Can anyone give me tips on food shopping?

Question

My boyfriend is on a very strict diet; he's got too high cholesterol and he's obese, so he has this one nutritionist who gave him a list of foods he can have and foods to avoid for losing weight, as well as a chart of how many servings of what food group to eat when, tailored to his eating habits; his doctor gave him a second list of foods to eat and foods to avoid for his cholesterol; and he's been advised to watch his sodium. He needs low-sodium foods with low saturated fat and low cholesterol, no cheese, he doesn't eat eggs-- and he's a college student barely scraping money together to shop at all, so it needs to be cheap. Any suggestions?

Basically, the way he shops, when he has money (his parents give him a small amount for his rent so he can continue in school, plus he's now got a parttime job to supplement), he goes shopping for maybe 20-40 dollars worth of groceries, which he does maybe twice a month, and supplements with fast food when his groceries run out, because food and gas are competing for his $$

Answer 1

My advice is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store, that is where most of the healthy foods are located. I don't know what is all on his list of what to eat and what not to eat, from both the nutritionist and doctor, but I assume it would include lots of foods from the produce area like fresh fruits and vegetables, the meat department where you will find poultry and fish, and then the aisles where he can get things like low-sodium canned tuna and canned salmon, whole grain breads and whole grains (like brown rice and rolled oats), nuts, seeds, and legumes (lentils, black beans), and then healthy fats like olive oil- all naturally low in sodium, saturated fat, and cholesterol.

Processed food and fast food can be really cheap, but it is loaded with hydregenated oils, sodium, and sugars, all of the things he should avoid, and they are usually located in the middle of the store- all the packaged junk foods, cookies, crackers, chips, candy, etc.

If you shop the sales, use coupons, buy generic when it is an option, buy some items in bulk, and cook at home it can be affordable. It will require a lot of organization, planning ahead, and basic cooking skills, but it can be done- and good health is the reward.

Helpful link:

http://sparkpeople.com/resource/Nutrition_articles.asp?id=511&page=2

Answer 2

WOW, sounds like you both have a lot of things to look for when you go grocery shopping. Fruits and veggies are usually a safe bet as long as they are not covered in a lot of those buttery toppings. You can save a lot of money by going to a public market, where you can buy produce directly from the farmer. It is usually so much cheaper this way. You can also add some spice to your food by using things like vinegar, garlic, hot pepper, etc. Just because he has to have low sodium and low fat does not mean he has to eat low flavor.

Here is a very simple dessert recipe that my family loves. 1 package of the Jello "sugar free-fat free" INSTANT pudding,any flavor. Mix the package up with 1 cup of skim milk, and one cup of low fat whipped cream. put it in the fridge for an hour, and eat anytime after that. I usually top with straw berries or blue berries just before I serve, but you could add any kind of fruit that your boyfriend likes.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 3

Hong Kong has plenty of Indian Restaurants of all price ranges. From cheap eateries in Chunking Mansion to high end places in Central/SoHo. There are also some specialized on vegetarian only food, like Greenwoods in TST east (Mirror Tower).

Answer 4

Try to buy a bunch of raw foods. Fruits, vegetables...all raw.
It'll be tough of course, but you should consider his health. When a food is rich in fiber and taken raw, no preservatives, added sugars or fats...It'll do him wonders. Good luck.

Answer 5

most people shop for two to three weeks ... even if they dont need the food for a month ......
to save money and converse food .... I only shopped til my next pay check ...... so if I got paid every seven days .... I shopped for only seven days ......

of course, most people say shopping in bulk saves .....
but for me ... I find that I can save even more by shopping small ....

AND NEVER SHOP WHEN YOUR HUNGRY ! LOL
or in a rush ...... this will cause you to mis manage .......

hope that helped.....

Answer 6

Buy whole-wheat bread, flour and pasta. It's better for you. Then buy organic produce and milk. Organic milk tastes just like regular 2% milk. Buy oatmeal, it burns cholesterol. If he doesn't like oatmeal, some stores sell it in different flavors, like cinnamon. Don't buy soda, buy water instead. Stay away from chocolate-chip cookies. Buy or make oatmeal raisin instead.

Answer 7

Don't do any frozen tv meals, or soup they are packed with sodiom big time. Cheerios are good for you. but with out a list can't help much more sorry. good luck

Answer 8

fruit water carrott rasin

Answer 9

drink lots of water keep a healthy diet exersize every morning!! get him to eat jello, LOTS AND LOSTS OF FRUIT!