want to change the diet...

[mamaofthree]

i want to make some diet changes at my house.
1.) what would you say is the most important things you changed and why
2.) if you recently changed your diet, who do you get the kids on board?
3.) can this be done on a tight budget?

we really need to cut down on our spending on food. it is our biggest expense. i can not cut anywhere else, we are down to this last thing. and i do understand that eating well saves us on medical bills, but i can not keep spending what i do on food. ok so that is out of the way... we are big grain eaters... what would you replace that with? and i am ok with eating more meat, i just need to find out what to change so we can afford it.

thank you

h

[Magelet]

1.) what would you say is the most important things you changed and why

THE most important thing was no processed foods. After that, I think adding healthy fats and getting rid of bad fats (so more butter, more coconut oil, more olive oil, more fatty meats, no canola/veggie/soy oil, no hydrogenated fats, no margerine or butter substitutes). Making broth. eating organ meat. Soaking grains. Fermented foods. (we don't do as much broth or ferments as I would like, we're working on it).

3.) can this be done on a tight budget?

Yes. You probably can't do pastured meat and raw milk and stuff if your diet is very tight, however you can drastically improve your diet. No processed food will save you money. For your meat, buy cuts of meat that have bones (whole chickens, steaks with meat) and pop the bones in the freezer til you have enough to make broth. or buy bones, they aren't expensive. Soaking grains is free, just and additional step that's pretty easy. Healthy fats ARE more expensive, however I think they are the most important part of a healthy diet. If you can, splurge on them, or get lower quality but real butter. buying bad fats is not the place to save money. organ meats are cheaper. yogurt can be made easily at home, and so can sourkraut. both don't cost much. (milk and a little yogurt the first time, cabbage and salt)

we really need to cut down on our spending on food. it is our biggest expense. i can not cut anywhere else, we are down to this last thing. and i do understand that eating well saves us on medical bills, but i can not keep spending what i do on food. ok so that is out of the way... we are big grain eaters... what would you replace that with? and i am ok with eating more meat, i just need to find out what to change so we can afford it.

I wouldn't replace the grains persay, I would gradually switch to whole, soaked or fermented grains. If you are already eating some meat and dairy and eggs, you don't HAVE to eat more. A lot of people on this board do not have optimal digestive systems, and so need a lot of meat. Some people can handle high levels of whole grains just fine. If you can't afford it, change your diet in other ways and then if you find you would like to try lower grain or grain free, find a way to afford it then.

The main thing is baby steps. do one thing, and do it until you get used to it. Then do a second thing when the first is habit.

[mamaofthree]

so what do you bake with? coconut oil and butter? we do whole grains, but i don't soak. so that is a good idea. and we can actually get raw milk and butter for not much more then the past. kind. so i will do that again. i can even make my own yogurt. we really don't do much processed foods. i am thinking if i can cut someplace i can get better meat. hmmm. stuff to think about.

h

[cristeen]

I agree with Magelet, cutting out the processed foods is the most important step.

I will add though that legumes can be an excellent cheap additional source of protein. Used in conjunction with small amounts of meat, it can really stretch your budget. Many recipes that call for 1 lb ground meat cooked (like taco meat) can easily use 1/2 lb meat plus an equal amount of cooked lentils/beans to stretch it. Just add a little bit of healthy fats to balance it out. And be sure to properly soak your legumes to get the most out of them.

[_ktg_]

subbing as this is something I am looking to do in our house and I can't break the budget

[Magelet]

yup, coconut oil and butter to bake with. (not that I bake a great deal.) I suppose for some things, you do require a less saturated fat, and something plainer than olive oil. I guess I'd either use a light olive oil which wouldn't be as flavorful, or maybe peanut oil (a rare use compromise oil in our house. used maybe 2-3 times a year). (like brownies, which need to be half saturated half unsaturated or something. not that I've made those in a long time).

One thing we do with our beans is make sure we eat them with a whole grain AND a little bit of animal protein (a little liver, cheese, a tiny bit of meat, some yogurt, sardines, etc). A little bit of animal protein, and plenty of fat helps you get the maximum protein from your grain/legume protein.

Just don't do it all at once, you will quickly get overwhelmed and stop doing any of it.

[organicmidwestmama]

#1-not buying processed foods- ie crackers, canned food, chips, cookies, snack bars, frozen meals, fast food, toaster waffles, etc. this saves a lot of money as these items are way marked up and yet made with cheap, denatured ingredients that arent good for ya.

eggs are less expensive per serving then meat, even good pastured eggs from small scale farms. ground meat- ie lamb, beef, turkey is a lot less expensive then say steak. a whole chicken can be used for both meat and stock. often offal (organ meats) is less expensive per pound then muscle meat (ie chicken breasts).

in re to grains, i dont think they are the most important aspect of any diet so if i couldnt afford the 100% markup id get conventionally grown grains rather then organic. rice is about 1$/lb and makes a good filler when cooked with meats, think stuffed peppers, cabbage rolls with ground meat.

cutting down/out added sugar will save money and is an important step in eating "traditionally". traditional cultures use sugar/sugar-containing foods much more judiciously then we tend to. serve treats only occaisionally rather then daily.

[_ktg_]

Originally Posted by organicmidwestmama

#1-not buying processed foods- ie crackers, canned food, chips, cookies, snack bars, frozen meals, fast food, toaster waffles, etc. this saves a lot of money as these items are way marked up and yet made with cheap, denatured ingredients that arent good for ya.

This is the part where I am struggling with DH on... a perfect example:
We went to the store last night and he ended up picking up the following:
Pringles Chips (2 cans)
Nilla Wafer cookies

Versus my splurges:
1# wild salmon
1# pearled barley
a small bunch of beets

Now our whole grocery cart was not filled with junk just the above ones - its the little things that add up, and make the kids go crazy! I like all the suggestions so far and its baby steps with everything. I did win a discussion/decision though to not buy grape jelly and had him read all the labels - we finally decided upon some organic fruit preserves. YUM. Now I just have to step up my canning skills and magically find more time on the weekends.

[mamaofthree]

i am totally on board with the no processed food. i do NOT buy it. besides that example is there anything else?

h

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by mamaofthree

i am totally on board with the no processed food. i do NOT buy it. besides that example is there anything else?

Well, that's usually the biggest/hardest change to make. For myself, the next step was switching to pastured animal products, but that's usually an expensive change to make, as is switching to organic and/or local produce.

The cheaper changes to make at this point are to start soaking your grains/legumes, and to add ferments to your diet. If you can get un-homogenized milk, that's also a good change to make. Maybe not as good as going pastured/raw, but it's a step in the right direction, and not usually as expensive.