Anyone eat mostly starches to save money?

[jld]

After reading the paying for college thread on the K-8 board, and hearing in another thread about how much teenage boys eat, I'm thinking I should try to just focus on feeding the family starches to save money. Dd made a tomato saute tonight, just tomatoes, garlic, onions, and carrots, with some herbs, and served it over rice. We all ate a couple bowls, and then had some air-popped popcorn. I'm really going to try to adopt this as a low-cost eating plan. I'm also going to cut back on how much juice I buy, and just have everyone drink water.

 

We're also going to have a talk this weekend on how we're going to pay for college, because what I've been reading has kind of spooked me.

[Chris in VA]

You can do whatever you want, of course :D

But I'd be careful you aren't trading in your health for cheap eats...Make sure you get plenty of fruits/vegs and protein (maybe not as much protein as many think is needed...)!

[Sputterduck]

That isn't healthy! Growing bodies need protein and fat and you can do that cheaply, too.

[Julie in Austin]

I think you can focus on cheap eats without focusing on starches--that meal you mentioned would have been perfect if you had used brown rice and then added some beans and healthy fat (olive oil maybe) and wouldn't have cost significantly more.

 

Maybe instead of "starch" think "whole grain + protein + fat" and then try to make each category as cheap as possible, while still being healthy.

[Cricket]

I think you can focus on cheap eats without focusing on starches--that meal you mentioned would have been perfect if you had used brown rice and then added some beans and healthy fat (olive oil maybe) and wouldn't have cost significantly more.

 

Maybe instead of "starch" think "whole grain + protein + fat" and then try to make each category as cheap as possible, while still being healthy.

 

:iagree: Lentils taste really good with tomato sauce and they are cheap. You have to eat enough protein to grow strong muscles. Growing brains need fat. Eggs are fairly cheap and have plenty of protein and fat.

 

I'd skip the juice altogether. We all drink water. Juice is a rare treat but we eat plenty of fruit. (We have a lot of citrus trees so I used some lemons to make fresh lemonade yesterday.) Save the money you use to buy juice to buy fruit instead.

[stripe]

Definitely be sure you eat cheap sources of protein and fiber, such as beans and lentils. Oatmeal is another nice starch with protein. (You don't want everyone getting constipated.) Try to find good sources of less expensive fruits and vegetables. I definitely think you can have good health and eat inexpensively.

[Greta]

I'm probably going to sound alarmist, but seriously, the medical bills could end up negating any savings on the grocery bills. The human body was just not designed to run on starch alone.

 

I think cutting out luxuries like juice makes sense, but cutting out vital nutrients like protein and fat, oh my. Are there other areas where you can cut back instead? Of course, I don't know your situation, so I'm not trying to imply that this is you, but I have a friend who considers the four basic necessities of life to be a car, a cell phone, cable tv, and internet access. I would give up any one of those, heck I'd give up all of those, before I'd give up good quality food!

 

Buy meat when it's on sale and stock up (freeze it). Nuts, eggs, and cheese are good sources of fat and protein that aren't too expensive. I bet if you do some googling about frugal eating you'll find some great suggestions, without having to do something so drastic.

[Renee in NC]

Seriously, it isn't worth it. We survived on cheap carbs for a couple of years because we had a super small grocery budget ($240 a month for 6 people at the time.) We ate plenty of rice, potatoes, homemade bread, and pasta to make up for the low amounts of meat and produce. I think we all suffered from it and it just plain isn't worth it.

 

I just can't imagine doing that again by choice.

[Sputterduck]

If I had to choose between growing healthy brains and bodies in my kids and paying for college, I'd pay for the healthy brains and bodies. They can use their wonderfully grown selves to pay for their own college, but college won't matter too much for brains not grown well and bodies not nourished.

[La Condessa]

I knew of a woman who had four teenaged sons at the same time, and they were eating her out of house and home. The solution she found: use whole wheat. She would add some to just about every dish she made, and the boys went from eating huge amounts about eight times a day to being full and satisfied with just three meals.

[stripe]

Can I just give another cheer for beans and lentils? Seriously, they are so cheap, especially when you buy dried and cook yourself. One pound is usually about $1 (or less) and makes a very large amount. They're so nutritious. Many greens are also inexpensive. If you have any sort of place for a garden, I think these are fairly easy to grow. Something like swiss chard is faster to cook than some of the others. Also consider less expensive meats (legs vs. breasts), and just eat a little bit, or in a stew, rather than a giant (dry) piece per person.

 

I buy cheese almost only when it's on sale. The expiration dates are usually plenty far off in the future that I have no trouble eating while they're still fresh. You can also buy frozen veges on sale; at least if you can't afford fresh things in your neighborhood, you can get a pack of frozen spinach for around $1 and that should make a very large serving for your family, and it's nutritious. Frozen peas too -- they're a source of protein and vitamins. Apparently canned salmon is also a very nutritious food (Drs Oz & Roisen are always touting its benefits, and specifically the canned due to price), for example, and eggs can be fairly inexpensive in most places. You may want to look into other "convenience" type foods you can make at home, such as yogurt. I wouldn't necessarily advice other "thrifty" tips like drinking kool-aid instead of soda, just for health reasons, although in terms of money it makes sense.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, look into "ethnic" grocery stores. You can find some things much cheaper there. You may be able to find whole grains and beans, and almost certainly spices, at a much lower price. Vegetables and fruits too. Those spices can make your beans taste much more interesting.

 

http://www.beanbible.com/

http://ramkicooks.blogspot.com/

Edited February 19, 2010 by stripe

[Susan in KY]

ITA with other posters who said to focus on whole grains and grain combos to make complete proteins. I highly recommend snagging a copy of the More with Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre. It offers a good basic education about nutrition for less.

[Rosie_0801]

A lot of people end up with sleeping problems if they eat too many carbs. You know what people do when they are still awake late at night, don't you? They comfort eat.

 

Rosie

[mrs.m]

After reading the paying for college thread on the K-8 board, and hearing in another thread about how much teenage boys eat, I'm thinking I should try to just focus on feeding the family starches to save money. Dd made a tomato saute tonight, just tomatoes, garlic, onions, and carrots, with some herbs, and served it over rice. We all ate a couple bowls, and then had some air-popped popcorn. I'm really going to try to adopt this as a low-cost eating plan. I'm also going to cut back on how much juice I buy, and just have everyone drink water.

 

 

What you ate sounds pretty healthy! It has veggies (carrots and tomatoes) in it.

 

But surely you didn't mean just carbs? Maybe cutting down the meat?

 

You may want to look at http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/ for some recipe ideas.

[LivingHope]

We buy in bulk from our co op lentils, barley, brown rice, and oatmeal. This keeps our budget low for a family with six children. I am able to buy quality vegetables and meat. By adding in healthy grains and legumes, a family can eat quite well for less money than expected.

 

Janell

[1bassoon]

No help, but just wanted to thank you all -

 

I've been eating waaaay too many carbs due to our budget, but you have challenged me to rethink that.

 

Thank you!

[Crimson Wife]

I think it's very healthy to eat a plant-based diet with meat/poultry/fish "as a condiment" as the saying goes. But you need to make sure that you're getting adequate protein and healthy fats like the other posters have said.

[anissarobert]

There are many starch based diets that are very healthy. People need protein, but that can come from beans or dairy if you eat that. I have been a vegetarian for 25 years and my children have never had meat. They are healthy. My version of a good diet is plenty of fruits and veggies in season, whole grains, beans, nuts and good oils (in moderation). We do eat some dairy and eggs for convience.

 

We are not perfect and we eat too much junk food like most Americans, but you don't have to buy meat or spend a lot on food to be healthy.

 

My food bill is less than $50 per week for 5 people.

[Joanne]

That would not work here at all. We have too many persons in our home that need protein to not be irritable, to be not sleepy, to not keep *craving* food.

[Peela]

There are starches and there are starches. Wholegrains are starches but contain plenty of nutrition- brown rice and wholemeal bread are filling and nutritious. Potatoes with their skins on are also filling and nutritious.

White flour and white sugar are also starches (well, starch breaks down to sugar quickly the more it is processed and stripped of its fibre) but they will seriously compromise your health.

Filling teens with cheap white flour products can set them up for a wheat sensitivity, also. It's good to rotate your starches so as not to rely too much on any one type. In fact, its always good to eat a wide range of foods.

I think many cultures have a foundation of starch based food for most meals- it is the extra things that are added, however, that make the difference. Many Asian countries, if not most, eat rice at virtually every meal as the main part of the meal.

Perhaps in the U.S. people are used to basing a meal around the meat. In many countries, meat is used much more sparingly, and the meal is based more around the starch.

I don't think it's a bad idea completely- but educating yourself about nutrition is important too. It's true that cheap food is often unhealthy nad highly processed food, and the cost in the long run is not worth it- but there are ways to eat healthily and cheaply. Eating unprocessed, real foods is important.

[keptwoman]

I knew of a woman who had four teenaged sons at the same time, and they were eating her out of house and home. The solution she found: use whole wheat. She would add some to just about every dish she made, and the boys went from eating huge amounts about eight times a day to being full and satisfied with just three meals.

In our house we have always just helped ourselves to lunch items. I've just started making lunches and snacks and serving them as both boys were choosing a diet high in starches and constantly hungry! It was costing a fortune.

Now I make sure to include protein at every meal and they are not constantly ravenous like they were.

I think a diet based solely on starches would not only be appalling for the health, but pretty awful on the wallet too.