Cost effective diet?

[Big Dozer]

Anybody got one? I have a pretty solid diet plan, but its expensive. I can stick to a diet plan with ease. But when I am shopping, I see Brocoli $4 apound and a pizza is just $1. So if anyone can point me to a cost effective diet, I would greatly appreciate it.

[HappyOldGuy]

Not sure what you mean by diet plan or what you are looking for, but living in california, look for farmers markets/produce stands for cheaper high quality produce.

[Skillful]

Dude, get whatever seasonal fruits are cheap, cut them up, eat the with yogurt. That's breakfast.

For lunch, you can have a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread or an omelette with some cheddar cheese (which is often on sale around here for $4/lb, you need maybe 2 oz. for a very filling omelette)

For dinner, throw a can of beans and some cheap cuts of meat into a crock pot about 7 hours before you want to eat and let it go all day. The meat will be tender, you have protein galore, a ton of fiber, etc.

Just make sure you vary your stuff up very regularly so you don't miss out on any major necessary vitamins and minerals.

P.S. what you spend on cruciferous vegetables, you'll save on toilet paper.

[Big Dozer]

Thanks, the farmers market I went to was actually more expensive than the store. $12 a pound for fish. But will take your guy's advice the best I can. No advice I have gotten from this site has failed so far.

[Rancid Pantaloons]

maybe you should take that http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...symbol.svg.png zza

[Nemesai]

I always have a vat of wheat pasta made up. I just set the 5? quart pan with the cover in the fridge and eat atleast a serving or 2 a day. This ofcourse isnt an entire diet, but it's cost effective.

5 bucks for a jug of prego
1.50 for a lb of wheat pasta (any cut)
5 bucks for whatever meat you want in there

It atleast covers 10-15 meals. Just find a few other cost effective things and you're all set.

Sometimes I'll pick up a bag of potatoes and a bag of broccoli, nuke the potatoes, stirfry the broccoli, and blend it together with some butter and cheese. But that meal is usually made because it's yummy. Makes me sleepy too. But it usually is 5 servings or so and cheap.

[Sakmongkol]

I still think GOMAD is the cheapest route if you are looking to pack on size.

[Big Dozer]

I am trying to loose 50lbs.

[TheRuss]

I remodeled my diet a few months ago, and Costco has been the wind beneath my wings. Examples of purchases I've made:

Premier Nutrition protein bar: 72g, 300kcal, 7g fat/25g carbs (mostly sugar alcohols)/30g protein, $1.09 (packs of 12)
Ocean's wild pink salmon (canned): 213g, 310kcal, 16g fat (mostly polyunsaturated)/0g carbs/46g protein, $1.25 (packs of 6)
Naturegg egg white (carton): 500mL, 250kcal, 0g fat/0g carbs/50g protein, $1.93 (packs of 3)

Costco also has big boxes of frozen chicken breasts - 4kg for $32.29 last time I was there. The price per box isn't as good as the brands that other grocery stores up here will put on special, but if you look at the nutritional value, the Costco ones tend to have significantly more protein per kilogram of chicken.

Skim milk also gives good bang per buck in terms of protein (about $0.03/gram protein, IIRC), although if you're carbohydrate-restricted, you can't drink too much of it. Cottage cheese has less carbohydrate, but is more expensive per gram of protein.

In terms of veggies, if you're paying $4/pound for broccoli, you're getting totally hosed. Back to my Costco price list:

Veggies: 2.5kg of frozen broccoli and cauliflower florets with some carrots mixed in for $6.59.

[Big Dozer]

DAMN! But am I to young to get a costco membership? I thought you had to be like 35 and up or something, I am only 20.