What is a fast cheap way for my family to eat healthy?

Question

I have 3 boys -6,4,1 and one on the way. I have no idea how to go about eating healthy at a cheap cost. However, I know it's important. My husband and I are both obese and I don't want our kids to end up like us.

Answer 1

You can go to menumailer.net and get ideas. They have free healthy menus and the shopping list for the food that you can print out. If you like the service you can sign up (for a small fee) for her to send you emails of menus and shopping lists. The food is delicious, nutritious and easy to prepare. You are doing a great thing for your boys. Hang in there. And if you fall off the wagon just remember that you are not a failure. Put it behind you and start over. BTW...you are not your dress size. Don't let it define who you are.

Answer 2

I'm in the same situation darling, but don't give up you can do it AND set a great example for your boys. Try your hardest to look at the sale flyers, I often find the value packs of chicken w/ 7-10 chicken breasts on sale for $7 or yogurts 20 for $10 type deal. If anything perishable is on sale, see if you can freeze it for later use like the chicken. Rice, egg noodles, beans, peanut butter, soup; these are all pretty healthy and filling and REALLY cheap. For fresh fruits and vegetables...GO TO your Farmers Market, they have deals and may also be able to tip you off on other places. Most supermarkets have a bargain rack of fruit about to go bad, while it may not be what you want visually, it's always marked down drastically, try to eat it that day or the next though. LOL Also I hope not to insult you, but maybe you should apply for Food Stamps, even if you work, they could still help and a little help is better than none. You can also contact your local WIC office to find out local food pantries or ask your local church. They can often give you staples such as cereal, canned goods, toiletries and an occasional few goodies. Good luck!

Answer 3

Don't eat fast. Eat very slow. Eat smaller portions.

Drink juice or water all day. Don't drink soda of any kind. Balance your diet to include vegetables, salads, fruits and nuts.

Eat at the same time of day each day. Eat three meals at about the same time every day.

If you can't jog, walk. Take the family out every night just before nightfall (after dinner) for a walk around the neighborhood. Take a pedometer along with you, and make it fun to find out how many miles you all walked that day.

Lead a more active life, even if it's walking in the park on saturdays. Turn off the TV or the PC, and get outside.

Instead of taking the elevator or the escalator, take the stairs.

Best wishes! : }

Answer 4

Rice and beans are really cheap and can be cooked into lots of things for different tastes and better health. Fresh veggies are expensive but the frozen variety are pretty cheap and serving them as side dishes with each meal really cuts the cost of making big main dishes. My hubby and I are obese and we have two boys 4 and 2 with another on the way. We are on a tight budget and I have found that side dishes are the single biggest money-saver. Pasta, rice, beans, and veggies (canned, frozen and fresh when ou can afford them) are real life savers. Fresh potatoes, onions, head lettuce, and sometimes seasonal fruit can be pretty cheap too.
Hope that helps some, email me if you want some more specifics or recipes etc.

Answer 5

Well, you can start by making things from scratch rather than out of boxes. Beans are very cheap and have protein. Rice is an easier carb to digest than pastas. You don't want to overindulge in carbs. (breads, pastas, rice) Don't butter up everything. Steamed vegetables are healthy. Frozen vegetables are pretty cheap. Tuna is a cheap alternative to get your Omega 3's in.

Drinking millk is very important, real fruit juices or water. If you allow them to drink sodas, don't give them any with caffeine and only allow them on the weekend or special occasions. You shouldn't allow your kids to eat too many desserts or beverages high in sugar. This in excess can attribute to being fat.

Physical activity is very important. Enroll them in local league sports if possible or encourage them to play outside instead of playing video games.

Answer 6

That's a good question. The way I switched to more healthy was to stop buying dinner out, making it at home (cheaper & healthier.) I also stopped buying boxed food (hamburger helper, frozen dinners, etc) for health reasons - it's mostly garbage in those.

I'm a HUGE fan of frozen vegetables - they save me tons of time and make it easy for me to work them into meals. If you're interested in a couple recipes, email me with your email address & I'll send you some - I don't want to post them here. But in general, stir-fry, grilled chicken/fish on a salad, veggie omlettes, and tofu are all cheap and healthy things I cook. With a little trial & error, you'll find some great recipes everybody will love. Good luck.

Answer 7

Subway is way expensive if you have children especially 3 boys. I know from experience. Read my profile. I would sit down and create a menu every week on Sunday or Saturday. Include chicken, Fish(things like salmon, shrimp,). Broil and bake. NO FRYING. Spaghetti is cheap and easy but offer a salad before dinner. Beans are great and cheap. It gives you protein. VEGGIES. Lots and lots of veggies. Sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. Make a breakfast for dinner one night. that is always fun. Use red meat sparingly.

Answer 8

buy real butter it doesnt sound healthy but it acctually is 1 of the few foods that the human body can reconise. buy veggies and start having salads for snacks or carrot sticks stay away from fast food. and just because you are obese now doesnt mean you have to stay like that. go to the park with your kids both you and your husband walk around. play catch with them or something. exorcise is a good way to slim down. i exorcise every day and when people see me eat they wonder why i only weigh 145lbs. also get your kids involved with sports if you dont want then to get obese. most kids want to play baseball or soccer. just do anything to get them away from the idiotbox (tv, videogames, computer)

Answer 9

Learn a bit about vegeterian cooking. Cut out as much of your fats as you possibly can. Learn recipies using tofu, and polenta rather than a lot of mean and potato recipies. Add more fiber to your diets. Cut out going to fast food restaurants because even their "healthy" menus are unhealthy. McDonalds uses sugar in their salads in order to keep them "fresh" for long periods of time. There is nothing healthy about a salad with added sugar. Another trick is to purchase smaller dinnerware and dole out smaller portions. And don't forget the exercise, dieting does no good if you're not doing anything to burn those calories.

Answer 10

Homemade soups. With lots of vegetables. Served with whole grain bread. Yummy, healthy and comparatively cheap.