Ever notice how expensive it is to go on a diet?!
Say you're feeding a family of four. A crappy, high fat meal would be:
Hot dogs, $1 a package
Hot dog buns, $1 a bag
Bag of fries, $2
2 liter of soda, $1
Total: $5
Now here's a typical meal that's good for you:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, $6 (or more)
1 head of cauliflower, $3
1 Loaf of whole grain bread, $3
1 Bottle of 100% juice, $3
Total: $15
Now I'm not saying I eat hot dogs and french fries every day, but come on! That's 3 times as much, and I could probably come up with a dozen crappy meals for under $8, but almost zero healthy ones.
So ends my rant, but does anyone know a diet or low-fat cookbook (or website) that has reasonably priced meals with normal ingredients?
Answers: Although they often claim too, I have yet to find a diet that uses regular supermarket ingredients rather than exotic, specialty items that are hard to find and/or never on sale at the local supermarket. Plus, healthy food in general costs a lot more than regular food. Here's an example.
Say you're feeding a family of four. A crappy, high fat meal would be:
Hot dogs, $1 a package
Hot dog buns, $1 a bag
Bag of fries, $2
2 liter of soda, $1
Total: $5
Now here's a typical meal that's good for you:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, $6 (or more)
1 head of cauliflower, $3
1 Loaf of whole grain bread, $3
1 Bottle of 100% juice, $3
Total: $15
Now I'm not saying I eat hot dogs and french fries every day, but come on! That's 3 times as much, and I could probably come up with a dozen crappy meals for under $8, but almost zero healthy ones.
So ends my rant, but does anyone know a diet or low-fat cookbook (or website) that has reasonably priced meals with normal ingredients?
tasteofhome.com They have a section of low-cal/ low-fat meals and there's hardly ever any exotic ingredients. And they taste good. The website has a section for budget meals too. Chicken breasts- I get the huge bag of Tyson at Sam's- is way less than the grocery store. It's frozen, so there's never any waste. Stick with eating healthy. The sad thing is that with the affordable junk items- it's mostly carbs and no fiber - so you'll be hungry again soon.
Agreed... but there are alot of crockpot meals at say, Walmart for like $2.00 which contain lots of fruits and veggies that are natural.
The trick is.... take your crappy meal and turn it a bit healthy. For example, use a lower cut of chicken.. thighs are SUPER cheap. Cut the skin and fat off before cooking. Voile... chicken for 89 cents per pound.
Unless you are cutting carbs, fries aren't so bad if they are baked .. not fried. AND you can always have sweet potato instead of regular spuds.
And yes... going on a diet is expensive. Organic healthy food will bankrupt you. Just pick you favorite crappy meal and try making subsitutions... every calorie you cut counts.
Also, check out vegetable stands, cheaper. or better yet.. grow your own veggies... VERY cheap for seeds and voila, you have all the fresh produce you can eat.
Good Luck
I agree 100%, it's very expensive to always eat healthy/diet. And the news is always talking about "obese america", well duhhh... average working people can't afford those healthy foods all the time!
Yes, this is exactly why obesity rates are higher in lower income people. It seems like a paradox but apparently cheap food makes you fat. I tried doing the South Beach diet and spent a fortune!
If you go on the website Spark People, it gives you proper portion sizes and you might realize that you are actually eating far more than you should. It's hard at first, but by slowly reducing your portions you'll lose weight and save money at the grocery store. The only catch is it takes a lot of will power and no one has felt the need to write a book about this amazing secret.