hellofriend @ hellofriend @lemmy.world

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Joined

1 yr. ago

My budget at the moment is CAD$250 per month. 750g of cottage cheese a month would run me $225 at $7.49 a package. As others have indicated, it's an unhealthily low amount of calories despite it meeting my protein requirements. The only dietary restriction that I need to target is getting enough protein for maintenance of muscle mass. The reasons are twofold: firstly, as I've indicated elsewhere, I have had issues with ED in the past. I fear that losing muscle mass would cause a relapse and I can't afford that at present. More importantly, however, is that my current employment is fairly physical, so I can't afford to get weaker either.

So, to summarize: $250/month, maximizing protein per dollar.

Issues with cottage cheese idea:

• Unfulfilling psychologically
• Potential for malnutrition/health complications
• Extremely low-calorie

Ideas to remedy the situation:

• Cheap carbs (potatoes, flour, pasta/ramen)
• Making things from raw (e.g. milk -> cottage cheese, flour -> bread)
• Cheap meat

I think animal protein needs to be a part of the solution. Tried vegetarianism in the past and I couldn't function well on it. But all animal protein in Canada is expensive, either due to supply management (eggs and dairy), price gouging, supply and demand (e.g. price of chicken breast is ludicrous), or some other unknown factor(s). So plant based protein should also be part of the solution in spite of its lower quality. Others have suggested dried beans/lentils.

It would be worthwhile to make things from raw. I can save roughly a dollar per kg of cottage cheese if I make the cottage cheese myself from milk. I can also use the byproducts in the making of bread, furthering the value and capturing all protein. There will be a significant time cost in doing this.

At the moment we're looking at a diet of homemade cottage cheese, bread, and beans. If I can save enough doing this then I could incorporate vegetables as well, but it might be better to just take a multivitamin and eat the psychological cost. This will only be for a month, potentially two, and hopefully not more. I think I can go that long without becoming too miserable. I'd love to hear some feedback if you have any.

(Bonus solution: find a better paying job.)

New idea for a Stardew Valley mod :))))

I don't mind the advice! I already take a B complex, though. I try to take vitamin D but I always forget that one. Probably because I don't take it with a meal.

Unfortunately, "cheap meat' is an oxymoron in my country. "Cheap veggies" almost is as well, but it's getting a bit better on that front (shoutout to Odd Bunch; I wish you'd expand west). I'll see what I can do about incorporating tatties into my diet since multiple people have recommended them. I'm aware that they're cheap, but they generally make me feel sick to my stomach. Happen to have some good tips on how I might "hide" them in meals?

Ugh, I wish I was in the States. Aldi won't come to Canada due to "price fixing" and "manipulative" grocers. Who are, unsurprisingly, a large contributor to my inability to afford nutritious food.

There's more nuance to it than that. Beans do have a lot of protein, but the specific proteins they're high in are less digestible than animal protein, and still not as plentiful as in animal protein. And that's fine provided that you eat multiple sources of plant protein and are able to eat a lot of it. But then the issue becomes an excess of fibre and, in the case of legumes, oligosaccharides.

Disclaimer: I'm saying this as a well-muscled individual. For the average person, deriving all protein from plant-based sources is probably fine.

Well, that's kinda the chief problem. Last time I did that I suffered brain fog the entire time. Same thing happened when I tried vegetarianism. And on top of that, I lost a surprising amount of muscle mass on beans and rice. I think I need more protein than that diet can offer. It's just a shame that it's so bloody expensive...

Oh yeah, true. I've already decided based on feedback that this isn't a good way to meet my dietary needs without breaking the bank. I'm just proud to say that the extreme measures I'm considering aren't due to an ED this time around. Just poverty this time.

Lmao, these are Canadian dollars, remember. Either way, it's $300 cheaper at Costco than the price listed on HP.

Not entirely sure what you mean. Could you rephrase?

I'm sorry to hear you're going through that. I can sort of imagine what you're going through, and it's certainly not fun, but it's probably not a 1:1 situation. I really hope you get better though.

That's actually where I draw the line, unfortunately. Potatoes are cheap here as well but everything about them makes me feel sick to my stomach. I might start baking bread though. If I were to make my own cottage cheese it should be cheaper than storebought and I could use the whey in place of water for added protein in the bread.

Nah, I'm more looking for a way to eat cheap for a month (maybe two) while still getting enough protein that I don't start wasting. Food is expensive, and dairy here is also expensive, but a months worth of cottage cheese is cheaper than a months worth of any meat. I'll see if I can move some things around in my budget to get a more wholesome diet, though.

Lol, I wish I could but that level of programming is beyond my abilities.

Hm, website indicates that it should work but that there may be no audio. Might be a no-go then :(

Hmmm... potential payout?

Uhh, well, it sounds interesting I guess.

Couldn't fit the weight and nutrition data in the same image. Other comment is correct: 750g is 6 servings.

Anything non-caloric. Water, tea, coffee, diet soda, so on.

Oh okay, thank you for the clarification. I wasn't aware of that. So I guess while you're sleeping, as long as you haven't eaten recently before falling asleep, then you'll enter ketosis, right?