How to eat healthy and very cheaply. Who has hints?

Beans/legumes might be a good idea. I don’t know how much they influence sugars for a diabetic though, they do have carbs. But, they are cheap, filling, have protein, and overall I believe they are good for us. Three bean salad, bean soups, hummus, I also add them cold to salads.

I love canned tuna with a small bit of mayo mixed together well, put it on top of a bed of iceberg lettuce, a little salt, and tons of fresh lemon juice on top.

I make a tomato pasta soup by mixing one part tomato sauce from a jar with equal amounts water. Throw in a little bit of pasta; very little or it becomes a pasta dish, not soup; and cooked ground beef. Once the pasta is cooked, I throw in some frozen corn to cool it off and at the same time defrost the corn. Ready to eat. (I check to see if it needs water added when the pasta is cooking).

Is peanut butter allowed for diabetics? If not, I’m pretty sure they have sugar free varieties, too. Lots of protein, and you can spread it on celery or apples.

Eggs are fairly cheap, too. You can make omelets with veggies, or hard boil some for egg salad.

Tuna & Crackers.

With rice, some chicken legs and assorted frozen veggies, you can make a multitude of tasty meals. You simply change the spices, indian, asian, mexican, you name it. Cheap and healthy.

If you have time to care for it, and the necessary room, i suggest a small vegetable garden. in the long run it’s much more economically viable and healthier than eating canned food, for sure. But this won’t solve the problem in the short run, so here we go:

Legumes are highly proteic, very tasty if cooked right and can substitute meat, which is easily the most expensive part of any diet. For instance, here in Italy, lentils are known as “poor man’s meat”.

Also, if you manage to find a farmer who sells directly, without middlemen, and buy from them, you’re going to save a fortune.

I buy a lot of dried beans and dried peas, they are so cheap and make excellent base for soup. Plus do not take a lot of cooking. As in all u do is load the lot and leave it. I usually make the base with onions and garlic and stock, then load up the dried peas for example.

You can add whatever you like after that, chicken or pork bits or vegetables.

I also use sweet potato a lot or even regular potato which is nice with a sauce on such as cheese.

I often make vegetable curry and potato curry and I roast vegetables too and have it with rice. I am also on a tight budget, I hope you get a lot of tips because I need more too!

@Thammuz I have always wanted to do that. Do you know of any vegetables or fruits you can grow indoors? in a small way of course! Or herbs that grow easily indoors? would love to know.

Farmers markets and bulk food stores. You can get all kinds of in season stuff cheap.

Meat on the bone is cheaper than the boneless, skinless variety. Canned veggies last longer than fresh, which means fewer trips to the grocery store – you can purchase low sodium varieties or “no salt added,” but I know that a lot of people can’t stand the taste of canned veggies. I find that the most difficult thing about eating well on a budget, especially feeding one person, is that produce will go bad faster than you can eat it. Buying canned and frozen fruits and veggies helps a great deal. Pasta is fine, but as a diabetic I’m sure you know that adding protein is important. Canned tuna, salmon, or chicken can be tossed with some veggies in your pasta.
If you are actually purchasing some of your groceries, and not relying solely on donations – shop around. The price differences between grocery stores can be downright shocking.

Go to farmer’s markets and cut out the meat and dairy. Good luck =)

Herbs are easy. I do have a small garden. There are lots of critters that eat my squash blossoms and tomatoes. so containers on a balcony or in front of windows are awesome. Basil for caprese. Is a rice cooker a good investment? I love ricea roni but also have bags of white rice. Can I fry it all, or what?

@jazmina88, ok, some limitations there if your budget is that small. I understand completely, since I have financial troubles myself. I think it sounds like your biggest problem is having to rely on what the food bank gives you, which is going to be cheap white rice, pasta, etc., which isn’t good for your diet.

White rice is generally not a good idea for diabetics, but if you have tested it and it works for your diet, a rice cooker is a good way to cook a batch of rice, then store the leftovers for future meals and that reduces your cooking time overall. Pasta also isn’t good, too, but if you have to have it, test it first. If it works, then follow the exact serving size.

If you’re eating grains, best to do brown rice, quinoa, bulgur, and barley. Pearl barley is especially easy on your sugars. Unfortunately, except for brown rice, these tend to be expensive, especially if you buy them from the grocery store or health food store. You may want to try to buy them in bulk; it’s cheaper that way.

@DigitalBlue is correct that canned veggies will last longer. Fresh is better for you, diabetic or not, but canned will do. Beans, as several suggested, are good, but just limit the serving size. Lentils are the best, nutritionally, but most legumes/pulses should be fine.

@augustlan, peanut butter is fine, from what I understand, but probably best to buy a brand with the lowest possible amount of sugar in it. Unfortunately, low-sugar/“diabetic friendly” foods tend to be more expensive than their cheap corporate products, or the store’s generic offerings.

As for recipes, buy whole chickens (or frozen) as @DigitalBlue suggests; much cheaper (they didn’t even sell chicken pieces separately at the store on a regular basis until about 35–40 years ago; everyone bought whole chickens or had the butcher cut off what they wanted/needed. Now we have all these pre-packaged separate portions of thighs, breasts, legs, etc., and they’re as much or almost as much as buying a whole chicken! sheesh…), and you can bake/roast it on the weekend, then carve it and save slices/pieces for the workweek to use as main dishes/elements in soups, salads, etc.

Eggs are excellent, diet-wise, so include them, if you haven’t already.

For recipes, hard to say. Diabetes is an individual disease. What affects one person may not affect another. Figure out what you can handle, then work with that. Generally, for you and your budget and schedule, I suggest soups, salads, chili, frittata, and other similar meals that you can make once, portion out, and then keep refrigerated/frozen (chili freezes well; just don’t leave in there for months!) until you need to use it.

Good luck!

@Shippy Uhm. I have no experience in growing vegetables indoor, but tomatoes and zucchini i’ve seen grow quite well outdoors, same as basil, salvia and rosmary. I know it’s not helping much, but that’s all I’ve got.