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The unhealthy ones are bad for you. You can get diseases that way. Best to choose only the very healthiest babies you can find.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Oh, I had Mormons Eat Babies next to Baby Gift Suggestions Please, and I thought of the suggestion "nice plump ones make the best gifts".
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Last night at one point "Mormons Eat Babies" was right above "It's easier to take when it's not your kid" which I found hilarious. I tried to find the adjacent thread titles thread but then someone posted and the moment was lost.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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I actually just read the article kq linked. I remember being appalled a couple of years ago when the Sunday School kids were collecting for the food bank. They gave us a list of what the average fanily got in a week- lots of mac&cheese, Jello (Jello? We are giving this crap to people who are already on the edge healthwise?), Hamburger Helper...all that high fat, high sodium stuff.Oh, and that aweful refined boxed baby cereal. One reason the poor are eating crap is that people donate crap to the food banks. I give dried beans, aseptic packed soymilk, WW pasta, and whole grain baby cereal.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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I agree, romanylass. I always try to donate dried beans and lentils and rice (which are actually cheaper than some of the stuff people donate!), canned low-sodium vegetables and fruits in fruit juice (not syrup), canned fish, and the like.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I think that one problem many poor people have with eating health is the lack of time. It is a lot easier to eat a healthy diet on a budget if you have plenty of time to cook. If you are a poor single parent who is working long hours, it can be really hard. I know from experience that when you get home from work late you don't have much time to cook anything. Preprepared meals are often the only easy option.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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The Rabbit, that's just not always true. My mom cooked a lot of things that could be cooked in under 30 minutes, things that could be prepared the night before, things that could be cut up in the morning and thrown on the stove at night, etc. She worked 60 hour weeks and had 4 kids to get to and from school, etc. besides. There are things that can be done to make it possible to cook even if you don't have much time.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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KQ - it's different for all families. It's great that your mom was able to make it work, but that does not necessarily mean it will work the same way for another family. We all approach health and nutrition differently, and that is okay.
There are many barriers for families in poverty to healthful eating. Quite a few have been pointed out already. Another one of the big ones can be lack of transportation to larger stores that carry more affordable fresh produce, bulk foods, etc. Corner stores - within walking distance - or the transit system (if there is one) to larger stores just don't cut it in some situations.
Time is also a big issue - whether poor or not. Family meal preparation and dining is almost (sadly) a thing of the past. Nutritionists and other health care folks are encouraging a come-back, a re-prioritizing of that time to connect with family members while learning some valuable food preparation and nutrition skills, socialization skills, table etiquette and manners . . .
As a single parent, one of the things I do to improve the nutrition content of "quick-I-am-dead-tired-and-can't-stomache-the-thought-of-cooking-right-now-nights" family meals is to add a fresh fruit or vegetable to each meal. It helps the frozen pizza or Stouffer's out quite a bit. Even something as simple as apple slices and baby carrots.
posted
I know you said that, KQ. But it seemed to me as though you were using your example as one that diminished the reality for another. And I work in this field with very low-income families, so I am probably hyper-sensitive.
Interestingly, my mother managed all the same things as your mother with five of us. I have no idea how, because I struggle with one.
What I have heard from several parents of two or more children, though, is that as the kids get older, they can be quite helpful - whereas one seems to be much more time-consuming.
posted
I was just saying that some people do manage it. And if some can, we should try to give those who can't currently all the tools possible to be able to.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Absolutely, KQ. I agree 100%. Tools are crucial.
But we also start by acknowledging that for these folks, it may very well feel so far beyond them as to be impossible.
We build strengths and skills by starting where the person is at, finding and acknowledging what IS working, what IS okay - not by comparing to other styles or ways of being.
It's been my experience that people are far more willing to learn new possibilities when they do not feel threatened by the "teacher" wanting to show them a different way, technique, information. People feel discounted very easily.
We also can not assume we know what tools the other person needs to be able to meet "our" expectation or definition of healthy eating. They will let us know what they need - maybe not by saying "I need this thing or that thing" but by saying such things as "Eating at the table in my family was really awful - Mom and Dad always fought and I can't stand sitting at the table with my kids now," or "My town has one large grocery store two miles off the bus line. I can only go once each week and I can only carry two bags of food," or "My child is so picky, and refuses to eat almost anything but . . . "
And then we problem solve. Ways to make meals at the table safe and confortable. Ways to find transportation. Ways to work with choosy eaters.
And accept that change takes time, with lots of steps forward and steps backward.
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: The Rabbit, that's just not always true. My mom cooked a lot of things that could be cooked in under 30 minutes, things that could be prepared the night before, things that could be cut up in the morning and thrown on the stove at night, etc. She worked 60 hour weeks and had 4 kids to get to and from school, etc. besides. There are things that can be done to make it possible to cook even if you don't have much time.
I didn't say it was impossible, I said it was harder. I stand by that statement.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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Maybe Dag can make a specific heading - something along the line of "Fast, cheap, healthy recipes" - which I think we need more of - I could certainly use a few more!
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Shan: Maybe Dag can make a specific heading - something along the line of "Fast, cheap, healthy recipes" - which I think we need more of - I could certainly use a few more!
posted
Is there a thread about the cook-once-a-week idea? Or is that a part of Dag's recipe site? I think KQ had a thread on it, or someone did, or it was part of another thread.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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I was talking about this issue today with a friend who has become suddenly poor- and he says the same thing- that the poor are fat (his word) because all he can afford is fattening. So then I go upstairs and see someone putting a huge shrink pack of Kraparoni and Cheeze boxes in the food offering cart. Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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OK, I added it as Fast, Cheap Meals in the Courses group.
Desciption: Recipes for meals that are fast, cheap, and easy. Fast can include things that take a long time to cook but little actual effort by the cook (crock pot meals, slow roast, etc.).
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Mi esposa, a family doc, attended a meeting on the subject that noted that in a strict calorie-count, it's far cheaper to get calories from oil or sugar than from fruits and vegetables. Or from ramen and mac & cheese, for that matter. Even the frozen and canned varieties of vegetables, sadly. Which is not to say that it's not a worthy goal to eat as healthy as you can on any budget, but I can't exactly hurl blame on a harried mother who's trying to save money for something else deciding it's easier to feed her four year old macaroni and cheese than try to convince them to eat canned spinach.
(Growing up in Alaska, where produce was often expensive, I ate enough canned veggies to last a lifetime. Blech. My wife grew up in a rural area, and I have a hard time convincing her how good frozen veggies are, since I'm comparing them to the canned varieties, and she's comparing them to the ones that have been out of the field for less than two days.)
The cheap and relatively inexpensive food that got me through college: Get rice (preferably enriched), a package of "mexican" or "fiesta style" frozen veggies (generally means broccoli, red pepper, and one or more varieties of beans), soy sauce (I recommend Kikoman), "Mongolian Fire Oil" (widely available in grocery stores) and dried, ground ginger (optional.) Cook 1/2 to 1 cup of rice, according to appetite, and half the package of veggies according to instructions. Combine the two, season with the soy sauce and fire oil to taste, and a dash of ginger. Makes a ton of food for around fifty cents a serving in most areas, with veggies and combined protien from the rice and beans.
Ramen noodles are high in fat, but they can be good when mixed with other things. I recommend throwing out the "spice packet" (it's far more sodium than the flavor it gives is worth) and seasoning them with spices or a little italian dressing.
When I've been concerned about my infant daughter getting enough iron, I tend to fall back on things like instant oatmeal (the packets are iron-fortified, unlike the cannisters in most cases) and breakfast cereal. Certain dark-green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale are also high in iron.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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Iceberg lettuce is nutritionally light-green water and a bit of fiber. It may be cheap, but you shouldn't really count it as your something green for the day. If you're looking to fill up with less calories to help lose weight and get your nutrition elsewhere, swell. Dress it with some oil and vinegar and chow down. But don't count on iceberg for anything other than that.
(That wasn't aimed at anyone, just a thought that came to me.
Unwashed fresh spinach, while a pain to clean, can be pretty cheap and is much healthier.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
I'm a cooking dunce who's trying to eat healthy in college. Right now my diet consists almost entirely of pasta and parmesan cheese, peanust butter and Jam, and bagels with cream cheese.
The one time I tried to be healthy and make lentil soup it ended up costing about $36, which it really wasn't worth. The thing is that I don't know how to just cook up black beans and rice or how to make my own vegetable stock. Would anyone mind giving me some tips?
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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I will post a recipe for veggie stock on Dag's site. I will also post a recipe for my mom's black beans and how to steam rice. romanylass posted a lovely recipe for black bean soup, too. And I think someone already posted lentils there, but I'll check, and if they haven't, I'll post a basic, adaptable recipe.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Yay for you! May I also recommend Recipe*zaar? You can search by ingredient and choose only meals that are simple and cooked in 30 minutes or less, if you so desire, using the sidebar filter options. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Most white rices take a water-to-rice ratio of about two to one. The thing to remember is that with most rices you put the rice in the water before bringing it to boil, unlike pastas, where you put it in after boiling. In most cases you want the water to be reduced to a very low simmer with the lid on, which can vary a lot from stove to stove. As long as you don't forget it's cooking, rice is usually pretty forgiving.
Beans: soak overnight (semi-optional), place in water, boil the heck outta 'em. Add bullion during cooking process for flavor if you wish. Test them occasionally to see if they're soft enough for your taste; just be sure to allow at least a couple of hours for most non-lentil legumes. Add more liquid if it gets low. Drain when done.
Now, me, I'd be hard pressed to cook half my recipes if I couldn't saute an onion...
Recipezaar is great, as ketchupqueen says. Just check the reviews first and don't be afraid no adapt. I made a batch of turkish delight from one of their recipes that was tasty but approximately the consistency of rubber tread.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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Making food from scratch is a great thing, but sometimes it really is easier to throw together a boxed dish. I've found that it's relatively easy to turn those "unhealthy" packaged foods (ie. mac n cheese, ramen, hamburger helper, rice mixes, etc.) into healthier (and still cheap) meals and it's easy for someone who's nervous about their cooking abilities to do. When making boxed pasta mixes I use powdered skim milk (with a larger amount of milk powder than you would use for making a glass of milk) and don't add any butter/margarine. I don't think there's a noticable flavor loss (especially when you add other stuff) and you cut out the majority of the fat. All of those preboxed meals are delicious with the addition of a package of frozen vegetables - peas, or broccoli, or mixed veggies, etc. (or a can of tomatoes, depending on the flavor variety), some extra seasonings, and/or a can of tuna/chicken. Make hamburger helper type meals with lean ground turkey instead of ground beef (it can often be cheaper and better for you) Adding a can of beans (drained and rinsed) to a rice mix is a good way to add protein.
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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It's good to see the Britisah schools working on it. I'd love to see more US schools take a hint from the Olympia school district. Seems like such a simple equation- cut out desserts, and you can serve the kids organic produce without spending more money. I'd love to see how their test scores will stack up against neighboring districts that serve the less healthy stuff ( not to mention ADHD drug numbers). Especially given that most lower income kids will be on the free/reduced program, and maybe eat breakfast at school.
posted
I like that article, but I'm appalled-- they sell that stuff in ELEMENTARY schools? Ick. In the district I grew up in, they have SOME junk food options available at the high schools, but not many, and not as part of the regular school lunch (of course, about half of the HS students go off-campus for lunch anyway, and maybe a third of the others bring their lunches.) The junior highs and elementary schools have school lunches ONLY, except for a once-a-month Taco Bell day at the elementary schools, where you get a bean and cheese burrito, fruit cup, and drink (the regular drink choices-- 100% apple juice, 100% orange juice, 1% milk, skim milk, or 2% chocolate milk.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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The trick with brown rice is to smother it.
It took 5 years to wean my hubby off the white stuff, but I did it, and now he'd much rather eat the brown. (Whether it's the taste, or fear of my wrath if he bought white rice, I don't know).
My kids will eat it plain.
Our SD has terrible lunches and are on contract with Tricor (Pizza Hut/Taco Bell/ KFC). School districts will do it out of financial need- they save lots of money selling cut rate name brand fast food. Branding is getting commom in some schools.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Trader Joe's, if you have one around, has a brown jasmine rice that could probably even tempt ketchupqueen. I don't think it's exactly a cheap alternative, though- it's probably around $2 a pound, and generic store-brand rice or bulk bin rice is cheaper.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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Make Spanish rice, or make a nice gingery sauce to go with Asian dishes- IMO if you can't see that it's brown, it won't taste as different.
Oh, TJ's also has a Haggai Mai rice that tastes like white, but retains more of the fibre.
FG- the gist of the article is that the Olympia, WA school district stopped serving desserts as part of lunches (they can be bought seperately) and used the savings to start serving organic produce (salad every day), hummus, salmon, pitas...and the kids eat it. It increased lunch sales because the parents who wouldn't let their kids buy the high fat and sodium meals were willing to let them eat school lunches now.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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FG, it did that to me the first time. I shut the browser and clicked again, it let me in. Try again. It seems to do it every other time.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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The thing I don't like about brown rice is the texture. I don't mind the flavor at all-- actually, I enjoy it-- but no matter how sticky I cook it, it's too fiber-y for me.
I have fiber issues. That is why I have to use Citrucel. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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blacwolve, how did the shopping and cooking go?
We went to the store tonight and got 2-3 weeks' worth of groceries for a 25 year old man with a healthy appetite, an 18-month-old who has been known to eat as much in a sitting as the same young man, and a pregnant and nursing woman for $40. We mostly got perishables-- fruits, veggies, yogurt, bread because the freezer had run out-- and even included some luxury items like my favorite potato chips (both for munchies and to make the tuna casserole I'm planning taste better), got a few canned goods, and turkey hot dogs because that's one of the few things Emma is guaranteed to eat right now. I also picked up some chicken thighs on sale; tomorrow I'll take the skins off, wrap them individually in waxed paper, seal them in a freezer bag, and stick them in the freezer for future consumption; chicken thighs are very versatile as well as one of the cheaper kinds of meat you can buy. We didn't need to re-stock our basics this time, so no really large items. By buying what was on sale and off-brands, we came out $10 under our 2-week budget even though we didn't end up getting anything we had coupons for. The store we were at has everyday double coupons, so we would have gotten a lot off some of those things, but either we didn't need them, or it was still cheaper to just buy a store brand or FMV. I need to thank my mother again for teaching me how to shop and cook and balance a diet.
And for dinner tomorrow, I pulled the corned beef roast I got way on sale a month back out of the freezer, picked up some cabbage for a very good price, and will throw them and some potatoes (small red potatoes were cheaper than russets, so I don't even have to peel, just cut in half) and some carrots in the crockpot. That should feed us for two or three days, not to mention make the apartment smell really good all day. It's not as cheap as we sometimes eat, but we've all had a long week, and I think we deserve something special to celebrate the end of it.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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My favorite way to cook rice is as follows: start with a small amount (about 1-2 T., enough to just coat the rice) of oil, margarine or butter. Add diced onions and/or garlic and the rice. Saute, stirring constantly, until rice is slightly toasted and darkening just a bit. (Be careful, or it will burn.) Add 1/2 c. - 1 c. savory liquid (veggie or chicken broth and any other spices) and stir gently. Allow the rice to absorb some of that liquid (still over high heat and stirring constantly). Then lower heat, add the rest of the cooking liquid (this part is usually just water), and cook at low temp for 30-40 minutes.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Do you think it's better to buy chicken pieces with bone on the premise that it's cheaper overall, or boneless pieces on the premise that it's more meat by weight?
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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quote:I need to thank my mother again for teaching me how to shop and cook and balance a diet.
I'm very impressed! We've been trying to do better, but still let a lot of things waste. We spend about $90 for 2 weeks groceries, and we have good purchasing sense. We buy off brands, sale items and use coupons. Somehow, our leftovers generally get eaten as snacks or completely forgotten about and spoil. We get overeager with produce and then too lazy to freeze or prepare it properly and so it spoils.
When we get tired is when its really a problem, though. If I haven't planned the meals for the week, we're most likely to eat poorly or go out to eat.
Posts: 1777 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Yeah, I know how that is, especially when I'm pregnant. I try to have things on hand like canned refried beans and seasoned pinto beans-- more expensive, but worth it when I don't want to cook. Jeff can heat them up and throw them on the table with some salsa, cheese, and heat up some tortillas.
My big thing is to prepare things while you've got momentum, either that night or the next day. De-skin all the chicken. Freeze all the meat. Then scrub hands and cut up all the fruit. (If we cut up melon in this house, it's gone within a week or less-- even the huge honkin' 12-pound watermelon we got a couple of weeks back only lasted two weeks around our watermelon eater.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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It's not as cheap as we sometimes eat, but we've all had a long week, and I think we deserve something special to celebrate the end of it.
