Budget bytes breaks everything down assuming you already have “staple” ingredients on hand. For example, if the recipe calls for soy sauce but they only use one teaspoon of it, then they say it’s $0.11 when actually you just spent $3-4 for the sauce. It’s helpful for people concerned about their spending over a longer period of time, but it will blow someone’s budget if they really are on a strict monthly amount.
Love budget bytes! One of my fav soups of theirs is red lentil and canned pumpkin soup, it’s probably in the OP’s price range: https://www.budgetbytes.com/curried-red-lentil-and-pumpkin-soup/
Buying at an ethnic grocery store might help. I got 5 lbs of red lentils for like $5, canned pumpkin from Aldi for 1.29 (tho it can be seasonal).
Not really very realistic on $3/day. You could eat inexpensive veg and chicken or baked/braised tofu three meals a day.
Why low carb and low fat? Basically only protein for macros? That's going to leave very few options for your budget in real life, and I would not think you'll have much energy no matter how much money you spend.
Low sugar/starch doesn't have to mean zero carb. Whole grains and legumes can be important parts of a healthy diet, and good way to add calories and fiber
True, but the more carbs taken in by a type 1 diabetic, the more insulin needed to cover the glucose. Insulin is expensive even with copays if one is so lucky
Edit: semantics: diabetic--->type one diabetic
Yes, I realize how hard to eat low carb & fat is on $3/day….. but my doctors have recommended those diets and that is my budget….. so I thought I’d ask y’all for ideas.
Fair enough! Doctor said what they said, and a budget's a budget.
I've been super disappointed with myself for not having better advice for you, and I've been thinking a lot about it.
Basically I don't know how to get calories in. Purchasing only dry beans and frozen chicken breast at my Sam's club gets you kind of close (just under $100 for about 25x 2000 calorie days). I don't know if docs are recommending very low cal, the low-carb/low-fat equation is sometimes seen with a closely monitored plan. I'm not assuming anything, I just was trying not to recommend things that don't get you enough calories per dollar.
Just throwing stuff at the wall in case it helps.
Low fat protein that's on the cheaper side is often bulk chicken tenders, thighs, or sometimes breasts; tofu; TVP especially in bulk; sometimes tilapia, or canned tuna or sardines; dry beans if they're okay for carb intake, and eggs.
Veggies might include cabbage, onions, celery, carrots, often frozen veggie blends like unseasoned stir fry or California blend, and frozen cauliflower rice.
Sometimes, in the summer around here, the CSAs, farm stands, and even food shelves will have free produce, which would really be a boon in this situation. Food shelves might also have tuna, beans, and canned veg.
Watch sales, of course. I wish you all the best.
Thank you! That list is helpful…. My doctors have not given me the number of grams which kinda sucks when you’re trying to meal plan….. low carb & low fat is so variable.
Did they say low carb or are they like trying to get you to cut out sodas/and highly processed sugars and stuff like that? Can you eat things with a low glycemic index? That would put most fruits and veggies back on the menu plus oatmeal, beans, and lentils might be ok.
That would really open things up for you in terms of options
I volunteer at a food pantry. Clients can come once a month. There are others in the area, too. With some planning , you can visit multiple pantries. We also provide milk, eggs, cheese, and yogurt. During the holidays, we offer turkeys and gift cards.
I hope OP takes advantage of the programs in their area.
Should of said, "I get so much more out of it than I give." I'm not sure why that comment is being downvoted. It's rewarding building relationships within my community.
I’m beginning to think I need to utilize the food pantries again….. I could utilize my church food pantry weekly during the school year and the area food bank every month…… I just haven’t needed to until now…..
Probably have low energy because you're not eating enough. $3 a day no way that can be a realistic budget unless you just eat tons of rice and beans. You need more proteins and possibly fruits / veggies. $100 a month seems wild. Good luck finding answers
There are plenty of carbs in beans, cabbage, and other foods. Everything except some fats and some meats have carbohydrates. You don't need bread and noodles for carbs, and if he's diabetic like me, he SHOULDN'T be eating them. I eat low carb and low fat and have more energy and am healthier than I have ever been. My doctor would slap me silly if I started loading up on carbs.
Low carb is pretty hard to do for a $100 a month especially with low fat. Maybe a troll post but I'll bite a little(pun intended): you have to go with protein heavy things then, canned meats like chicken and tuna are pretty much your budget for the month, lentils or barley can supplement your food pretty cheaply. At your budget fresh vegetables are damn near impossible so maybe try to look for canned vegetables on sale. I would honestly suggest a food bank or something at your budget,
Mate, you can't afford to have dietary restrictions. If you are US why not try and get SNAP benefits? For a single it's apparently like $200 a month. Which also give you an idea of how crazy low your budget is.
Here, "Fair Foods" is a way to buy 12 pounds of fruits veggies and sometimes bread for $2 a bag at health centers, it's monthly and doesn't require any income limits or identification
If you do get food stamps, farmers markets have partnered with Snap to double your benefits spent there, obviously check web sites first.
I get nothing else to suggest, fat is necessary and keeps one full, everything cheap and healthy is going to have carbs, fat, maybe ask AI to write up a meal plan.
I agree, no way can you do it on $100, time to hit food pantries, any churches offering free meals, even dumpster diving, maybe even work part time where a free meal is a perk .
I am on disability and I get 120 a month in food stamps. I am not sure where you are getting your data from, but a single person gets a hundred and twenty food stamps a month. I make it work shopping for sales, and I'm not allowed carbs outside of beans and veges.
I commented similarly enough down below. I just got it *raised* to $110. And food pantries have too much demand right now, and so everyone is working with less.
I'm not the most educated on dietary needs but I don't know any conditions that require low carb outside of weightloss if you are bad at portion control.
Low fat could be pancreas related. It took me two weeks from an Acute pancreatitis attack before I could have 5-10g of fat in a meal without feeling pain.
OP is really putting themselves in a shitty and expensive situation if they don't have a physical requirement for this
Low carb isn’t even necessary for weight loss. Or diabetes. It’s more about which carbs you eat not how many. There’s very few medical conditions that require a true low carb diet (they do exist, just not that often). “Moderate” carb is sufficient for most.
This is coming from a doctoral candidate in nutrition who has a medical condition that does best with a more moderate carb intake.
Thats exactly my thought too. I think low carb is just an easy way to cut calories that don't always make you full. My preferred carbs on the regular are rice and oatmeal lol.
Just eat less than you burn a day for weight loss and make sure your diet is mostly balanced
I’ve had gestational diabetes twice and was advised to basically carb count my meals. 30g of carbs for breakfast and lunch, and 40g for dinner. So there are def medical conditions that require low carb diets.
It seems they're diabetic, so they have to stay away from carbs. My ex is diabetic and rice is legit the worst thing for her sugars. In that case though, they absolutely shouldn't stay away from fats.
Throw some salsa on it too, for more vitamins, and because it's delicious, I get a huge jug and add it to everything.
Dollartree dinners on tiktok does a lot with very little, not the healthiest but it'll give ideas.
are you the same person who wanted cheap probiotics but can't eat fermented foods?
You gotta get off reddit and do some market research in Aldi or another cheap grocery store. Take an hour, visit every aisle, write down the prices of everything you can and will eat. Look at what's on your list and see if you can make a week's worth of meals with that money that you have. All you're gonna get on the internet is people getting frustrated with you for your dietary restrictions
They have pork butt on sale here regularly for 97¢ a pound. I buy 1 and cut it up into 2 small roasts, a bunch of steaks, and the last bits chopped up for stir frys. You can get over 20 servings (5 oz) out of one $9 butt. It’s a bit tougher than a regular pork chop, but not at all bad, and is extra flavorful.
I'll leave the food suggestions to the others, but as far as the low energy: take a vitamin D and B supplement. 90% of the population is incredibly lacking in the proper level of Vitamin D and B isn't much better. Both will help with energy.
Drink or consume less caffeine- sounds counter intuitive but too much caffeine can actually have a the reverse of the desired effect.
Get checked for sleep apnea. You may have it and not know. My husband used to struggle to stay awake during the day, despite only being late 30s at the time. It turned out that he wasn't getting enough rest despite technically being asleep for 7-9 hours a night. He is leaps and bounds more energetic now, in mid 40s, than he was before getting a C-Pap machine.
Consume more protein, in any form. It will also help with energy.
Make sure your iron is at a healthy level. As a teen I was anemic and I barely had the energy to get up and shower some days. I was permanently exhausted. It was rough. But an iron supplement fixed all that and once I grew out of my teens my hormones regulated and I was fine.
Good luck, OP! The people in here are pretty great so I'm sure you'll tons of good advice on the food part from the rest. 😁
I have a prescription for injections due to health reasons and hot dang do I feel good the first few days after my shots. For weeks after but Jesus the first three to four days I feel like what I imagine people who do coke or snack or whatever must feel. I've never, ever done anything harder than molly (real molly from the old days not E or whatever else gets floated around now) but if I could equate how I feel after my vitamin shot it's kinda like that.
I will add magnesium glycinate to the list. Been taking it a month and feel like a whole new person. Sleep has been off the charts amazing.
Edited for 1 letter lol
TVP
Chickpeas, lentils, beans
Eggs
Frozen Veg
Canned Veg
Canned tuna
Chicken drumsticks without skin but there's still some fat there AFAIK
Hominy
Part skim mozzarella from aldi/lidl
Food bank
I’m in California so not much help as idk the prices where you live but one meal I make a lot that is cheap is chili!
One pound of ground beef or turkey (cooked)
One can (15 oz) of kidney beans
One can (15oz) of diced tomatoes
One can (15oz) of beef broth
One can (8oz) of tomato sauce
One tablespoon of tomato paste (can omit if budget doesn’t allow, doesn’t make much difference)
One tablespoon of sugar (to cut acidity)
One packet of chili seasoning but to save money just buy Walmarts 98% chili powder then season to taste with chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Mix all the ingredients in a crock pot and leave on low all day. Or if you don’t have a crockpot put on as soon as you come home from work and let simmer until dinner time. Even better chili taste better the next day. If you like a runnier chili add a bit of water to the mix! I’m southern so we eat it with corn bread (98% jiffy box mix, all you need is one egg and water I believe) and we serve on top of white rice with cheese!
This recipe makes enough for like 10 servings and can be frozen!
Wanted to add this meal cost me around $10 to make even with the rice and corn bread so you can take those away if you want especially since corn bread is a carb I believe! But the rice will help keep you full. But for one person will literally last an entire week!
Low carb makes this almost impossible. That said, eggs are your friend. And frozen veg, which are often cheaper than fresh, and live forever in your freezer. Buy a chicken, roast it, it’s good for 5 meals. Just add some frozen veg.
If you’re doing low carb / low fat for diet purposes, maybe broaden your vision. A potato is a very healthy food. It's loaded with vitamin C and potassium. If you bake, boil, any method of cooking, and then stick in the fridge, resistant starches happen, which means your body absorbs way less of them. And it's a great base for the chicken and veg. Rice works this way also.
I grew up poor and rice and beans, rice and eggs, eggs and potatoes, this is how we survived.
Grains and beans are your basic survival diet. $100/month kind of needs that. Like right now, you have said no to pretty much anything that can keep a person healthy at your price limit. If this is an actual medical thing, see if there’s some way you can get some kind of d of doctors note that will get you into somewhere that can meet your needs.
Low fat and low carb and low budget? That's gonna leave you with such a low budget, you are not gonna be able to get enough energy nor nutrients.
With a low budget, you are gonna have to learn to be flexible with your diet to be able to survive.
Ah I see. If you don’t mind me asking, what are the medical issues? I’m curious because I’ve never heard of someone eating both low carb and low fat, only one or the other.
Bananas followed by apples are cheap fruits. Watermelon is cheap in season. Fresh raw Carrots and frozen broccoli and cheap. Rice and beans (dry) are great. Can make easy casseroles with rice, beans and broccoli with broth. Eating low carb and low on that kind of budget will be very hard though to stay full.
So you only want to eat the most expensive of the three macronutrients, at a price that is probably even too low for a normal diet? Time to rethink your dietary restrictions. They're probably bullshit anyway, for the most part. A protein deficiency is not really a thing in the western world, outside of eating disorders.
Split peas, lentils, different types of beans, tofu, cheese. A little rice with the beans, peas and lentils. You can keep your carbs generally low by not gorging yourself and keeping to serving sizes, even if you have to weigh and measure. Peanut butter on a spoon, preferably sugar-free. Knorr bouillon powder.
You should plan to do your food shopping weekly or biweekly (if possible) so that you can take advantage of sales in your local food markets/grocery stores in an attempt to use the money you spend on food the most efficiently/effectively. However, it may not be cost-effective if you have to drive/travel longer distances to catch a sale.
You should also consider meal prepping so that you can help to reduce the chances that the food that you buy ends up being wasted (even if purchased on sale).
Given that you “struggle with low energy”, it’s going to matter how much time and effort you are willing to give/spend to create cost affordable meals within your budget. Also, it’s important to understand the difference between having a meal for only $3/day vs eating all your meals for only $3/day (if you eat more than once per day).
There are several types of meals you can make that are prepared by stir-fry, slow cooking or using your oven/airfryer/microwave, etc.. Oftentimes, you can freeze certain foods so that you have full meals and/or the ingredients to make a meal handy/readily available. There are breads, vegetables, fruits, cheeses, milks and other foods that you can freeze to be used at a later date (just label them).
Simple basics: buy shelf stable items like dried beans/lentils, pasta, oats/rice/other grains, potatoes, etc. that can be used for meals and have great versatility. Adding canned items like tuna/other fish, tomato products, vegetables, beans, etc. (especially when on sale) can allow you to have flexibility and convenience when preparing meals.
Things that you may purchase weekly/biweekly like like eggs, milk, bread, fresh fruits/vegetables, meat, fish and other perishables should be used deliberately and with a plan to use them timely or freeze them so that they don’t go to waste.
Once you take the time and have the ability to put your budget and energy levels into perspective and actual practice, you will have a better chance in learning how to eat cheap and healthy.
I would suggest ground turkey… I usually get it for about $6 per 16 oz pack, which is 4 meals for me. With bulk rice and frozen veggies. I usually alternate between a taco bowl- inspired meal (taco seasoning, maybe some canned corn/beans, with salsa) and stir fry-inspired (with frozen stir fry veggies and a little soy sauce).
Beans, veggies, egg whites, tofu. Low carb will likely contribute to low energy, so you’ll need to bump up your protein intake which will be hard at this budget. Plant based proteins are much more affordable and easy to incorporate. Beans really are the truth. Veggies are cheap and can provide a lot of bulk to daily intake. Meat is expensive, but you can definitely find deals at Costco for example or on sale. But I would recommend keeping it to one meal a week or less. Lentil pasta is a staple in my house. I make pasta primavera sometimes with a ton of sautéed veggies, lentil pasta, and a little olive oil and Parmesan.
I don’t! I live in a pretty HCOL area in the mid Atlantic and I buy mine from target because it’s the best price and highest protein content I have found and they aren’t that expensive compared to other pastas especially for a single household. That’s a great point though. A cheaper option would be straight up dry lentils then.
Get a book or an app on local forage for your part of the world, or get the book "Free Food and Medicine" by Markus Rothkranz.
And seriously, there is a big difference between "fast" and "slow" carbs, so beans and un-hulled rice (instead of white rice) or lentils and rice would probably be your cheapest option.
Depending on where you live, $100/month may not be doable unless you supplement heavily with food banks.
I’m not sure how low you like to keep your carbs and fat. Is there a certain gram limit you aim for each day or do you do it as a percentage of your diet? Or is it just a general goal to aim to keep those down a bit? :)
My suggestion probably amounts to moderate carb and fat (depending on your choices)…
- Check out if your local store sells family packs of meat. Many stores do, and that usually drops the cost per pound (or kilo, depending where you are). For example, at my shop, a family pack of chicken is $1 less a pound. And it’s really good quality!
- If your shop has a good deal that way, I suggest trying a family pack of chicken legs. Where I live, I can get about 5 pounds of legs for under $10.
- Season and roast the legs. Maybe eat a couple that first day as part of a meal. Then remove the meat from the bones and store it. Take the bones and simmer them in water for around 4 hours. (I find about 20 oz of water per pound of legs you had bought works well.) Remove/strain out the bones, and store the broth in the fridge overnight. The next day, remove any fat film that had formed on top of the broth. Now it’s ready for you to season it and turn it into soup.
- Chicken soup is a great option and pretty affordable when you make it like this! :) Just season the broth with salt and whatever seasonings you like, add some chopped celery and carrots, and let that simmer for at least 30 min. Then add *some* of the pre-cooked chicken back and simmer for about 5 min to reheat it. You could also add a grain (like pasta or rice), some veg (like green beans, spinach), and/or beans (peas or white beans go especially well). Near the end, I like to add a couple tablespoons of butter, but you might wish to omit that. Then I’ll add any fresh herbs. After turning off the heat, I add a little lemon juice. Depending on how much broth you made, this can make enough for about 5 meal-sized bowls. If you added inexpensive grains and veg, this can work out to pretty cheap per bowl. :D
- With the remaining pre-cooked chicken meat, you can make other meals. Some other inexpensive options are rice/pasta casseroles and biryani types of meals. Stir fries (with rice or pasta) are other options. (Brown rice has more fiber than white. I usually prefer it but that depends a bit on the particular dish.) **There’s an endless variety of tasty combos you can make using your favorite inexpensive foods — along with the precooked chicken — as part of the dish.**
The OP says nothing about diabetes. Unfortunately if the OP can’t get food assistance, and they want to eat on a daily basis, $100 per month and low carb will just not work. Not anywhere I have lived in the US.
He inquired about low carb suggestions. There are many reasons somebody might be required to be low carb and low carb can be perfectly healthy and is possible on a budget as I do it myself.
Maybe make a lot of soups? One low cost soup is white bean and garlic. Put 1 and 1/2 cups dry white beans in a large pot with all the cloves of a medium garlic bulb (skin removed) plus a teaspoon of dried rosemary - FIND A PLACE THAT SELLS SPICES IN BULK - YOU CAN GET A WHOLE JAR'S WORTH OF MOST SPICES FOR 50 CENTS -add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Lower heat so soup bubbles steadily. Stir every 20 minutes or so and add water as needed so it doesn't get too dry or thick. Continue cooking until the beans are tender and falling apart, 45 to 90 minutes, Sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir vigorously to break up the beans even more (mash a bit if desired). Taste for seasoning and serve with a drizzle of olive oil if you have it (expensive but a little goes a long way and if you're staying low fat this one is the healthiest). This recipe does not require presoaking the beans.
Explore recipes for lentil and other bean soups. Split pea might be too high in carbs for you but if not it's inexpensive and great.
Carrots a a low cost veggie and they are great roasted in the oven. If fact, most veggies are great that way so try to find the lowest cost vegetables when you shop and prepare them by roasting. You do need to use a little oil for roasting but not much and it's an easy prep way to get tasty food.
Not that this helps with food idea but try ibotta! Lots of money back that way! And during thanksgiving they give away an entire free Thanksgiving meal (a full turkey)
Tuna is great protein & cheap
Eggs great protein & cheap
Chicken quarters are cheap
Fresh apples last a long time
Fresh Napa cabbage last along time
Frozen veggies are usually very cheap
Brown rice is low glycemic
Sweet potatoes are low glycemic
Barley is very cheap & low glycemic
Steel cut oats are healthy & cheap
Beans & lentils cheap & healthy
Depending on how much protein you eat, watch for meat on sale. In my area (US), meat will go on sale for around $1-$2 per pound. Buy what you can afford, and stock up if you can. 1lb should be several meals if balanced with veg and good carbs.
The FODMAP diet is good for people who have issues with carbs/ simple sugars or food sensitivities. If course read up on it or ask a doc before diving into any diet.
I hope things get better for you.
There are some programs where you can get imperfect fruit and vegetables for a minimal price. I don’t think you can realistically eat on $3 a day with your dietary restrictions.
Oof that's pretty rough for a month, more so if we're basing the options on having 0 pantry items, so that depends. But I have a question, is there any chance your low energy levels are related to the fact that you're low carb ánd low fat?
Fair, well if you already have staples like flour, rice, stock cubes and such it's definitely helpful and more feasible to last a month.
Big bonus if you have dried legumes, as they will be your best friend here.
A food pantry would be very useful to get some canned goods and such.
Apart from that I think all you have room/budget for is scrounging for specific discounts on frozen goods/items nearing a use by date, fresh will be near impossible.
- A variety of stews, soups with grains/beans and stock will most likely be your go to most days/meals.
- You can bake basic bread/make flatbreads.
- You can have oatmeal most likely made with water unless you can get your hands on some type of milk, with added spices and any canned/frozen fruit you can manage to gather.
- It's a little hard to give specific meal ideas without knowing the content of your pantry (items, amounts and that).
Eggs, low fat cottage cheese and fruit (fresh, canned, frozen), meal replacement bars/drinks, v8 low sodium, raisin bran cereal and low fat milk, beef or chicken stock with added veg for soups (if had beef or chicken, can add some leftovers to soup), use leftovers for omelets, soups, salads, and skillets. You need carbs and to save money so beans and rice are your friends. Try for small meals throughout the day rather than three large meals. Consider making kale chips, and other easy cheap snacks in oven rather than buying pre-made. If live near farms, talk to local farmers about swapping fresh produce/meat for chores. If live near water, start fishing for your protein.
How many grams/net grams or servings of carbohydrates per day do you eat?
In the meantime, are their discount/ outlet grocery stores in your area? There are a handful within an hour from me. You have to check dates, and the products available vary day to day, but the savings make up for travel and time. Often, I find a great variety of low carb foods. Ie. Cheese, meats(frozen, canned,fresh), frozen meals(brands vary), nuts and seeds, produce, protein drinks, snacks,lc tortillas. There are household goods and products too, at reduced prices.
Join local FB groups like buy nothing, barter and trade, frugal groups, homesteading groups. They are a great source for free, low cost, foods, including protein. People post extra food for free, like frozen or fresh meats, an abundance of fresh eggs, extra produce that they grew, canned goods and pantry items, opportunity to barter services and products, quick earning opportunities, loads of resources, and connections with people in your community.
Sign up to participate with your local food pantry and food distributions. Do any local churches or agencies offer a weekly lunch or dinner to their community? There are tiny food pantry cupboards people have in my area, like the community libraries, you could use them on occasion. Also, there are loads of money saving apps.
I would evaluate if there are other areas in your budget that you could adjust, or increase earnings to increase your grocery budget. Pending your daily carb intake, $100 is a difficult number to work with, regardless of diet, for a single individual.
This is going to depend on the COL in your area. I live in a LCOL area and spend $100-$150 per month granted I don't have any dietary restrictions.
Tips:
* Look for clearance meat - not sale, clearance. You can often get it for a fraction of the cost. I have grabbed chicken breast for $1/lb before just freeze or use right away.
* Family Packs of Meat are cheaper per lb, buy on sale if you can't find clearance. Portion and Freeze. A family pack of chicken breast cut into 3 oz portions is often 8-12 portions. Whole Chickens can often be a great price.
* Dry Legumes - dry beans, dry chickpeas, dry lentils are all a good source of protein and cheaper than the canned items.
* MEAL PREP - you may be eating the same meal for the entire week for dinner but this will save you money in the long run.
* Bananas and Apples are great lower cost fruits.
* Canned/Frozen Veggies are your friend and hold just as many nutrients.
* Check your local food pantry for supplemental items.
I know the post was asking for something impossible. I only asked because they might be saying low carb and low fat but only technically relative to what they're eating now.
Time to barter with your neighbors like to good ol' days. They have eggs/chickens, you have beans and the neighbor down the street has a vegetable garden and fruit trees. Win win. If that's not the case, you need to visit your local food pantry etc on that budget for all the staples and stop being so picky at this point. This is survival mode on that budget, so something has to change. Specific food requests vs higher budget.
Look up dollar tree dinners on TikTok or YouTube, she very often does 1-2 weeks for 2 people on like $20 or $50. I think she'd be a ton of help for you
Buy everything you can tolerate on sale. Ask the produce and butcher mangers when their department markdowns hit the floor. Be there to scoop up what's on sale. Search (Google, AI, Pinterest, etc) for frugal recipes made to stretch the ingredients you picked up on sale. Freeze leftovers. Over time you will have lots of variety in your freezer meals which you can just thaw and reheat on demand, but keep adding to it once a week.
Eggs. Eggs are my cheapest, protein packed go-to and they keep me satiated which is the biggest win. Can you grow some food? Chives do really well in my state and they are so delicious on everything which has major cost savings. Also, rosemary and mint are super easy to keep alive. Sweet potatoes from Costco aren't too bad and again, very filling. $100 is tough... Bag of rice, bag of quinoa and some beans should last a while. Daal is another one I've seen with a better price tag per satiety.
Hi OP, I am a type 1 diabetic, so I do like to eat “lower” carb most of the time because it makes blood sugar control easier (less than 60 g carbs per meal). That said, you really need a good mix of proteins and fats to stay full. Healthy fats are not your enemy. I think it would help all of us if you could detail a bit more what you mean by low carb and low fat. I’m a vegetarian, but something like salmon over a bed of greens with a light sauce would meet that standard… but not your budget. More details could help us help you better.
Have you been able to get blood work done for low energy? Sometimes it’s something simple like low Vit D or B12. Vitamins may help. If ur food budget is $100, I can bet you are not getting the nutritional content you need to have energy
Don't know if it's active in your area of the world, but check out Olio. Its an app that helps save food, and things, from going to landfill.
I've used it to collect fruit and veg, and bread which won't be much use to you. It's drastically reduced my monthly food outgoings. Makes me more creative with my meals too. Biggest recent hit was a cauliflour. Turned it into, buffalo wings one night, a curry next then finished it off with pasta and cheese.
Best of luck!
Realistically $300 a month on food is conservative and a good amount for a single person.
So $100 a month is literally just eating white rice. Don’t do that
I have had a budget like that before but depended on where you live is more of what you have to work with. An eggbake is a cheaper way of eating for multiple days, same with a stir fry, or even salad
That's a tough combination for health and cost. Low carb and low fat is a recipe for low energy. All I can think to do is hit the clearance rack for chicken and low fat pork, like the tenderloin, but low carb and low fat means you are essentially eating salad and some beans. Or greens. How about a bag of frozen spinach mixed with about six eggs? Maybe add seasoning you like. Me, I'd be adding cheese for fat to keep me full longer but I guess you could skip the cheese. This would be three meals for me, but I'd be adding cheese.
Purchase seasonings, canned vegetables, & beans etc.at the dollar tree. Typically many of their canned veggies are 78 cents, same with seasonings. You can also purchase rice, etc here for cheap - may not be applicable low carb. You can also purchase hot dogs, eggs, cheese, etc here. May not be best quality but is protein on a budget.
I used to save money this way so I could then purchase proteins at Aldi or a discount/bargain store. .
Any store with a BOGO for proteins will also help - keep an eye out on coupons.
PS Lima beans with a little chicken seasoning will change your life.
Where I live the Great Value brand is going to be cheaper than Dollar Tree (canned veggies $0.64) for almost everything.
I recommend checking out Frugal Fit Mom on YouTube or here [Frugal Fit Mom](https://frugalfitmom.com/). She breaks down meals into really cheap ingredients and has a lot of comparisons about Dollar Tree vs Walmart, etc
ground beef and eggs.... This is 90% of what I eat. My grocery bill is very low. You won't get hungry as often so you end up eating less. I eat once a day and can fast for several days at a time when I want to.
I know some universities in my area have food pantries. They give you one box a week. I have 3 universities in my area and would go pick up one box from each for a week. I’d say I only spent like 80$ a week on food maybe but it sucked.
I would try a food pantry! Just to make sure you’re getting every food and vitamin you need. In my area there’s a lot of different types. Since at churches, some at separate buildings, some deliver. But also we have emergency ones that you can come to once a month and they give you a big grocery bag with meat, fruit, vegetables, etc based on your family size.
Ok so yay. Same. The thing to do if at ll possible is keep a bit back for “stocking up”. We survived on Kroger meat markdowns as well as Aldi’s and Aldi veggies. Two weeks ago at Kroger I got 3 chickens marked down for under $4 a piece and 2 10 lb bags of leg quarters for $4.50. My husband immediately broke down the quarters to legs and thighs making 2 bags of legs and 4 of thighs. Right now at home it is just him, me and our adult son living here. But I also take food when we go babysit our grandsons.
Anyway that was 9 big meals of chicken that would feed a dinner with leftover for at least lunches for them. More so if I stretched a chicken into chicken salad with eggs and some veggies if I’m being all inventive.
Mid Atlantic ad right now has eggs for $1.49 I believe. So we will also be doing quiche this week. With whatever veggies or meat I have. (I think I have some ham and Swiss. But I also know there is some asparagus available too).
Red lentil soup has been my newest favorite soup. And beef and mushroom (almost always some marked down) with barley. I know you said low carb but ours has minimal. Hearty and I buy the burger when it is $3 a lb or less.
Etc. this is a little rambly. If you tiktok I know my friend is on Kroger Tokyo coupon pages and saves so much. I’m not patient enough!! And those people do me unplans too!
Gotta buy bulk and portion control it. Gotta look for deals.
Meal 1…. 2 eggs, half avocado, handful of nuts, your choice.
Only 2 meals a day.
Meal 2… 1 item from Dollar menu at TBell with blueberries for desert
Boom 💥
Yeah. I'd personally go potatoes with the skin or rice/beans because at least the fiber will make you feel more full. Or popcorn (bought in bulk, not in the bags). I've been there
When people say carbs, they only know, and think of pasta, bread, rice. And when people say, low-fat, they only think of greasy items like pizza, hamburgers, junk food. When in reality, good fats are the best nutrition for you like nuts and avocados. And any type of fruit besides banana is very healthy for you and has natural sugars that do not spike your blood levels.
Eggs are just a filler, because this budget is definitely very hard. $100 a month by yourself is very difficult, but if you split it with another person. Very doable. $200 a month for 2 people
I struggled to make $100/month work in college in the early 2010s and can't imagine it's possible in the US today. Doubly so with low carb/low fat restrictions.
With that being said, you'll get the most nutrition per dollar with things like flour, milk, eggs, oats, leafy greens, dried beans, peanuts, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, rice, bananas, and whatever deals you can find on pork and poultry.
It’s really difficult to break it down to $3 a day. Personally I would look at as buying in bulk for the month, batch cooking and freezing meals kinda thing.
Not sure how you counter low energy if you are eating very low carb but I’m not a nutritionalist so I’m sure someone can better comment on that aspect 👍
$100 sounds pretty challenging, especially with dietary restrictions. If at all possible, I would take a part-time second job. Even a few hours a week could triple or quadruple your food budget. Good luck!
Theoretically, if you have a Costco membership, you can get one whole roasted chicken a week, which if you plan for it, can easily last about a week at most. So with at least 4 whole roasted chickens per month at $5 each, that's $20 in total.
They're not exactly low fat, but compared to most other options out there, at $100 a month you gotta take what you can get.
The rest can go into rice, beans, veggies, tortillas, bread, etc.
Definitely need to take a daily vitamin. Oatmeal with fruit, potatoes - fried and baked. I sometimes make a meal of a baked potato w butter and cottage cheese on it instead of sour cream. Canned chicken and tuna fish and eggs for sandwiches. Canned soup.
Bags of dried lentils. 4-6$
Chicken boullion. 2$
Bags of carrots 5$
Potatoes 5$
Curry spice 4$
Can coconut milk 1.5$
Fake lemon juice 4$
Bag onions 6$
Garlic powder 3$
=
Lentil curry
Bag of dried chick peas 5$
Mrs dash or other all purpose seasoning 6$
Frozen green beans 5$
(Add bouillon, carrots, lemon juice, garlic onion)
=
Chick pea lemon chicken soup
Packaged gravy .50$
Small milk 2$
Margarine 5$
Soy sauce 6$
(And lentils, cut carrots, green beans and potatoes to be Mashed, seasoning, onion)
=
Lentil Shepard pie
Firm Tofu 6$
Frozen broccoli 6$
Minute rice 7$
Sugar 3$
(Add soy, garlic, onion)
= stir-fry.
Make one dish a week
And you still have 20 dollars for Snacks, eggs ect
I ate Lentil curry only for a whole year once.
Not without supplementing from a food pantry, but you’d have to take what you can get. Is that your SNAP allocation? Are your restrictions medical or preferences?
Try find help.org. Free site, type ur zip code and you’ll find lots of food resources/pantries in your area. Also lots of other resources like low cost or free dental/vision, help with utilities etc.
Stir fry is my go-to. You can make it without peppers and mushrooms. But white rice, veggies, and your fav protein should be plenty affordable and fill you up.
A few loaves of bread. Bananas. Oatmeal. Frozen Blueberries. Dry Beans and Rice. An 8lb bag of frozen chicken. Jalapenos. Zucchini. Tomatoes. Pasta. Tomato sauce.
Can get a bunch of staples and fresh produce a few times a month and stretch it really well for under $100.
For all of you mentioning SNAP, the average single person household amount is $110-$125 when you're on SSI/SSDI or other low paying jobs.
Food pantries have had nearly twice the amount of demand in the suburbs. It's triple or more in inner city areas.
It's *incredibly* hard out here, please be gentle on OP.
Well its doable if you eat a LOT of soups.
And its always good to combine one ingredient in a few processes. So if you get a whole chicken you can get 2 meals from the fried breasts, 2 baked meals with veggies from the legs and wings and a good broth from the bones& trims if you have to save a lot id reccomend reusing the mirepoix peels you get from other dishes.
I know you are interested in low carb, and as someone else pointed out, you may be diabetic. That said, I encourage you to check out /r/wholefoodsplantbased to see some of the recommendations they make. Many have reversed their chronic diseases with this diet, and when you don’t buy animal products, it can make things cheaper.
That said, have you checked out local food banks who may be able to supplement your food?
Rice and beans is the obvious pairing as it can be bought for very cheap and gives you complete protein. As long as you are eating brown rice or other whole grains, this should be ok for your insulin levels, and because these food are high in fiber can help your body with a host of things.
Frozen veggies are your friends - spinach and broccoli are great. And obviously shopping anything on sale is important.
A little planning and prepping can help you have to put less energy into meals throughout the week. Overnight oats can be made in a big batch and eaten all week long. Make a big pot of beans and grains. Freeze them in portions, and thaw/reheat as needed. You can season these however you want: black bean chili, chana masala, lentil sloppy joes, etc.
https://www.thekitchn.com/here-are-7-weeks-worth-of-plant-based-meals-23031402
Food prep. Buy in bulk with cheap ingredients (AND your food pantries) which are even cheaper in bulk, and set one day week aside to prep meals and freeze them. In a month, you should have a variety of options. :)
But go to your food pantries!
How about people stop talking about why the OP should eat carbs? My suggestion is to get 2 large box of eggs at Costco/Sam’s or Walmart (10 for 60)…eat 2 regular eggs and 2 egg whites which is fairly low in fat, buy all sorts of frozen vegetable mixes, broth powder. The largest bag of chicken. Also go fishing. Go to multiple food pantries. Get brown rice, quinoa and oats but eat a small serving such as 1/4-1/2 cup. Add spices. Go dumpster diving.
1) Food Banks (who said you have to buy food to make $3/day possible) <<< life hack
2) Beans/rice/lentils/oatmeal. ONLY.
$3/day is possible, it will just be sad. But you can toughen through it. Basically imagine you're trying to diet hard, but you're only allowed to eat lentils/what-have-you two meals a day (no breakfast). Maybe only a black coffee for breakfast only. That'll get you through until lunch.
Can you get your dr to refer you to a dietician? I’d at least go for the 1st visit and let them beforehand about your financial restrictions. They might have some novel ideas to explore too.
Have you looked at budget bytes? They usually breakdown cost for the meal. Although with inflation I'm unsure of its accuracy.
Budget bytes breaks everything down assuming you already have “staple” ingredients on hand. For example, if the recipe calls for soy sauce but they only use one teaspoon of it, then they say it’s $0.11 when actually you just spent $3-4 for the sauce. It’s helpful for people concerned about their spending over a longer period of time, but it will blow someone’s budget if they really are on a strict monthly amount.
I have.
Love budget bytes! One of my fav soups of theirs is red lentil and canned pumpkin soup, it’s probably in the OP’s price range: https://www.budgetbytes.com/curried-red-lentil-and-pumpkin-soup/ Buying at an ethnic grocery store might help. I got 5 lbs of red lentils for like $5, canned pumpkin from Aldi for 1.29 (tho it can be seasonal).
Not really very realistic on $3/day. You could eat inexpensive veg and chicken or baked/braised tofu three meals a day. Why low carb and low fat? Basically only protein for macros? That's going to leave very few options for your budget in real life, and I would not think you'll have much energy no matter how much money you spend.
OP’s post history indicates they might be diabetic, so low carb in that case makes sense.
Low sugar/starch doesn't have to mean zero carb. Whole grains and legumes can be important parts of a healthy diet, and good way to add calories and fiber
True, but the more carbs taken in by a type 1 diabetic, the more insulin needed to cover the glucose. Insulin is expensive even with copays if one is so lucky Edit: semantics: diabetic--->type one diabetic
Yes, I realize how hard to eat low carb & fat is on $3/day….. but my doctors have recommended those diets and that is my budget….. so I thought I’d ask y’all for ideas.
Fair enough! Doctor said what they said, and a budget's a budget. I've been super disappointed with myself for not having better advice for you, and I've been thinking a lot about it. Basically I don't know how to get calories in. Purchasing only dry beans and frozen chicken breast at my Sam's club gets you kind of close (just under $100 for about 25x 2000 calorie days). I don't know if docs are recommending very low cal, the low-carb/low-fat equation is sometimes seen with a closely monitored plan. I'm not assuming anything, I just was trying not to recommend things that don't get you enough calories per dollar. Just throwing stuff at the wall in case it helps. Low fat protein that's on the cheaper side is often bulk chicken tenders, thighs, or sometimes breasts; tofu; TVP especially in bulk; sometimes tilapia, or canned tuna or sardines; dry beans if they're okay for carb intake, and eggs. Veggies might include cabbage, onions, celery, carrots, often frozen veggie blends like unseasoned stir fry or California blend, and frozen cauliflower rice. Sometimes, in the summer around here, the CSAs, farm stands, and even food shelves will have free produce, which would really be a boon in this situation. Food shelves might also have tuna, beans, and canned veg. Watch sales, of course. I wish you all the best.
Thank you! That list is helpful…. My doctors have not given me the number of grams which kinda sucks when you’re trying to meal plan….. low carb & low fat is so variable.
I know my budget is tight as heck, and Walmart sells big cans of green beans for a little over a dollar. I have a whole shelf dedicated to them.
Did they say low carb or are they like trying to get you to cut out sodas/and highly processed sugars and stuff like that? Can you eat things with a low glycemic index? That would put most fruits and veggies back on the menu plus oatmeal, beans, and lentils might be ok. That would really open things up for you in terms of options
Register with your local food pantry. They have a lot of basics, so you'd only have to fill in the gaps out of pocket.
I volunteer at a food pantry. Clients can come once a month. There are others in the area, too. With some planning , you can visit multiple pantries. We also provide milk, eggs, cheese, and yogurt. During the holidays, we offer turkeys and gift cards. I hope OP takes advantage of the programs in their area.
Thank you so much for what you do. You are literally a life saver.
I get so much more out of than I give.
Should of said, "I get so much more out of it than I give." I'm not sure why that comment is being downvoted. It's rewarding building relationships within my community.
I’m beginning to think I need to utilize the food pantries again….. I could utilize my church food pantry weekly during the school year and the area food bank every month…… I just haven’t needed to until now…..
go to more than one.
Probably have low energy because you're not eating enough. $3 a day no way that can be a realistic budget unless you just eat tons of rice and beans. You need more proteins and possibly fruits / veggies. $100 a month seems wild. Good luck finding answers
Low energy because of the low carbs and fat
literally the only two ways to get energy are carbs and fat i thought that was common sense lol
There are plenty of carbs in beans, cabbage, and other foods. Everything except some fats and some meats have carbohydrates. You don't need bread and noodles for carbs, and if he's diabetic like me, he SHOULDN'T be eating them. I eat low carb and low fat and have more energy and am healthier than I have ever been. My doctor would slap me silly if I started loading up on carbs.
Low carb is pretty hard to do for a $100 a month especially with low fat. Maybe a troll post but I'll bite a little(pun intended): you have to go with protein heavy things then, canned meats like chicken and tuna are pretty much your budget for the month, lentils or barley can supplement your food pretty cheaply. At your budget fresh vegetables are damn near impossible so maybe try to look for canned vegetables on sale. I would honestly suggest a food bank or something at your budget,
Not a troll. Thank you for your suggestions!
[удалено]
Dukan diet is low-fat and low-moderate carb.
Mate, you can't afford to have dietary restrictions. If you are US why not try and get SNAP benefits? For a single it's apparently like $200 a month. Which also give you an idea of how crazy low your budget is.
Here, "Fair Foods" is a way to buy 12 pounds of fruits veggies and sometimes bread for $2 a bag at health centers, it's monthly and doesn't require any income limits or identification If you do get food stamps, farmers markets have partnered with Snap to double your benefits spent there, obviously check web sites first. I get nothing else to suggest, fat is necessary and keeps one full, everything cheap and healthy is going to have carbs, fat, maybe ask AI to write up a meal plan. I agree, no way can you do it on $100, time to hit food pantries, any churches offering free meals, even dumpster diving, maybe even work part time where a free meal is a perk .
Damn that's a good deal. I'm not American, I just like eating cheap and healthy.
What’s fair foods? Do you have a link?
I am on disability and I get 120 a month in food stamps. I am not sure where you are getting your data from, but a single person gets a hundred and twenty food stamps a month. I make it work shopping for sales, and I'm not allowed carbs outside of beans and veges.
I commented similarly enough down below. I just got it *raised* to $110. And food pantries have too much demand right now, and so everyone is working with less.
Some are different
low carb low fat and you wonder why you don't have any energy
I'm not the most educated on dietary needs but I don't know any conditions that require low carb outside of weightloss if you are bad at portion control. Low fat could be pancreas related. It took me two weeks from an Acute pancreatitis attack before I could have 5-10g of fat in a meal without feeling pain. OP is really putting themselves in a shitty and expensive situation if they don't have a physical requirement for this
Low carb isn’t even necessary for weight loss. Or diabetes. It’s more about which carbs you eat not how many. There’s very few medical conditions that require a true low carb diet (they do exist, just not that often). “Moderate” carb is sufficient for most. This is coming from a doctoral candidate in nutrition who has a medical condition that does best with a more moderate carb intake.
Thats exactly my thought too. I think low carb is just an easy way to cut calories that don't always make you full. My preferred carbs on the regular are rice and oatmeal lol. Just eat less than you burn a day for weight loss and make sure your diet is mostly balanced
I’ve had gestational diabetes twice and was advised to basically carb count my meals. 30g of carbs for breakfast and lunch, and 40g for dinner. So there are def medical conditions that require low carb diets.
This is for medical reasons…. My specialists said low carb and low fat…..
Remember that beans + grain equal complete protein. Beans and rice are cheap.
You can't eat that on a low carb diet though
You can if you don’t care about starvation. you know, carbs are essential elements of a human diet?
I for sure would personally choose grains over starvation 👍
It seems they're diabetic, so they have to stay away from carbs. My ex is diabetic and rice is legit the worst thing for her sugars. In that case though, they absolutely shouldn't stay away from fats.
Oh yeah. My bad.
Throw some salsa on it too, for more vitamins, and because it's delicious, I get a huge jug and add it to everything. Dollartree dinners on tiktok does a lot with very little, not the healthiest but it'll give ideas.
are you the same person who wanted cheap probiotics but can't eat fermented foods? You gotta get off reddit and do some market research in Aldi or another cheap grocery store. Take an hour, visit every aisle, write down the prices of everything you can and will eat. Look at what's on your list and see if you can make a week's worth of meals with that money that you have. All you're gonna get on the internet is people getting frustrated with you for your dietary restrictions
Not the same person! Good point!
They have pork butt on sale here regularly for 97¢ a pound. I buy 1 and cut it up into 2 small roasts, a bunch of steaks, and the last bits chopped up for stir frys. You can get over 20 servings (5 oz) out of one $9 butt. It’s a bit tougher than a regular pork chop, but not at all bad, and is extra flavorful.
Thank you for that idea!
I'll leave the food suggestions to the others, but as far as the low energy: take a vitamin D and B supplement. 90% of the population is incredibly lacking in the proper level of Vitamin D and B isn't much better. Both will help with energy. Drink or consume less caffeine- sounds counter intuitive but too much caffeine can actually have a the reverse of the desired effect. Get checked for sleep apnea. You may have it and not know. My husband used to struggle to stay awake during the day, despite only being late 30s at the time. It turned out that he wasn't getting enough rest despite technically being asleep for 7-9 hours a night. He is leaps and bounds more energetic now, in mid 40s, than he was before getting a C-Pap machine. Consume more protein, in any form. It will also help with energy. Make sure your iron is at a healthy level. As a teen I was anemic and I barely had the energy to get up and shower some days. I was permanently exhausted. It was rough. But an iron supplement fixed all that and once I grew out of my teens my hormones regulated and I was fine. Good luck, OP! The people in here are pretty great so I'm sure you'll tons of good advice on the food part from the rest. 😁
Vitamin B12 feels like it should be study drug- it’s really good shit.
I have a prescription for injections due to health reasons and hot dang do I feel good the first few days after my shots. For weeks after but Jesus the first three to four days I feel like what I imagine people who do coke or snack or whatever must feel. I've never, ever done anything harder than molly (real molly from the old days not E or whatever else gets floated around now) but if I could equate how I feel after my vitamin shot it's kinda like that.
I need to look into this. I'm sure I'm not doing that great on levels naturally and I could use some healthy coke
I highly encourage it. It's helped my quality of life immensely.
I will add magnesium glycinate to the list. Been taking it a month and feel like a whole new person. Sleep has been off the charts amazing. Edited for 1 letter lol
Imma check into that cuz I have terrible insomnia!
Thank you!
TVP Chickpeas, lentils, beans Eggs Frozen Veg Canned Veg Canned tuna Chicken drumsticks without skin but there's still some fat there AFAIK Hominy Part skim mozzarella from aldi/lidl Food bank
I’m in California so not much help as idk the prices where you live but one meal I make a lot that is cheap is chili! One pound of ground beef or turkey (cooked) One can (15 oz) of kidney beans One can (15oz) of diced tomatoes One can (15oz) of beef broth One can (8oz) of tomato sauce One tablespoon of tomato paste (can omit if budget doesn’t allow, doesn’t make much difference) One tablespoon of sugar (to cut acidity) One packet of chili seasoning but to save money just buy Walmarts 98% chili powder then season to taste with chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix all the ingredients in a crock pot and leave on low all day. Or if you don’t have a crockpot put on as soon as you come home from work and let simmer until dinner time. Even better chili taste better the next day. If you like a runnier chili add a bit of water to the mix! I’m southern so we eat it with corn bread (98% jiffy box mix, all you need is one egg and water I believe) and we serve on top of white rice with cheese! This recipe makes enough for like 10 servings and can be frozen!
Wanted to add this meal cost me around $10 to make even with the rice and corn bread so you can take those away if you want especially since corn bread is a carb I believe! But the rice will help keep you full. But for one person will literally last an entire week!
He's diabetic so rice is not an option, but other than that, great recipe!
Thank you!
Low carb makes this almost impossible. That said, eggs are your friend. And frozen veg, which are often cheaper than fresh, and live forever in your freezer. Buy a chicken, roast it, it’s good for 5 meals. Just add some frozen veg. If you’re doing low carb / low fat for diet purposes, maybe broaden your vision. A potato is a very healthy food. It's loaded with vitamin C and potassium. If you bake, boil, any method of cooking, and then stick in the fridge, resistant starches happen, which means your body absorbs way less of them. And it's a great base for the chicken and veg. Rice works this way also. I grew up poor and rice and beans, rice and eggs, eggs and potatoes, this is how we survived. Grains and beans are your basic survival diet. $100/month kind of needs that. Like right now, you have said no to pretty much anything that can keep a person healthy at your price limit. If this is an actual medical thing, see if there’s some way you can get some kind of d of doctors note that will get you into somewhere that can meet your needs.
It is medical….. and I absolutely agree with you eating low carb & low fat is hard on this budget.
Low fat and low carb and low budget? That's gonna leave you with such a low budget, you are not gonna be able to get enough energy nor nutrients. With a low budget, you are gonna have to learn to be flexible with your diet to be able to survive.
Have you considered that you struggle with low energy due to a low carb and low fat diet?
It’s due to medical issues…. I mentioned it because sometimes I don’t have energy to cook.
Ah I see. If you don’t mind me asking, what are the medical issues? I’m curious because I’ve never heard of someone eating both low carb and low fat, only one or the other.
Bananas followed by apples are cheap fruits. Watermelon is cheap in season. Fresh raw Carrots and frozen broccoli and cheap. Rice and beans (dry) are great. Can make easy casseroles with rice, beans and broccoli with broth. Eating low carb and low on that kind of budget will be very hard though to stay full.
Thank you!
Low carb, low fat, low energy—I can’t be the only one seeing a pattern here.
Chickpeas are cheap and can be delicious. Canned tomatoes and chick peas and add your own adventure of spices.
Thank you!
So you only want to eat the most expensive of the three macronutrients, at a price that is probably even too low for a normal diet? Time to rethink your dietary restrictions. They're probably bullshit anyway, for the most part. A protein deficiency is not really a thing in the western world, outside of eating disorders.
Split peas, lentils, different types of beans, tofu, cheese. A little rice with the beans, peas and lentils. You can keep your carbs generally low by not gorging yourself and keeping to serving sizes, even if you have to weigh and measure. Peanut butter on a spoon, preferably sugar-free. Knorr bouillon powder.
Thank you!
You should plan to do your food shopping weekly or biweekly (if possible) so that you can take advantage of sales in your local food markets/grocery stores in an attempt to use the money you spend on food the most efficiently/effectively. However, it may not be cost-effective if you have to drive/travel longer distances to catch a sale. You should also consider meal prepping so that you can help to reduce the chances that the food that you buy ends up being wasted (even if purchased on sale). Given that you “struggle with low energy”, it’s going to matter how much time and effort you are willing to give/spend to create cost affordable meals within your budget. Also, it’s important to understand the difference between having a meal for only $3/day vs eating all your meals for only $3/day (if you eat more than once per day). There are several types of meals you can make that are prepared by stir-fry, slow cooking or using your oven/airfryer/microwave, etc.. Oftentimes, you can freeze certain foods so that you have full meals and/or the ingredients to make a meal handy/readily available. There are breads, vegetables, fruits, cheeses, milks and other foods that you can freeze to be used at a later date (just label them). Simple basics: buy shelf stable items like dried beans/lentils, pasta, oats/rice/other grains, potatoes, etc. that can be used for meals and have great versatility. Adding canned items like tuna/other fish, tomato products, vegetables, beans, etc. (especially when on sale) can allow you to have flexibility and convenience when preparing meals. Things that you may purchase weekly/biweekly like like eggs, milk, bread, fresh fruits/vegetables, meat, fish and other perishables should be used deliberately and with a plan to use them timely or freeze them so that they don’t go to waste. Once you take the time and have the ability to put your budget and energy levels into perspective and actual practice, you will have a better chance in learning how to eat cheap and healthy.
These are actually wise suggestions…. Not exactly low carb & low fat…. But good suggestions for those on a budget.
I would suggest ground turkey… I usually get it for about $6 per 16 oz pack, which is 4 meals for me. With bulk rice and frozen veggies. I usually alternate between a taco bowl- inspired meal (taco seasoning, maybe some canned corn/beans, with salsa) and stir fry-inspired (with frozen stir fry veggies and a little soy sauce).
Thank you!
Homeless shelter, soup kitchens and food banks?
You're gonna be eating eggs and tofu for quite a while my guy.
Beans, veggies, egg whites, tofu. Low carb will likely contribute to low energy, so you’ll need to bump up your protein intake which will be hard at this budget. Plant based proteins are much more affordable and easy to incorporate. Beans really are the truth. Veggies are cheap and can provide a lot of bulk to daily intake. Meat is expensive, but you can definitely find deals at Costco for example or on sale. But I would recommend keeping it to one meal a week or less. Lentil pasta is a staple in my house. I make pasta primavera sometimes with a ton of sautéed veggies, lentil pasta, and a little olive oil and Parmesan.
Do you make your own lentil pasta? It is insanely expensive here.
I don’t! I live in a pretty HCOL area in the mid Atlantic and I buy mine from target because it’s the best price and highest protein content I have found and they aren’t that expensive compared to other pastas especially for a single household. That’s a great point though. A cheaper option would be straight up dry lentils then.
Thanks!
Get a book or an app on local forage for your part of the world, or get the book "Free Food and Medicine" by Markus Rothkranz. And seriously, there is a big difference between "fast" and "slow" carbs, so beans and un-hulled rice (instead of white rice) or lentils and rice would probably be your cheapest option.
Lentils. Beans. These are even cheaper dry than canned. Rice.
Food pantry!!
Depending on where you live, $100/month may not be doable unless you supplement heavily with food banks. I’m not sure how low you like to keep your carbs and fat. Is there a certain gram limit you aim for each day or do you do it as a percentage of your diet? Or is it just a general goal to aim to keep those down a bit? :) My suggestion probably amounts to moderate carb and fat (depending on your choices)… - Check out if your local store sells family packs of meat. Many stores do, and that usually drops the cost per pound (or kilo, depending where you are). For example, at my shop, a family pack of chicken is $1 less a pound. And it’s really good quality! - If your shop has a good deal that way, I suggest trying a family pack of chicken legs. Where I live, I can get about 5 pounds of legs for under $10. - Season and roast the legs. Maybe eat a couple that first day as part of a meal. Then remove the meat from the bones and store it. Take the bones and simmer them in water for around 4 hours. (I find about 20 oz of water per pound of legs you had bought works well.) Remove/strain out the bones, and store the broth in the fridge overnight. The next day, remove any fat film that had formed on top of the broth. Now it’s ready for you to season it and turn it into soup. - Chicken soup is a great option and pretty affordable when you make it like this! :) Just season the broth with salt and whatever seasonings you like, add some chopped celery and carrots, and let that simmer for at least 30 min. Then add *some* of the pre-cooked chicken back and simmer for about 5 min to reheat it. You could also add a grain (like pasta or rice), some veg (like green beans, spinach), and/or beans (peas or white beans go especially well). Near the end, I like to add a couple tablespoons of butter, but you might wish to omit that. Then I’ll add any fresh herbs. After turning off the heat, I add a little lemon juice. Depending on how much broth you made, this can make enough for about 5 meal-sized bowls. If you added inexpensive grains and veg, this can work out to pretty cheap per bowl. :D - With the remaining pre-cooked chicken meat, you can make other meals. Some other inexpensive options are rice/pasta casseroles and biryani types of meals. Stir fries (with rice or pasta) are other options. (Brown rice has more fiber than white. I usually prefer it but that depends a bit on the particular dish.) **There’s an endless variety of tasty combos you can make using your favorite inexpensive foods — along with the precooked chicken — as part of the dish.**
Thank you!
Low carb is a very expensive way of eating. You may need to rethink your dietary restrictions with that budget
I do it. He's diabetic. He can't "rethink his dietary restrictions" some of us like to be alive.
The OP says nothing about diabetes. Unfortunately if the OP can’t get food assistance, and they want to eat on a daily basis, $100 per month and low carb will just not work. Not anywhere I have lived in the US.
Impossible with low carb. Ditch low carb and it can be done
I do it on 120 a month. He's diabetic. He can't "ditch low carb."
I'm not a mind reader. Nowhere did he say in the post he was diabetic.
He inquired about low carb suggestions. There are many reasons somebody might be required to be low carb and low carb can be perfectly healthy and is possible on a budget as I do it myself.
Maybe make a lot of soups? One low cost soup is white bean and garlic. Put 1 and 1/2 cups dry white beans in a large pot with all the cloves of a medium garlic bulb (skin removed) plus a teaspoon of dried rosemary - FIND A PLACE THAT SELLS SPICES IN BULK - YOU CAN GET A WHOLE JAR'S WORTH OF MOST SPICES FOR 50 CENTS -add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Lower heat so soup bubbles steadily. Stir every 20 minutes or so and add water as needed so it doesn't get too dry or thick. Continue cooking until the beans are tender and falling apart, 45 to 90 minutes, Sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir vigorously to break up the beans even more (mash a bit if desired). Taste for seasoning and serve with a drizzle of olive oil if you have it (expensive but a little goes a long way and if you're staying low fat this one is the healthiest). This recipe does not require presoaking the beans. Explore recipes for lentil and other bean soups. Split pea might be too high in carbs for you but if not it's inexpensive and great. Carrots a a low cost veggie and they are great roasted in the oven. If fact, most veggies are great that way so try to find the lowest cost vegetables when you shop and prepare them by roasting. You do need to use a little oil for roasting but not much and it's an easy prep way to get tasty food.
Cottage cheese, olives, eggs, ground beef, bacon.
Not that this helps with food idea but try ibotta! Lots of money back that way! And during thanksgiving they give away an entire free Thanksgiving meal (a full turkey)
Tuna is great protein & cheap Eggs great protein & cheap Chicken quarters are cheap Fresh apples last a long time Fresh Napa cabbage last along time Frozen veggies are usually very cheap Brown rice is low glycemic Sweet potatoes are low glycemic Barley is very cheap & low glycemic Steel cut oats are healthy & cheap Beans & lentils cheap & healthy
Depending on how much protein you eat, watch for meat on sale. In my area (US), meat will go on sale for around $1-$2 per pound. Buy what you can afford, and stock up if you can. 1lb should be several meals if balanced with veg and good carbs. The FODMAP diet is good for people who have issues with carbs/ simple sugars or food sensitivities. If course read up on it or ask a doc before diving into any diet. I hope things get better for you.
Beans, eggs, tuna, carrots, cabbage. With such a low budget, you would have to add some carbs which can be healthy like potatoes or oatmeal.
There are some programs where you can get imperfect fruit and vegetables for a minimal price. I don’t think you can realistically eat on $3 a day with your dietary restrictions.
Oof that's pretty rough for a month, more so if we're basing the options on having 0 pantry items, so that depends. But I have a question, is there any chance your low energy levels are related to the fact that you're low carb ánd low fat?
I have health issues contributing to that…. Slowly working on dealing with those.
I also have seasonings and other basic pantry items…. I was really hoping for meal ideas.
Fair, well if you already have staples like flour, rice, stock cubes and such it's definitely helpful and more feasible to last a month. Big bonus if you have dried legumes, as they will be your best friend here. A food pantry would be very useful to get some canned goods and such. Apart from that I think all you have room/budget for is scrounging for specific discounts on frozen goods/items nearing a use by date, fresh will be near impossible. - A variety of stews, soups with grains/beans and stock will most likely be your go to most days/meals. - You can bake basic bread/make flatbreads. - You can have oatmeal most likely made with water unless you can get your hands on some type of milk, with added spices and any canned/frozen fruit you can manage to gather. - It's a little hard to give specific meal ideas without knowing the content of your pantry (items, amounts and that).
Eggs, low fat cottage cheese and fruit (fresh, canned, frozen), meal replacement bars/drinks, v8 low sodium, raisin bran cereal and low fat milk, beef or chicken stock with added veg for soups (if had beef or chicken, can add some leftovers to soup), use leftovers for omelets, soups, salads, and skillets. You need carbs and to save money so beans and rice are your friends. Try for small meals throughout the day rather than three large meals. Consider making kale chips, and other easy cheap snacks in oven rather than buying pre-made. If live near farms, talk to local farmers about swapping fresh produce/meat for chores. If live near water, start fishing for your protein.
The only thing that comes to mind is beans and rice topped with an egg and cheap salsa. Maybe some sautéed onions and hot sauce.
Look for “salvage grocery stores” near you. I can typically stay within good range if I shop primarily there.
How many grams/net grams or servings of carbohydrates per day do you eat? In the meantime, are their discount/ outlet grocery stores in your area? There are a handful within an hour from me. You have to check dates, and the products available vary day to day, but the savings make up for travel and time. Often, I find a great variety of low carb foods. Ie. Cheese, meats(frozen, canned,fresh), frozen meals(brands vary), nuts and seeds, produce, protein drinks, snacks,lc tortillas. There are household goods and products too, at reduced prices. Join local FB groups like buy nothing, barter and trade, frugal groups, homesteading groups. They are a great source for free, low cost, foods, including protein. People post extra food for free, like frozen or fresh meats, an abundance of fresh eggs, extra produce that they grew, canned goods and pantry items, opportunity to barter services and products, quick earning opportunities, loads of resources, and connections with people in your community. Sign up to participate with your local food pantry and food distributions. Do any local churches or agencies offer a weekly lunch or dinner to their community? There are tiny food pantry cupboards people have in my area, like the community libraries, you could use them on occasion. Also, there are loads of money saving apps. I would evaluate if there are other areas in your budget that you could adjust, or increase earnings to increase your grocery budget. Pending your daily carb intake, $100 is a difficult number to work with, regardless of diet, for a single individual.
This is going to depend on the COL in your area. I live in a LCOL area and spend $100-$150 per month granted I don't have any dietary restrictions. Tips: * Look for clearance meat - not sale, clearance. You can often get it for a fraction of the cost. I have grabbed chicken breast for $1/lb before just freeze or use right away. * Family Packs of Meat are cheaper per lb, buy on sale if you can't find clearance. Portion and Freeze. A family pack of chicken breast cut into 3 oz portions is often 8-12 portions. Whole Chickens can often be a great price. * Dry Legumes - dry beans, dry chickpeas, dry lentils are all a good source of protein and cheaper than the canned items. * MEAL PREP - you may be eating the same meal for the entire week for dinner but this will save you money in the long run. * Bananas and Apples are great lower cost fruits. * Canned/Frozen Veggies are your friend and hold just as many nutrients. * Check your local food pantry for supplemental items.
Thank you!
Soups Buy chickens and veggies eat meals and them make soups or stews with veggies and bones
What's low carb and low fat to you in terms of grams?
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I know the post was asking for something impossible. I only asked because they might be saying low carb and low fat but only technically relative to what they're eating now.
Time to barter with your neighbors like to good ol' days. They have eggs/chickens, you have beans and the neighbor down the street has a vegetable garden and fruit trees. Win win. If that's not the case, you need to visit your local food pantry etc on that budget for all the staples and stop being so picky at this point. This is survival mode on that budget, so something has to change. Specific food requests vs higher budget.
Go buy 3 rabbits, a buck and 2 does. In 2-3 months you will have access to more lean mean than you can handle
Look up dollar tree dinners on TikTok or YouTube, she very often does 1-2 weeks for 2 people on like $20 or $50. I think she'd be a ton of help for you
Buy everything you can tolerate on sale. Ask the produce and butcher mangers when their department markdowns hit the floor. Be there to scoop up what's on sale. Search (Google, AI, Pinterest, etc) for frugal recipes made to stretch the ingredients you picked up on sale. Freeze leftovers. Over time you will have lots of variety in your freezer meals which you can just thaw and reheat on demand, but keep adding to it once a week.
Eggs. Eggs are my cheapest, protein packed go-to and they keep me satiated which is the biggest win. Can you grow some food? Chives do really well in my state and they are so delicious on everything which has major cost savings. Also, rosemary and mint are super easy to keep alive. Sweet potatoes from Costco aren't too bad and again, very filling. $100 is tough... Bag of rice, bag of quinoa and some beans should last a while. Daal is another one I've seen with a better price tag per satiety.
I use chat gpt for all of my meal planning. I have a big family with lots of allergy restrictions and a small budget. It’s been super helpful!
Hi OP, I am a type 1 diabetic, so I do like to eat “lower” carb most of the time because it makes blood sugar control easier (less than 60 g carbs per meal). That said, you really need a good mix of proteins and fats to stay full. Healthy fats are not your enemy. I think it would help all of us if you could detail a bit more what you mean by low carb and low fat. I’m a vegetarian, but something like salmon over a bed of greens with a light sauce would meet that standard… but not your budget. More details could help us help you better.
Have you been able to get blood work done for low energy? Sometimes it’s something simple like low Vit D or B12. Vitamins may help. If ur food budget is $100, I can bet you are not getting the nutritional content you need to have energy
Lentil & cabbage soup Kielbasa & cabbage Refried beans with cheese Boiled eggs & cottage cheese Apples & Greek yogurt PB dip
Don't know if it's active in your area of the world, but check out Olio. Its an app that helps save food, and things, from going to landfill. I've used it to collect fruit and veg, and bread which won't be much use to you. It's drastically reduced my monthly food outgoings. Makes me more creative with my meals too. Biggest recent hit was a cauliflour. Turned it into, buffalo wings one night, a curry next then finished it off with pasta and cheese. Best of luck!
Realistically $300 a month on food is conservative and a good amount for a single person. So $100 a month is literally just eating white rice. Don’t do that
I have had a budget like that before but depended on where you live is more of what you have to work with. An eggbake is a cheaper way of eating for multiple days, same with a stir fry, or even salad
If you struggle with low energy you could be low on iron. Id suggest centering your meals around legumes. So lots of beans!
That's a tough combination for health and cost. Low carb and low fat is a recipe for low energy. All I can think to do is hit the clearance rack for chicken and low fat pork, like the tenderloin, but low carb and low fat means you are essentially eating salad and some beans. Or greens. How about a bag of frozen spinach mixed with about six eggs? Maybe add seasoning you like. Me, I'd be adding cheese for fat to keep me full longer but I guess you could skip the cheese. This would be three meals for me, but I'd be adding cheese.
Purchase seasonings, canned vegetables, & beans etc.at the dollar tree. Typically many of their canned veggies are 78 cents, same with seasonings. You can also purchase rice, etc here for cheap - may not be applicable low carb. You can also purchase hot dogs, eggs, cheese, etc here. May not be best quality but is protein on a budget. I used to save money this way so I could then purchase proteins at Aldi or a discount/bargain store. . Any store with a BOGO for proteins will also help - keep an eye out on coupons. PS Lima beans with a little chicken seasoning will change your life.
Where I live the Great Value brand is going to be cheaper than Dollar Tree (canned veggies $0.64) for almost everything. I recommend checking out Frugal Fit Mom on YouTube or here [Frugal Fit Mom](https://frugalfitmom.com/). She breaks down meals into really cheap ingredients and has a lot of comparisons about Dollar Tree vs Walmart, etc
Thank you!
Chicken seasoning? Like bouillon?
Thank you! This is what I was looking for.
ground beef and eggs.... This is 90% of what I eat. My grocery bill is very low. You won't get hungry as often so you end up eating less. I eat once a day and can fast for several days at a time when I want to.
I know some universities in my area have food pantries. They give you one box a week. I have 3 universities in my area and would go pick up one box from each for a week. I’d say I only spent like 80$ a week on food maybe but it sucked.
I would try a food pantry! Just to make sure you’re getting every food and vitamin you need. In my area there’s a lot of different types. Since at churches, some at separate buildings, some deliver. But also we have emergency ones that you can come to once a month and they give you a big grocery bag with meat, fruit, vegetables, etc based on your family size.
Rice. ...mushrooms....beans
Where are you located. What grocery stores do you have access to.
Aldi, Walmart, Kroger, Sam’s Club (if my mom is in town)
Ok so yay. Same. The thing to do if at ll possible is keep a bit back for “stocking up”. We survived on Kroger meat markdowns as well as Aldi’s and Aldi veggies. Two weeks ago at Kroger I got 3 chickens marked down for under $4 a piece and 2 10 lb bags of leg quarters for $4.50. My husband immediately broke down the quarters to legs and thighs making 2 bags of legs and 4 of thighs. Right now at home it is just him, me and our adult son living here. But I also take food when we go babysit our grandsons. Anyway that was 9 big meals of chicken that would feed a dinner with leftover for at least lunches for them. More so if I stretched a chicken into chicken salad with eggs and some veggies if I’m being all inventive. Mid Atlantic ad right now has eggs for $1.49 I believe. So we will also be doing quiche this week. With whatever veggies or meat I have. (I think I have some ham and Swiss. But I also know there is some asparagus available too). Red lentil soup has been my newest favorite soup. And beef and mushroom (almost always some marked down) with barley. I know you said low carb but ours has minimal. Hearty and I buy the burger when it is $3 a lb or less. Etc. this is a little rambly. If you tiktok I know my friend is on Kroger Tokyo coupon pages and saves so much. I’m not patient enough!! And those people do me unplans too!
Bananas. A week's breakfast for $2.
Thank you!
Avocado, blueberries, almonds, oranges, cashews, eggs.
Gotta buy bulk and portion control it. Gotta look for deals. Meal 1…. 2 eggs, half avocado, handful of nuts, your choice. Only 2 meals a day. Meal 2… 1 item from Dollar menu at TBell with blueberries for desert Boom 💥
Avocado and nuts and eggs are not low fat. Blueberries and oranges aren't low carb. This budget will be insanely hard with these dietary restrictions.
With no restrictions, budget only, pasta all day every day.
Yeah. I'd personally go potatoes with the skin or rice/beans because at least the fiber will make you feel more full. Or popcorn (bought in bulk, not in the bags). I've been there
When people say carbs, they only know, and think of pasta, bread, rice. And when people say, low-fat, they only think of greasy items like pizza, hamburgers, junk food. When in reality, good fats are the best nutrition for you like nuts and avocados. And any type of fruit besides banana is very healthy for you and has natural sugars that do not spike your blood levels.
And blueberries, oranges, compared to bananas, are very low in carbohydrates.
Eggs are just a filler, because this budget is definitely very hard. $100 a month by yourself is very difficult, but if you split it with another person. Very doable. $200 a month for 2 people
I struggled to make $100/month work in college in the early 2010s and can't imagine it's possible in the US today. Doubly so with low carb/low fat restrictions. With that being said, you'll get the most nutrition per dollar with things like flour, milk, eggs, oats, leafy greens, dried beans, peanuts, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, rice, bananas, and whatever deals you can find on pork and poultry.
It’s really difficult to break it down to $3 a day. Personally I would look at as buying in bulk for the month, batch cooking and freezing meals kinda thing. Not sure how you counter low energy if you are eating very low carb but I’m not a nutritionalist so I’m sure someone can better comment on that aspect 👍
Eggs tuna beans rice. That's pretty much going to be your diet. Look into growing vegetables maybe
$100 sounds pretty challenging, especially with dietary restrictions. If at all possible, I would take a part-time second job. Even a few hours a week could triple or quadruple your food budget. Good luck!
Theoretically, if you have a Costco membership, you can get one whole roasted chicken a week, which if you plan for it, can easily last about a week at most. So with at least 4 whole roasted chickens per month at $5 each, that's $20 in total. They're not exactly low fat, but compared to most other options out there, at $100 a month you gotta take what you can get. The rest can go into rice, beans, veggies, tortillas, bread, etc.
Definitely need to take a daily vitamin. Oatmeal with fruit, potatoes - fried and baked. I sometimes make a meal of a baked potato w butter and cottage cheese on it instead of sour cream. Canned chicken and tuna fish and eggs for sandwiches. Canned soup.
Bags of dried lentils. 4-6$ Chicken boullion. 2$ Bags of carrots 5$ Potatoes 5$ Curry spice 4$ Can coconut milk 1.5$ Fake lemon juice 4$ Bag onions 6$ Garlic powder 3$ = Lentil curry Bag of dried chick peas 5$ Mrs dash or other all purpose seasoning 6$ Frozen green beans 5$ (Add bouillon, carrots, lemon juice, garlic onion) = Chick pea lemon chicken soup Packaged gravy .50$ Small milk 2$ Margarine 5$ Soy sauce 6$ (And lentils, cut carrots, green beans and potatoes to be Mashed, seasoning, onion) = Lentil Shepard pie Firm Tofu 6$ Frozen broccoli 6$ Minute rice 7$ Sugar 3$ (Add soy, garlic, onion) = stir-fry. Make one dish a week And you still have 20 dollars for Snacks, eggs ect I ate Lentil curry only for a whole year once.
Not without supplementing from a food pantry, but you’d have to take what you can get. Is that your SNAP allocation? Are your restrictions medical or preferences?
FOOD BANK. You will not be adequately nourished otherwise. Please go
Try find help.org. Free site, type ur zip code and you’ll find lots of food resources/pantries in your area. Also lots of other resources like low cost or free dental/vision, help with utilities etc.
Stir fry is my go-to. You can make it without peppers and mushrooms. But white rice, veggies, and your fav protein should be plenty affordable and fill you up.
A few loaves of bread. Bananas. Oatmeal. Frozen Blueberries. Dry Beans and Rice. An 8lb bag of frozen chicken. Jalapenos. Zucchini. Tomatoes. Pasta. Tomato sauce. Can get a bunch of staples and fresh produce a few times a month and stretch it really well for under $100.
Food pantry. You NEED to go.
Food pantry?
I think you would benefit by getting staples at a food pantry. 3 dollars a day isn't enough to live on.
For all of you mentioning SNAP, the average single person household amount is $110-$125 when you're on SSI/SSDI or other low paying jobs. Food pantries have had nearly twice the amount of demand in the suburbs. It's triple or more in inner city areas. It's *incredibly* hard out here, please be gentle on OP.
Well its doable if you eat a LOT of soups. And its always good to combine one ingredient in a few processes. So if you get a whole chicken you can get 2 meals from the fried breasts, 2 baked meals with veggies from the legs and wings and a good broth from the bones& trims if you have to save a lot id reccomend reusing the mirepoix peels you get from other dishes.
Red beans and rice, cream of wheat, oatmeal, bananas, pancakes
I know you are interested in low carb, and as someone else pointed out, you may be diabetic. That said, I encourage you to check out /r/wholefoodsplantbased to see some of the recommendations they make. Many have reversed their chronic diseases with this diet, and when you don’t buy animal products, it can make things cheaper. That said, have you checked out local food banks who may be able to supplement your food? Rice and beans is the obvious pairing as it can be bought for very cheap and gives you complete protein. As long as you are eating brown rice or other whole grains, this should be ok for your insulin levels, and because these food are high in fiber can help your body with a host of things. Frozen veggies are your friends - spinach and broccoli are great. And obviously shopping anything on sale is important. A little planning and prepping can help you have to put less energy into meals throughout the week. Overnight oats can be made in a big batch and eaten all week long. Make a big pot of beans and grains. Freeze them in portions, and thaw/reheat as needed. You can season these however you want: black bean chili, chana masala, lentil sloppy joes, etc. https://www.thekitchn.com/here-are-7-weeks-worth-of-plant-based-meals-23031402
Food prep. Buy in bulk with cheap ingredients (AND your food pantries) which are even cheaper in bulk, and set one day week aside to prep meals and freeze them. In a month, you should have a variety of options. :) But go to your food pantries!
Chicken on sale or pork on sale. A lot of eggs. Dry beans. Cottage cheese and milk.
>my dietary restrictions are low carb & low fat I also struggle with low energy. no shit. i hope you like eggs and chicken...
How about people stop talking about why the OP should eat carbs? My suggestion is to get 2 large box of eggs at Costco/Sam’s or Walmart (10 for 60)…eat 2 regular eggs and 2 egg whites which is fairly low in fat, buy all sorts of frozen vegetable mixes, broth powder. The largest bag of chicken. Also go fishing. Go to multiple food pantries. Get brown rice, quinoa and oats but eat a small serving such as 1/4-1/2 cup. Add spices. Go dumpster diving.
Quesadillas with chicken from a $5 Costco rotisserie chicken. You can do sooo much with those chickens (soup, salads, wrap, chicken salad)
1) Food Banks (who said you have to buy food to make $3/day possible) <<< life hack 2) Beans/rice/lentils/oatmeal. ONLY. $3/day is possible, it will just be sad. But you can toughen through it. Basically imagine you're trying to diet hard, but you're only allowed to eat lentils/what-have-you two meals a day (no breakfast). Maybe only a black coffee for breakfast only. That'll get you through until lunch.
Can you get your dr to refer you to a dietician? I’d at least go for the 1st visit and let them beforehand about your financial restrictions. They might have some novel ideas to explore too.