpensive fillers. But why can't they have potatoes? Can't they have any starches?

[Contrary Housewife]

I agree with you. The difference in how I feel when I cut out them out of my diet is amazing. It makes me wonder how many health problems are attributable to products the food companies are selling us.

It's not just the pre-made foods. I mean, rice and potatoes are not pre-made, but they are high in carbs (and calories) and some folks just do better without them. My husband is one. If he eats bread, pasta, rice or too much sugar he gets bloated, tired, and cranky. Without that stuff in his diet he feels more alert and energetic. And it's easier for him to manage his weight.

And it's not the food companies telling us to eat 6-8 servings of this stuff daily, it's the Dept. of Agriculture. Then, when you look at what they consider a serving, a *half cup* of pasta, you see that most people eat 3-4 times more than that every day! It's no wonder our national health is so bad!

[Luckybustert]

But why can't they have potatoes? Can't they have any starches?

I am allergic to wheat, and I'm also one of those people who do much better if I eat little to no starch. I know this goes against the conventional wisdom that we need to have so many servings of starches a day, but I feel that's a generalization...it may hold true for a majority of people, but definitely not for all. (Given the obesity rates in the U.S. I'd also have to question whether people should be eating so much starch. Prior to the low-fat craze that started in the '80s, I believe people ate considerably less starchy foods than they do today. Of course, this is not the only contributing factor to the obesity epidemic, but I believe it's a major player.)

And it's not the food companies telling us to eat 6-8 servings of this stuff daily, it's the Dept. of Agriculture. Then, when you look at what they consider a serving, a *half cup* of pasta, you see that most people eat 3-4 times more than that every day! It's no wonder our national health is so bad!

I often wonder what the people who come up with these serving sizes are thinking. It almost seems like they are trying to meet certain nutritional data and working it backwards to the serving size until they reach goal. The thing is....don't tell me a 20 oz. bottle of cola is 2 servings unless the average person is going to put it down and have the rest tomorrow. Not happening....most people will drink it until finished. So I would appreciate a little more truth in labeling. I think if the food labeling were a little more realistic, maybe people would think twice about what they're eating. How many people look at a label and say "oh, 100 calories...that's not too bad", then proceed to eat what, according to the label, is 4 servings without realizing it? I would agree a consumer should be responsible, read the labels, eat only 1 serving, etc., but if we know the number of servings listed on the bag or bottle aren't realistic, shouldn't that also be fixed?