Low Carb on a Budget

Low-carb eating is popular with around 3 million Britons having tried the low carb lifestyle. But, is low-carb eating too expensive for the people who need it most?

Low-carb eating can be expensive, it doesn’t have to be. The secret is to modify. If you follow the low-carb approach without making your own modifications, then it may be pricey.

Weight loss books are written to appeal to the eye and usually contain recipes and photos of appetising and delicious foods, often expensive cuts of meat, and higher priced fish. If you’re on a budget, you’re going to have to be creative.

You don’t have to be rich to eat low carb, and you don’t need to be wealthy to eat a balanced meal plan. Any meal plan can be modified to be healthier and less expensive. Use these tips – which can apply to low carb or low fat - for smart shopping.

1. Stock up: Low-carb living means more protein and fat and less carbs. Buy large sized packages of meat, chicken and fish, and wrap into smaller sized portions and freeze. Less tender cuts of meat are cheaper, and just as nutritious. Frozen is less expensive than fresh, and just as nutritious. Eggs are very inexpensive, so stock up.

2. Manage your meal plan: Every week, we give you a brand-new menu of meals and recipes weekly. Economise by changing two or three meals and recipes to repeat. You save on price when you buy in bulk, and can freeze the remaining portions for your own homemade convenience meals.

3. Cut and chop: Premixed and washed salads are convenient, but you pay a price. Buy a head of lettuce, rinse thoroughly and spin in a salad spinner (a great investment -- it makes the crispest lettuce), then wrap in paper towels, and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

4. Buy on sale: Even if your meal plan calls for raspberries, if cherries are in season (as they are now), buy the large size. Or snap up "buy one, get one free" offers!

5. Limit "low-carb" packaged food: These items are generally expensive, and not necessary to follow low-carb programmes successfully.

6. Buy inexpensive nuts, instead of the ultra-expensive macadamia nuts: Some of the low-carb programmes call for using macadamia nuts and expensive cashews. Walnuts, almonds and peanuts are dramatically less expensive, and offer similar nutritional value. Rapeseed oil and regular olive oil are nutritionally similar to extra virgin olive oil and much less expensive.

7. Be flexible, and use your substitution list: If your menu calls for steak but your budget calls for chicken, then substitute chicken, or any other protein that’s on sale, including fish or tofu.

8. Stick with water: Water is the ultimate budget diet drink. Artificially sweetened drinks aren’t as good for you as water… period. And it’s free!

9. Save money on vegetables and fruit: Buy in season and buy local, or check the frozen food aisle for sales on frozen vegetables and fruit. Frozen produce is often more nutritious than fresh, due to the extended time necessary to ship to your local shop, where it may sit on the shelf for a number of days before you actually eat it. Frozen fruit & veg, picked and processed in the field, retains more valuable nutrition. Local produce will be less expensive than shipped, and generally fresher.

10. If you’re eating out, save money by sharing a main, and ordering a salad starter: Eating out is usually more expensive than cooking at home, but an occasional night out can be made more economical by sharing.

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