Low cost low carb?

[Maxamillion]

Is it even possible to do a low-carb diet without spending a ton of money? I'm wanting to try the low carb diet for awhile, but just thinking about how much all that meat will cost makes my inner miser unhappy. Thankfully, right now, fresh fruits and veges are in season, so that part won't be as bad. Any ideas on how to keep the costs down, or recipe/menu ideas welcome. I'm also wondering if anyone has had success with the low-carb thing.

[puglogic]

I don't do strictly low-carb, but we definitely watch it, and it's helped. I'm down 12 pounds from January and still falling, and it would probably work better if I were more strict about carbs. And currently our protein sources are eggs, lean chicken purchased in bulk discount, unsweetened lowfat/nonfat yogurt, fish on sale (our grocery store often has 4-lb packages of frozen wild-caught fish for not too much, and we watch the sales as well). I think we spend less than the average couple....you don't have to invest in slabs of red meat unless they fit your budget. Good luck!

[loosechickens]

Nonfat, plain Greek yogurt is hard to beat......0 carbs, 22 gr. of protein per cup........

[redfox]

Making yogurt is easy! Eggs are awesome, tuna is good if you're not pregnant or feeding it to a child, and there is other fish that's great too - sardines - yumm. Veggies & lots of them - fruits tend to be high carb, so eat dark skinned ones first, and the whole thing so that the fiber slows down the absorption of the sugars.

Tell your inner miser that $$ spent on quality food is a helluvalot cheaper than $$ spent on bypass surgery, diabetes meds, joint replacement surgery, etc. You ARE what you eat! Do you want to be built of poor quality substances, and risk falling apart? IMHO, food is the most important place to spend one's money to get quality.

[ApatheticNoMore]

The bottom line with all diets seems to me how to get sufficient calories. Oh haha, how can that be as most people have at least a bit of fat to lose anyway. Ok that's certainly true, but really if you don't want to go on a crash diet and want to lose slowly, the issue is still where the calories will come from. Calories for the dollar.

- Carbs are one source of significant calories (even compare the calories of a real carb like a banana with say something much lower in carbs like an orange), but this is a low-carb thread.
- without that there is fat as a source of significant calories (but quality fat is not super cheap, nuts aren't cheap, and good quality butter or oils aren't cheap - though they are calorie dense)
- there is protein but I'm not sure how satisfying it will be without also consuming a lot of fats, and quality protein isn't cheap.

So yes sure green veggies are cheap, hard to go broke on lettuce, parsley (make a salad with it sans bulgar wheat), broccoli etc.. And sure everyone should eat lots of veggies. But you can hardly get enough calories to survive on JUST green veggies (not without oily salad dressings - again good fat is not cheap, protein, or carbs which we're not doing here).

Fruits, especially of the wonderful tempting summer selection we have now, are definitely more expensive in general than veggies with a few exceptions. They will provide more calories as well as more carbs.

The thing with meat is you can get cheap factory produced junk and convince yourself it's healthy because it's low-carb or something. But frankly, I'm pretty convinced it's not healthy AT ALL (in fact a lesser meat consumption with meat that's actually quality is probably better than lots of "junk meat"). So if you want quality you WILL pay for animal protein, this is just a reflection of underlying reality, animal protein has always been much sought after and precious.

It will cost less for eggs, even organic (pastured if you can get it) than for flesh. So dairy and eggs if you tolerate them are good. For flesh organic chicken can sometimes be fairly cheap (though fresh chicken from some local free range farmer will still cost an arm and a leg). Things like ground beef can be fairly cheap even grass fed organic etc.. Fish isn't cheap, not if it is farmed or caught sustainably! But things like tilapia and the like can be cheaper than other types.

Bottom line: as quality fats including nuts and quality protein are not cheap, a diet with these quality foods will not be the cheapest, and low carb is even less cheap as it doesn't combine those things with lower cost ingredients (like legumes say) to reduce the overall cost. Sure you could eat factory farmed meats fried in corn oil, but that's just garbage.

So I'd say to save money:

- choose veggies over fruit in general
- High fat veggies like avocados might be a somewhat affordable source of calories if you like
- try to make some meals that are mostly veggies - for instance a casserole of veggies and cheese
- choose eggs and dairy over flesh for some meals if you tolerate
- choose cheaper cuts of flesh at least some of the time

(haha, I write about the absolute NEED for calories because since I'm unemployed I continually let myself get to the point of being really hungry - just a habit I've fallen into, whereas when I was working, I stuffed myself more continuously ( it's lunch time might as well eat, etc.), once in a while even over stuffed myself continuously. I'm also more acutely aware of food costs, but good food is both a necessity and a great joy, so ....).

[madgeylou]

one great thing i've noticed about eating low carb is that i am so much less interested in food, and my portion sizes are much smaller. i will have 2 or 3 boneless/skinless chicken thighs for dinner with a salad. i get 16 of them for $12 at whole foods, so each one is less than a buck. not too bad.

eggs are awesome. so is cottage cheese. and peanut butter. all cheap as heck.

one recipe we've been loving around here lately starts with a pound or pound and a half of stewing beef (from whole foods, about $10 for the size pack we get). you brown the beef, deglaze the pot with a little red wine, and put it in the slow cooker with onions, cabbage, celery, broth, star anise, and a bit of worchestershire sauce. let it cook on low all day -- it's absolutely awesome. very low carb, and about $15 to feed both of us dinners for 2 nights, plus a lunch or two.

also, you can get roasting chickens at whole foods for $7-$10. that can be 3-4 meals as well (1-2 for 2 people).

we usually spend about $30-40 on meat per week for the two of us and $30-40 on other stuff (veg, cheese, olives, quinoa/barley for my grain-tolerant fella). it's not super cheap, but it's not super expensive either. i really feel good eating this way, and i'm not interested in gross feedlot meat. so it's worth it for me.

[JaneV2.0]

Shop sales, buy in bulk and freeze, find a good discount grocer--we have an excellent Grocery Outlet here. Buy seasonal--brisket is cheap around St. Patrick's day, for example.. I don't pay much attention to what I spend on food, but I'm careful to get the best/most for the money I do spend, if that makes any sense. If you're looking for provocative reading, check out blogs by Denise Minger and Tom Naughton. There's a lot of good reading out there on the subject--just a bit of digging will reveal treasures. And bon apetit!

[Maxamillion]

Thanks guys. Unfortunately, we don't have a Whole Foods nearby. I did find a CSA within driving distance, so I'll be able to get fresh, organic veggies. I've also found a local source for homegrown eggs that's a good price. I will definitely be eating a lot of eggs, preferably smothered with cheese. :D I don't like eating a lot of meat, which does make the low-carb thing difficult...I will still include beans and lentils, even though I know those aren't really low-carb, but I don't think they're unhealthy carbs either (and that'll help some with the cost).

[Madsen]

Lots of ways to get protein for cheap --- eggs, tuna fish, family packs of chicken, whole turkeys, whey powder (Costco & Sam's Club), even hunt your own wild game.

And redfox makes the most important point: spend a little more money now to save a lot more money in the long run, and more importantly to save your HEALTH which is a most priceless commodity.

There's a reason you see all the obese and unhealthy people filling their shopping carts with simple carbs and processed goods.

[Rosemary]

Try just cutting out things containing flour and sugar to start, and being mindful of high-glycemic carbs such as mashed or baked potatoes.

I've never done a true low-carb diet, but dropped 10# in <2 months on our allergy elimination diet while eating plenty of fruit and legumes along with vegetables, fish, and poultry. And I was at a 'normal' weight to begin with.