Possible to have healthy diet on €50 pw???

Gogins

Hi, I have a bit of a problem here. I moved out on my own 3 months ago. After 4 weeks my family friends and co workers have commented on how much weight I have lost. A few weeks ago I weighed myself in work and I was shocked to see that I have lost 3 stone on about 11 weeks.

I am 6ft with very broad shoulders/build and used to be 15st and now I'm 12st. Most of weight I have lost seems to be what muscle I had on my arms and legs. I still have moobs, the belly and baby fat face. My arms and legs are now like twigs and I find I have lost most of my strength in being able to lift heavy objects day to day but I find I run faster alot longer, catching trains, buses etc.

I live on my own and my cooking skills are very limited. I have a food budget of €50 per week as rent and bills are crippling me. I'd like to know is it possible to live on this much and build myself back up before I get really sick from lack of proper food. Most days I have just one meal and no snacks at all. Not that I don't like snacks, just find I can't make money go that far. I don't feel hungry either at all, I think my body has got used to around 1,000 cal per day.

I can't afford a car, so I'm limited to the shops in waling distance around me.

Any help peeps would be great. I don't want to look like a weakling as I have always been big and used to work on construction sites. Also my skin condition has gone to crap. So hopefully a new diet will fix that.

Patrick 1

Yes, it's definetely possible alright. First off, avoid impulse buying, buy foods that will keep well. A small budget doesn't necessarily mean a lack of variety.
I would recomend doing shopping in Aldi or Lidl, they are both cheap and have quality food if you shop around.
I would recoment developing a taste for mince, pasta, rice, potatoes and other big bulky starch things. These are not only good for you but can be easily used to produce a variety of meals.
While I realise a full shopping list may help my habits and style are different to yours. For example, I eat nearly 2kgs worth of pasta throughout the week as my lunch, as sme variety of pasta salad is filling and tasty. Try it with bolognese sauce, or some tuna and sweetcorn.

frag420

In aldi you can buy spices for about €1.50 each. Get some in your press. They help to jazz up your food and used correctly you can make several different meals from the same ingredients.

I usually buy porridge for breaky(€2.50) most shops line superquin do three for a tenner for mince, cubed steak, burgers etc. then a few chicken fillets, some fish. At most that should cost €25 if shopped correctly. Spuds, rice and pasta on top if that and these can be bought in big sizes and will keep too.

dazzlemoo

Absolutely you can live off €50.

I've switched from Tesco to Aldi and I'd never go back. I used to scoff at Aldi and Lidl, thinking the quality would be terrible, but surprisingly their food is really nice and top quality. A lot of their food has won awards for taste.

My partner and I do a week's shopping for €60 and that includes lean minced beef at €2.89 for a lb (I'm fussy with meat so that tells you something), chicken fillets, cheese, milk, fruit 'n' veg, bread and other basics and we also get some snacks for the weekend, oh and wine.
Their Cambalala wines are really lovely and under €5, but I realise I'm getting off topic now.

Try Aldi-you'll be surprised. Stock up on lean meats, fruit 'n' veg-look up recipes online with the ingredients you have and make some meals.
I have a recipe for a delicious cottage pie I found and it uses very little ingredients, but I made it last week for ten people and they all wanted seconds.
(If you want it, let me know hehe)

Best of luck!

dazzlemoo

frag420 wrote: »

In aldi you can buy spices for about 1.50 each. Get some in your press. They help to jazz up your food and used correctly you can make several different meals from the same ingredients.

I usually but porridge for breaky(2.50) most shops line superquin do three for a rennet for mine, cubed steak, burgers etc. then a few chicken fillets, some fish. At most that should cost 25 if shopped correctly. Spuds, rice and pasta on top if that and these can be bought in big sizes and will keep too.

You can buy a 1kg bag of porridge in Aldi for €1.49.
Their spices are €0.99

Gummy Panda

Yeah it is. Aldi and Lidl would be a good choice. Chicken, tuna, eggs and mince for protein sources. Oats, pasta, rice and potatoes for carb. Olive oil and butter for fats. Don't forget to add some veg into majority of your meals.

It's all going to come down to planning and willingness to cook.

Gogins

Thanks for the help and suggestions so far. I know I have to be clever with my shopping. A big thing for me is finding food that will keep. The amount of milk, eggs and cheese I have had to bin is just silly. I'm not a tea or coffee drinker, I'd maybe have one or two cups a week. Breakfast is a meal I never ever have, I rather the extra time in bed.

I used to live on fizzy drinks, eat lots of crisps and bars, go out about 3 nights a week and have at least one takeaway a week. Thanks to moving out I don't buy fizzy, bars or crisps anymore, takeaways are gone and I only go out twice a month and even then its only 4 pints in the local. So a lack of cash is a great way to sort yourself out.:o

I have to get off the microwave SBMs and start cooking proper. I tried to make scrambled egg after watching a youtube vid and still made a mess of it. That's how bad I am.

I like pasta and rice, spicy foods so I will work on that area, I like new and different dishes and I'm getting very fond of fish as of late but it's expensive. I don't know about fruit and veg, how long it will keep for or just get frozen veg.

I usually just have one meal a day. I know I should have more but I've no ideal what to make that won't clear me out of food and money. How dazzlemoo can do a weeks shopping for two on €60 has me in shock. Would you even get more than 2500cal per day on that?

yosser hughes

Get yourself a basic cookbook. You can easily eat well for €50 a week but you have got to learn to cook for yourself. It's a basic requirement.
Eat a good breakfast.porridge is dirt cheap and eggs aren't expensive.
Learn how to cook a stew.That can last you days.
Seriously though,learn how to cook.

edit:I'm sure I don't need to tell you how bad fizzy drinks and crisps are,apart from being expensive.
You actually have an opportunity here;take it.

dazzlemoo

Oh believe me, I was more shocked than you that I could get a week's shopping for 60 but it can be done!

I buy three packs of lean minced beef ( 2.89 per pack ) and freeze them
I buy 2 packs of chicken fillets and frozen sole and lots of tinned tomatoes, savoury rice, noodles, chow mein sauce, pitta breads, bread, biscuits, crisps, fruit n veg, a big sack of spuds for only 2.49, and then the usual sandwich stuff.
I also buy wine too!
My secret is that I home cook all my meals-I make a home made chicken curry every week, I make my own meatballs (full of flavour), I make everything from scratch then freeze the leftovers.

It's amazing how much you can save if you're savvy

frag420

Have a look over at the recipes and cooking thread for some ideas too. Plenty there to choose from.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?forumid=1355

Loopy

Gogins wrote: »

I tried to make scrambled egg after watching a youtube vid and still made a mess of it. That's how bad I am.

FFS that's bad! :pac:
I'd love to courier you over summat nice right now, ya poor pet!
I second the cooking club suggestion. Some really nice recipes with step by step instructions. Jamie's 30 min meals are also simple and very tasty.
Once you get started, you'll be surprised how easy cooking is.

Orla K

look into getting a student cookbook, the meals will be quick, cheap and easy to cook, some will also give tips on how to budget, what kitchen equipment you need and how to do the basics.

Also I eat well on 50-60 a week
€10 for fish
€10-15 on meat
€5 on cat food
The veg/fruit might be somewhere around €15
The rest on things I wouldn't get every week

I don't buy bread cos I don't eat that kinda thing, don't really buy milk either, just the odd time.

Gummy Panda

Orla K wrote: »

look into getting a student cookbook, the meals will be quick, cheap and easy to cook, some will also give tips on how to budget, what kitchen equipment you need and how to do the basics.

Also I eat well on 50-60 a week
€10 for fish
€10-15 on meat
€5 on cat food
The veg/fruit might be somewhere around €15
The rest on things I wouldn't get every week

I don't buy bread cos I don't eat that kinda thing, don't really buy milk either, just the odd time.

:eek: :eek: Cat Person!!

daenerysstormborn3

OP, my partner and I live together and we spend €100 on groceries every week in Tesco so that's €50 per person. I know it's evenly split because I bring my lunch to work with me everyday and my partner works beside our house so he also would lunch at the house. We cook dinner every evening. Our fridge is always full of fruit and veg. Once every two weeks my partner goes to a local butcher and gets a meal deal for €20 that includes chicken fillets, burgers, sausages, peppered pork chops, minced beef, 2 dozen eggs and then another meat item that varies.

Also, start eating breakfast, you'd be surprised what a difference it'll make to your energy levels. You've been fasting for usually around 6-8 hours and you wake up and go hell for leather into the day with nothing in your belly.

Tesco do offer value for money when it comes to meat. As another poster said they do large packs of minced beef for under €3, I think they're 800g packs. 4-5 chicken fillets for around €6. I find Lidl/Aldi great for fruit and veg offers though, they often have the likes of green beans, asparagus, peppers on special offer for less than €1 per pack.

I find it helpful to prepare at the start of the week because otherwise I get lazy and just fall back on sandwiches (I try not to eat too much bread) and even worse, eat my lunch out. On a Sunday I make my fruit salads for the week and portion out my salads into lunchboxes so they are ready to go each morning, all I have to do is add one or two things, like meat/fish. If you go into one of those Eurosaver shops you might be able to find a set of lunchboxes in different sizes quite cheaply.

Also, I have a press full of baking essentials so if it's a particularly crap week and we want a treat all I need to do is buy some lemons and I can make iced lemon fairy cakes. Lemons are something I always keep in my fridge actually, so handy for making sauces with and for using in baking.

Main advice would be that the more you learn to cook the more adventurous you will become with your eating choices. There's something so much more satisfactory about eating something you've made yourself than just taking the packaging off something that won't taste as good.

Orla K

Gummy Panda wrote: »

:eek: :eek: Cat Person!!

Nom nom delicious cat food!

But seriously I always have to included them in my budget, other wise I end up leaving myself short.

Another thing I do is shop everywhere!
Veg is bought in lidl and a supermarket
meat is bought in butchers and lidl
Fish is bought in lidl, supermarket or the back of some guys van!(fish munger that's only here on a friday morning)
I have to go to a different supermarket to get the catfood
And then just little bits here and there like franks hot sauce, stuff in the health shop.

I've alot of time on my hands so it's not too difficult doing this.

blorg

At 15 stone you would almost certainly have been overweight at that height, certainly with the mention of moobs. Now you are not overweight; this is a good thing. You certainly don't need weight to be fit and healthy; as you mention your running times have improved. Heavy= healthy is an Irish mother thing. If you feel less strong- certainly you can lose muscle mass but has your exercise level also changed? Exercise will build muscle; without you lose it.

As to eating healthily on €50/ week, yes it is entirely possible. You will need to learn to cook for yourself. This is not that difficult, just keep at it and you will get there. I would recommended Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course- it's one book, cheap, and contains about everything you need to know to go from nothing to dinner parties.

I am not a vegetarian but the other thing to consider is that vegetarianism is a huge money saver and in no way incompatible with good health. I haven't been in Ireland for two years and eat a hell of a lot of meat here in Asia (it moves, eat it) but when in Ireland I ate a mostly vegetarian carb rich diet with meat only once or twice a week and was the healthiest and fittest I've ever been (but this was probably more to do with exercise.)

copeyhagen

is it worth spending the extra cash and getting 95% lean mince, as opposed to the, say, 80%. is the extra fat really that bad for you?

frag420

i usually put the mince once cooked into a sieve and run cold water through it to wash of all the fat and then add it to my bolognese or whatever.

dazzlemoo

copeyhagen wrote: »

is it worth spending the extra cash and getting 95% lean mince, as opposed to the, say, 80%. is the extra fat really that bad for you?

It's cheaper to buy the lean steak mince beef in Aldi than it is to buy the fatty one.
I know it's mad but the lean one I buy is €2.89 and the fatty mince is €4.99, which doesn't make sense as usually the lean mince is dearer.
There is very little fat that drains off lean mince, which is better for you and the quality of the meat is better

matrim

Might sound a bit odd but could you give your mother money and ask her to cook something you can have in your freezer? Maybe at the same time ask her for lessons on how to cook it. E.g for the next couple of weeks you go over to hers and ask her to show you how to cook it, then bring it home and freeze it. Then when you know how you can do it yourself.

It's much easier to eat cheaply if you can buy and cook in bulk.

saa

I do, I'll buy the supervalu 4 for 4 euro sweet potato cut and freeze them, buy lots of Aldi frozen veg 6, offer fruit and veg 6, wholewheat crackers 1, Aldi multigrain rolls, pesto 1, water 2 (10 litres), Shredded wheat 1.50, low far garlic cream cheese 70c.
I buy Quorn so no luck but there is plenty of frozen unprocessed meat in Aldi, and get a big sack of potatoes but limit yourself to two with meat and lots of veg and don't have them everyday its easy to have a jacket potato everyday for dinner or maybe I'm just really Irish.

I splash out on Pumkin seed Ryvita 2, used to get Philadelphia had to settle. Unless you want to live on frozen fried food, pizza and noodles Tesco and Dunnes won't get you far.

70-1.50, cheese/ham to make sambos with and freeze them, cereal bars better to make your own so building up your own cellar of basic dry ingredients that never go off will be helpful

I'm still learning how to cook obv so yeah someone showing you is helpful and also get a lot of small cheap freezer bags and as many little-normal sized lunch boxes. You can freeze lunches and dinners unless you don't have a very big freezer.

dahat

Just go to Aldi,look around and you will find loads and loads of items priced very reasonable.
Cooking is not as hard as you think,cook simple and you will be fine
Buy a steamer for 20ish euro in Tesco or Argos and you will be fine,do all your veg and spuds in it,no mess,no skill............

banquet

copeyhagen wrote: »

is it worth spending the extra cash and getting 95% lean mince, as opposed to the, say, 80%. is the extra fat really that bad for you?

If in tesco or aldi I buy the 15 % fat mince. However in lidl I think they only have 10 and 20. Will never buy they 20 again after all the grizzle I found in it.

irish son

dazzlemoo wrote: »

It's cheaper to buy the lean steak mince beef in Aldi than it is to buy the fatty one.
I know it's mad but the lean one I buy is €2.89 and the fatty mince is €4.99, which doesn't make sense as usually the lean mince is dearer.
There is very little fat that drains off lean mince, which is better for you and the quality of the meat is better

I buy 1kg of 20% fat mince for about €3.89 in Aldi, I would imagine the one your getting for €2.89 is 500g or 600g. Also I wouldnt say the leaner mince is better, it depends on a persons goals and diet. Since the OP is struggling for calories and money, Id say the fatter/higher calorie/cheaper mince would be better for him but im far from an expert and would like to know if my thinkings wrong for my own interests.

Piriz

I think you could probably eat healthy (and slightly unhealthy- bangers and mash or aldi pizza for 1.50each) for under 30 euro a week..

Dude if you buy a medium sized chicken (1600grams) in aldi for 4.65 and cook it in the oven for 1.5 hours at 190degrees you will have enough meat for 4-5 dinners. If you had one breast with mash potato (2.5kg potato 2.50euro in aldi) (you know how to peel,boil untill soft and mash potatoes right? bit of salt, pepper and butter...lovely!) boil a few frozen peas (2euro for a big bag) and make bisto instant gravy (get that in tesco for 2 quid lasts 5months)...that'd be one filling dinner...

With chicken you need to get stuck in with your hands...pull all that nice cooked meat off the legs and wings and carcass and stick it in a curry... get a pack of curry powder (knowr curry powder 1.20 per pack in tesco) add water in a pot stir on heat.. add chopped onion(bag of 5 onions for about 60cent in aldi), buy a pack of mixed peppers yellow, red green in aldi for 1.75.. chop a half of each colour into small bits (dont eat the seeds of the peppers!!) and fry on a medium heat in a pan and add the remaining chicken, chopped onion and peppers into the curry sauce and simmer (cook on lowest heat for a 30 mins) add a bit of pepper or chili...

buy a big bag of rice...not the uncle bens stuff thats a rip off... boil your loose rice in a pan of water and when its done after about 20 mins put it on a plate with your curry.. you'll get 2-3 dinners from this...

at this point you've got 4-6 dinners from 1 chicken ! amazing....

here's one i made earlier...

bolognaise with pasta:
Get some turkey mince in aldi 450grams about 4euro... very lean no fat just throw it in a pot on the hob and stir and it will cook; you dont even need to add oil.. chop an onion and the rest of your peppers same way you did with your curry throw everything into a pot and add a large jar of dolmio bolognaise sauce...leave simmer for about 30-40mins and stir it up every 5.
buy a big bag of twirley pasta which is only about 1.50...this will last months...boil a handfull of pasta for 25mins similar to rice for curry...strain and plate with scoop of your bolognaise ...you'll get about 3-4 dinners out of this..

it probably works out at 3euro per dinner..

buy some cheap plastic tupperware/lunchboxes in tesco...the cheaper the better...this is for freezing your food... make a bolognaise and eat one today and tomorrow but freeze the remaining..you dont freze pasta or rice you cook that when heating your frozen bolognaise etc. then make something different and eat the frozen bolognaise in about a week...so you wont get pissed off eating the same stuff too often...

9 sausages for 3euro in aldi...

3 sausages under the grill, mash potato, peas, fried onion, bisto instant gravy... rap the remaining 6 sausages in batches of 3 in tinfoil (so they dont all stick together) and freeze them...

all the ingredients for these meals is available in aldi (excluding the dolmio sauce and one or two other things...) and you could do all this for under 30euro a week easily... with all this stuff you will have about 10 dinners, things like rice, pasta, spuds, instant gravy, frozen peas, you wont buy regularly... and this is nice dinners but simple...you can advance on this when you get a better understanding of cooking...

Aldi is your man...im sure lidil is similar... get the bog roll for cheap and a surprisingly tasty bottle of white wine there too for under a 5er...

Argos does cheap but half decent kitchen utensils for 8euro.. so they might help too

can you tell im a student... im almost qualified buy my thrifty cooking is my best skill

get stuck in...you'll enjoy it..

copeyhagen

I always drain the mince alright, never ehard about rinsing it before, will have to give that a go.

dazzlemoo

irish son wrote: »

I buy 1kg of 20% fat mince for about €3.89 in Aldi, I would imagine the one your getting for €2.89 is 500g or 600g. Also I wouldnt say the leaner mince is better, it depends on a persons goals and diet. Since the OP is struggling for calories and money, Id say the fatter/higher calorie/cheaper mince would be better for him but im far from an expert and would like to know if my thinkings wrong for my own interests.

The only thing is, the fat from the fatty mince is saturated and when you're frying it, it releases a lot of grease, so that kind of fat wouldn't be good for you.
The lean mince just means you're getting less of the bad fats.
If the OP's looking to increase his calorie intake, he's going to have to eat healthy fats like avocado, oily fish, nuts and seeds.
I was just talking about when it comes to mince, the lean one is better for you generally-i.e cholesterol.

Orla K

dazzlemoo wrote: »

The only thing is, the fat from the fatty mince is saturated and when you're frying it, it releases a lot of grease, so that kind of fat wouldn't be good for you.
The lean mince just means you're getting less of the bad fats.
If the OP's looking to increase his calorie intake, he's going to have to eat healthy fats like avocado, oily fish, nuts and seeds.
I was just talking about when it comes to mince, the lean one is better for you generally-i.e cholesterol.

Saturated fat isn't bad for you, I'd even say it's good for you it seems to have a positive effect on your cholesterol

Glitter

Just to add - the local Asian supermarket is your friend too, here you will find a plethora of cheaply priced cupboard staples such as big bottles of soy sauce, lime juice and sweet chilli sauce which are excellent for jazzing up marinades and sauces.
You'll likely get nuts much cheaper here too. And bunches of fresh herbs. Try a chopped handful of coriander in curries and or mixed with mint and added to lamb mince and spices to make a reasonably cheap "tagine".
You'll also find big bags of rice and noodles on the cheap here too.

My partner and I do our weekly shop between Tesco, Aldi and the Asian supermarket for about €75.00 for the two of us for the week, and includes basics like loo roll, washing tabs and shampoo etc.

And you can get great red wine in Aldi for about €5 a bottle. Their cava is nice too if you fancy something posh. Or their Southern Belle bourbon for €14 a bottle is fantastic. Stick it in a fancy decanter (salvage form a charity shop for around a tenner) and you'll be lauded as the fanciest of your mates!

dazzlemoo

Orla K wrote: »

Saturated fat isn't bad for you, I'd even say it's good for you it seems to have a positive effect on your cholesterol

Saturated fat is good for cholesterol?
Where have you heard that?!

Orla K

dazzlemoo wrote: »

Saturated fat is good for cholesterol?
Where have you heard that?!

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/saturated-fat-is-not-evil.html

http://chriskresser.com/new-study-puts-final-nail-in-the-saturated-fat-causes-heart-disease-coffin
Meta-analysis talked about in that article
http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstract

http://www.dietdoctor.com/science
Lots of info and links in this one, looks like the comments might have something interesting to say too.

Have to mention Chris Masterjohn
http://blog.cholesterol-and-health.com/2010/01/saturated-fat-is-not-associated-with.html

http://www.drbriffa.com/2010/01/15/two-major-studies-conclude-that-saturated-fat-does-not-cause-heart-disease/

And if you want it in a 3minute youtube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8WA5wcaHp4&feature=player_embedded

blorg

Orla K wrote: »

dazzlemoo wrote: »

Saturated fat is good for cholesterol?
Where have you heard that?!

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/saturated-fat-is-not-evil.html

http://chriskresser.com/new-study-puts-final-nail-in-the-saturated-fat-causes-heart-disease-coffin
Meta-analysis talked about in that article
http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstract

http://www.dietdoctor.com/science
Lots of info and links in this one, looks like the comments might have something interesting to say too.

Have to mention Chris Masterjohn
http://blog.cholesterol-and-health.com/2010/01/saturated-fat-is-not-associated-with.html

http://www.drbriffa.com/2010/01/15/two-major-studies-conclude-that-saturated-fat-does-not-cause-heart-disease/

And if you want it in a 3minute youtube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8WA5wcaHp4&feature=player_embedded

This is misleading; there are contradictory studies on whether it is good or bad (in many areas where a lot of work has been done you will find studies supporting both sides) and the results either way are inconclusive but the consensus is that it is bad and intake should be restricted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturated_fat_and_cardiovascular_disease_controversy

Orla K

blorg wrote: »

This is misleading; there are contradictory studies on whether it is good or bad (in many areas where a lot of work has been done you will find studies supporting both sides) and the results either way are inconclusive but the consensus is that it is bad and intake should be restricted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturated_fat_and_cardiovascular_disease_controversy

It really shouldn't be restricted, the studies that showed it was bad for you are badly done.

This is from El Dangeroso thread The definitive guide to saturated fat (or how to stop worrying and love butter)

Cholesterol:

But, doesn't saturated fat raise LDL or cholesterol, the 'bad' cholesterol? Well that's not actually established, most of the trials are short-term (<12 weeks), low-quality and the results are all over the place, some show slight reductions from reducing saturated fat but they are usually poorly controlled, as in they don't take into account what they are replacing the saturated fat with and how that effected cholesterol level. In the longer term trials the association pretty much disappears when other factors are controlled for (like smoking and obesity.).

Saturated fat does consistently and reliably raise HDL cholesterol however, and unless you're crazily out of range, indicative of a serious infection, the higher the better.

There's a crazy amount of info in there and will worth reading.

Thomas Magnum

Orla K wrote: »

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/saturated-fat-is-not-evil.html

http://chriskresser.com/new-study-puts-final-nail-in-the-saturated-fat-causes-heart-disease-coffin
Meta-analysis talked about in that article
http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstract

http://www.dietdoctor.com/science
Lots of info and links in this one, looks like the comments might have something interesting to say too.

Have to mention Chris Masterjohn
http://blog.cholesterol-and-health.com/2010/01/saturated-fat-is-not-associated-with.html

http://www.drbriffa.com/2010/01/15/two-major-studies-conclude-that-saturated-fat-does-not-cause-heart-disease/

And if you want it in a 3minute youtube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8WA5wcaHp4&feature=player_embedded

You know what they say, extraordinary claims requires extraordinary evidences. If you're going to go against the established science, you had better have some god damn good evidences to do so. All the Fred Flintstone diet crowd have is some weak sauce from a few cranks.

Orla K

Thomas Magnum wrote: »

You know what they say, extraordinary claims requires extraordinary evidences. If you're going to go against the established science, you had better have some god damn good evidences to do so. All the Fred Flintstone diet crowd have is some weak sauce from a few cranks.

It was a 5min search and they have links on their articles to studies, if you want to believe that it's just a few cranks well then that's alright with me. I believe the 'established science' is a farce and their evidence is twisted and that's alright with me too.

Thomas Magnum

Orla K wrote: »

I believe the 'established science' is a farce and their evidence is twisted and that's alright with me too.

Why do you believe this? How is it a "farce" and how is their evidence "twisted"?

readyletsgo

€50 on food a week? For yourself?:eek:

Jaysus man, I spend €25 a week and eat really well like a king and dont put on weight!

Get eggs, fish, meat, veg, fruit, bread and some treats. Mix it up each week. As others have said, buy yourself a basic cook book too.

You dont need to spend that much on yourself, unless your going to Stupidquinn or something!

Gummy Panda

Thomas Magnum wrote: »

You know what they say, extraordinary claims requires extraordinary evidences. If you're going to go against the established science, you had better have some god damn good evidences to do so. All the Fred Flintstone diet crowd have is some weak sauce from a few cranks.

I have a feeling this thread is going to get interesting


*grabs popcorn*

Orla K

Gummy Panda wrote: »

I have a feeling this thread is going to get interesting


*grabs popcorn*

I'm afraid your going to have to put down the popcorn, I've no desire to start into an argument with someone online about stuff where I know they're going to find something to disagree with no matter how little that thing might be and will ignore any good points you make or just keep repeating their previous points.
It's all a bit meh, why bother getting into an argument with someone who's only contribution to boards seems to be to argue. I've figured out when it comes to other people I'm only going to deal with the ones who are willing to listen, even if we don't agree, and a raw vegan on youtube made me start thinking that way. I feel healthier and happier doing my online stuff with this in mind.
I've also learned a new word, illiberal - narrow-minded; prejudiced; bigoted; intolerant. I probably came across it somewhere before but I don't remember

And it'll completely derail the thread. And on that note, in the butchers I can get free fat, I render it(cut up and heat gently) so I have free fat to fry/roast with and now I've gotten some free bones that I'm going to make into a broth but I think that might be too advanced for the op.
The main thing is learn to cook real food and your flying!

Captain Chaos

readyletsgo wrote: »

€50 on food a week? For yourself?:eek:

Jaysus man, I spend €25 a week and eat really well like a king and dont put on weight!

Get eggs, fish, meat, veg, fruit, bread and some treats. Mix it up each week. As others have said, buy yourself a basic cook book too.

You dont need to spend that much on yourself, unless your going to Stupidquinn or something!

What, €25 for a weeks worth of food! I'd die from starvation, I'd eat 25 quids worth in a day. I spend about €20 per day on food shopping top ups and it does not really last.

Myself, I'm trying to build up right now. I need around 2650 cal maintenance so I'm looking at close to 2800 cal per day. No way I can do that on €25 per week on healthy food.

I can load myself up on pasta and potatoes for that and hit my cal targets but I'd end up a fat mess. Decent lean mines is €4 per pack. There is only enough for two meals in that. So for a week of lean meat that's €28 right there eating 4 meals a day, two with meat. No veg noting. My food bill would be around €120 per week and I live by myself too.

I'd love to see someones weekly food diet that's trying to build up and keep the food bill at €50. It can't be done I reckon even shopping in Aldi or Lidl.

Davei141

If your looking to gain while keeping to a budget why would you be buying lots lean meat?

Whole chickens, Ham Fillets, Bacon Joint, 20% minced beef, stewing beef, pork chops, milk, eggs, butter - Proteins and fats. There is probably a deal every week on some of the above in Lidl/aldi/tesco/dunnes

Aldi super six for cheap fruit & veg or any of the supermarkets for frozen veg.

Potatoes pasta and rice are all dirt cheap too for your carb sources.

Torakx

Captain Chaos wrote: »

What, €25 for a weeks worth of food! I'd die from starvation, I'd eat 25 quids worth in a day. I spend about €20 per day on food shopping top ups and it does not really last.

Myself, I'm trying to build up right now. I need around 2650 cal maintenance so I'm looking at close to 2800 cal per day. No way I can do that on €25 per week on healthy food.

I can load myself up on pasta and potatoes for that and hit my cal targets but I'd end up a fat mess. Decent lean mines is €4 per pack. There is only enough for two meals in that. So for a week of lean meat that's €28 right there eating 4 meals a day, two with meat. No veg noting. My food bill would be around €120 per week and I live by myself too.

I'd love to see someones weekly food diet that's trying to build up and keep the food bill at €50. It can't be done I reckon even shopping in Aldi or Lidl.

Hope your eating lots of greens dude.

UnknownSpecies

Here's what I'd get on a typical week:

Chicken 10 breasts from butchers €10
Tesco Tinned Mackerel 10 tins €6.50
Tinned Tuna 4 tins €3
Spinach + Rocket €3
Carrots €1
Broccoli €1
Cauliflower €1.50
Cherry Tomatoes €1.50
Cucumber €1
Mayonnaise €1 (Will do 2 weeks)
Tesco Honey & Mustard salad dressing €1.50
Eggs 18 (€3) 12 (€2.20)
Cheese 500g €3.20
Milk 2l €2

Total: €39.20 (no doubt you could get some items cheaper either!)

€10 to spare and quite healthy if I do say so myself.

Here's a list of stuff that I get too but take me a few weeks to get through:

Sunflower Oil €2
Peanut Butter 1kg €5.50
Almond Butter 1kg ~€11
Butter 454g €2
Mixed Herbs €1
Season-All seasoning €2.20
Frank's Red Hot Sauce €2.50 (AMAZING, goes one EVERYTHING )

I could be missing out a few things that I have in my stock cupboard but for the most part, €50 will allow you to eat very well!

EDIT: Just remembered you're trying to bulk up. The €10 left over will very easily buy your carbs for the week too (I'm low carb so don't buy em) and possibly extra chicken, mince or pork, whichever you fancy.

matrim

dorgasm wrote: »

Here's what I'd get on a typical week:

Chicken 10 breasts from butchers €10
Tesco Tinned Mackerel 10 tins €6.50
Tinned Tuna 4 tins €3
Spinach + Rocket €3
Carrots €1
Broccoli €1
Cauliflower €1.50
Cherry Tomatoes €1.50
Cucumber €1
Mayonnaise €1 (Will do 2 weeks)
Tesco Honey & Mustard salad dressing €1.50
Eggs 18 (€3) 12 (€2.20)
Cheese 500g €3.20
Milk 2l €2

Total: €39.20 (no doubt you could get some items cheaper either!)

€10 to spare and quite healthy if I do say so myself.

Here's a list of stuff that I get too but take me a few weeks to get through:

Sunflower Oil €2
Peanut Butter 1kg €5.50
Almond Butter 1kg ~€11
Butter 454g €2
Mixed Herbs €1
Season-All seasoning €2.20
Frank's Red Hot Sauce €2.50 (AMAZING, goes one EVERYTHING )

I could be missing out a few things that I have in my stock cupboard but for the most part, €50 will allow you to eat very well!

EDIT: Just remembered you're trying to bulk up. The €10 left over will very easily buy your carbs for the week too (I'm low carb so don't buy em) and possibly extra chicken, mince or pork, whichever you fancy.

Where do you get the Almond Butter?

daenerysstormborn3

1 Tesco Organic Whole Cucumber €1.29 €1.29
1 Tesco Green Seedless Class 1 Grapes Loose €4.75 €4.75
2 New York Bakery Cinnamon And Raisin Bagels 5 Pack €1.79 €3.58
2 Siucra Granulated Sugar500g €0.75 €1.50
1 Uncle Bens Chilli Sauce Medium 500G €2.29 €2.29
1 Tesco Organic Peppers 2 Pack €2.49 €2.49
2 Tesco Organic Round Steak Mince 380G €4.99 €9.98
1 Cracker Barrel Medium Mature Cheddar 200G €2.64 €2.64
1 Fresh Herbs Chives 20G €1.19 €1.19
1 Florette Crispy Salad 200G €1.49 €1.49
1 Tesco Carrot Batons 300G €1.69 €1.69
1 Finest Oranges 4 Pack €3.15 €3.15
1 Tesco Salad Onions Bunch €0.79 €0.79
1 Eat Me Bananas Pack €1.75 €1.75
1 Moy Park Stuffedchk Thigh (Pso Uffing)502G €4.19 €4.19
1 Avonmore Low Fatsupermilk 1.75L €1.99 €1.99
1 Tesco Irish Lean Steak Mince 500G €3.29 €3.29
1 Tesco Finest Beef Burgers 336G €3.59 €3.59

That's my top up shopping for this week, comes to around about €50 for 2 people (couple of the stuff I have bought 2 of are on special offer but the special offer itself isn't reflected until the shopping is actually delivered in case the offer has expired but they do advise you when placing your order when the offer expires). There is a few things missing (I'm still doing up the shopping order), the likes of milk, tea bags and sugar, they'll probably come to about €10 - these are used by the shop (customers etc.) also so that's why we go through so much of them.

By top up shopping, I mean once a month I stock up on the likes of rice, pasta and cereal, household products, toiletries, perishables and that sort of thing. A bigger shop normally comes to about €120. Normally there would be way more fruit and veggies in there but I am quite sick at the moment and not much of an appetite and himself isn't great for fruit and veggies (I'm trying to sneak them in though!) so I'd say realistically we feed two people every week for about €70 - €80 so I can definitely see how a person can feed themselves for €50. We do our shopping in Tesco, I'm sure if we shopped in Aldi/Lidl it would be even cheaper, the reason why we don't is mainly because we rely on Tesco home delivery.

That shop feeds two people nearly every meal of the day. My bf works from home so he obviously eats all his meals here and the odd time his business partner will come in for lunch or dinner so sometimes it covers 3 people. I bring my lunch with me from home so all my meals come from this shop too.

UnknownSpecies

matrim wrote: »

Where do you get the Almond Butter?

http://www.myprotein.com/ie/products/almond-butter

This is the stuff I get. It's a bit more expensive than I remembered hence the ~€11 ha. Still a good price though and it's delicious