I am very poor, can't eat beans, lentils or soy, and am dairy-free. Any ideas?

[Gralick]

Right. I don't diet - am a recovered anorexic, so 'counting' my food is dangerous. I'm benefits dependent. Health conditions rule out stuff that goes right through you (ahem) and also soya and dairy.

Health's getting worse and I'm gaining weight for the first time in years, presumably due to forced inactivity. My knowledge of nutrition's almost encyclopaedic but I'm stumped on this! Before being this skint, I'd have filled up on lovely fresh salad but it's too bloody expensive to buy as a staple. I make my own bread and, due to the budget thing, eat a hell of a lot more carbs than I used to. I don't eat sugar. I don't know what to do!!!

With huge trepidation about posting a diet thread, I've decided you lovely lot are my best hope

[MrsWooster]

I was buying ham ( fairly naice) at Aldi when I noticed ham trimmings - sounds awful but is a quarter the price for the same stuff in smaller pieces so who cares? Likewise smoked salmon trimmings etc. I'm assuming you're not veggie btw...

[coffeecister]

Eggs ? Or do you count that as dairy?
And what about chickpeas/ hummus ?

[TandemFlux]

Why can't you eat beans or lentils. What about chickpeas

[coffeecister]

Tahini is quite high in protein too and very nutritious, but you probably already know this. It's a good stable to have in the house and is delicious on toast with slices of apple on top.

[Gralick]

Blimey, thanks! I didn't expect any replies at this time

Eggs aren't made of milk, I can eat them I get through 15 a week.

Used to be okay with chickpeas, but they're now off-limits as well. I've bought some tinned ones, and tinned beans, as an experiment. They're mostly skinned & I'm hoping it's the skin that causes the problems. Tandem, you really don't want to know, believe me! But tinned are far more expensive than dried, and than bread :(

Do mean sprout my own, heston? That's an idea - are they really easier to digest? Do you do it on wet paper, like at school? Then do you eat the whole thing or just the sprout?

[Gralick]

Ooh, never thought of apple with tahini! Sounds lovely. I'll have to find some hulled sesame seeds somewhere - the ready-made stuff's crazy expensive.

[RitaCrudgington]

Tinned fish is good for you and cheap (esp in LIDL). We do a great sardine and anchovy pasta which we eat with fennel but would probably be fine with whatever green veg is cheapest. Smoked mackerel also pretty good value for its nutrients, again esp in Lidl.

[Gralick]

You're right, Rita, I need to make more prolific use of tinned fish. Is pasta allowed on low-carb? I am really not about to start slicing courgettes into strings ... But your suggestion's good for nutrition and budget, definitely.

[Gralick]

Sprouting lentils. I'll give this a try.

[RitaCrudgington]

Pasta is not ideal if you're trying not to gain weight I grant you. But if you keep your carb portions small and add a whole bunch of cabbage/peas/whatever's cheapest then it's probably fine - you're not aiming for a full on zero carb bootcamp here.

How are you with onions? I was once told by an IBS specialist that I should never eat onions or garlic but I smiled, nodded and inwardly decided that the IBS wasn't more unbearable than quitting onions would be.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Do you have a market near you? Ours sells a huge amount of stuff ridiculously cheaply - eg 10 peppers for £1, 5 iceberg lettuces for £1, a huge box of mushrooms for £1, 8 cucumbers for £1... you get the idea!

[ancientbuchanan]

What about potatoes? In their skins and if you can eat their skins as that's the bit that is full of protein. Mashed including their skins is good. Good with poached egg or scrambled egg.

The scots used to have the best diet in the world, oats which presumably you can't have, kale, potatoes and mackerel or herring. Ie oily fish. V cheap. A herring in our local Tesco costs about 70 p and would do two meals for me, grilled or made into a potato based pate equivalent ;a tin of sardines or mackerel or cods roe from lidl will do likewise.

Can you think Japanese too? Sprouted beans, veg and rice ? Tiny bit if other protein. As and when your digestive tract strengthens, try brown rice as has more protein. Even just drinking the water it has been boiled in will help.

Could someone lovely give you a bottle of nice olive oil? And some compacted coconut to make coconut milk from for curries.

Puréed carrots surprisingly add fullness to soups and veg stews. There is an Italian soup that is clear broth with rice and egg, you can ring the variations with carrots, puréed are easier to digest. Broth can be made either using a stock cube or by boiling a chicken carcass once you have eaten the flesh.

Does offal turn you off ? If not, the Italians do wonderful recipes for it and it is brilliant for iron and easy to digest. And mostly v cheap. But avoid anything from a pig, v strong tasting.

A boiled egg with soldiers or soup , followed by a baked apple is a really nice supper, or so I think.

If you have a thermos, put dried chickpeas in boiling water in it overnight. Afair they soften and the skins come off.

Do you have a window sill ? See if you can find a pot and soil and grow your isn lettuces. And cress on an old flannel.

Good luck. You are brave.

[lastnightiwenttomanderley]

Like others, I was going to.suggest looking towards oriental based foods where dairy is not at all common. Things like rice and noodles with various protein toppings and veg.

[Branleuse]

i would try paleo

[Gralick]

You're all lovely, and very motivating

So far today I've had 2 fried eggs on toast with a huge tomato, half an orange and a funsize apple. I normally need to eat every hour - am hoping that will change if I can make my diet less carby - so am ringing the changes by putting cleaned carrots & celery in water in the fridge and buying oranges instead of bananas. I'm hunting among the random possessions for a big jar so I can sprout some lentils!

I think I am going to stick with potatoes and rice. It's too damn difficult otherwise! I generally do leave the skins on spuds, and cook half & half rice since all brown gives me a day on the loo

[Gralick]

If you have a thermos, put dried chickpeas in boiling water in it overnight. Afair they soften and the skins come off.

Oooh, that's genius! Thanks! No thermos, but I have a slow cooker with a 'warm' setting.

[lljkk]

sorry for asking, but you understand why given your history.

You're thinking low carb for weight loss, right?
Just what do you weigh now, how tall are you, and what do you want to weigh instead?

[Gralick]

Don't weigh myself. I'm 173cm (5'8") and I would guess I'm up to 90kg. I'm 60 and current activity level is 2/10. My old settled weight was 63kg, but that's not going to happen while I have this illness - which looks like it'll be forever, tbh. 70kg would be fantastic, but under present conditions I'll be happy to lose 5kg.

My concern is that I've been the same size for about 7 years - which is fine, health-wise if not aesthetically - but am starting to get fatter since my activity reduced.

More of a reply than you wanted, lljkk, sorry.

[Penfold007]

What about sweet potatoes as part of your diet? I use them on their own or I mix them with regular potatoes. I also 'stretch' regular mash with swede, parsnip or carrots.

[ancientbuchanan]

You might have to add a teaspoon of bicarbonate to the chickpeas - worth checking on line. But I don't think I ever did.

[Gralick]

I have sweet potatoes when Aldi puts them on the specials bench. Just got back with ingredients for a potato salad, some tuna flakes and a pack of those ham trimmings. I crashed while I was out, and had bought fake pepperami instead of the biscuits I'd usually get for this. It didn't lift my blood sugar enough so I had an apple too - about the same calorie total as three chocolate digestives (and much more expensive), but I'm quite pleased with myself.

They had a perfect mango there! It's so rare to see one that I can afford, I bought it and have just eaten a third of it with some of that ham. The ham's pretty naff, actually, but it'll be okay chopped up with stuff :)

I'm going to try sprouting lentils in my Pyrex mixing bowl. Can't justify buying a big jar for the purpose ... and will have a go at skinning chickpeas!

[Gralick]

Well my potato salad is bloody amazing. It's all full of multicoloured chopped veg, smothered in a curried coconut mayonnaise I've just invented, and I'm mucho looking forward to eating more of it.

But, fuck me, the cost! Both in money and preparation (I have machines for the chopping & whipping, but it's still work.) I cannot do this long-term or even short-term. I used all my 'spoons' and four days' food budget :(

Let's hope sprouted & peeled beans turn out to be viable fillers. Even they're a lot more expensive than bread & pastry. If you ever griped about the poor not eating well, I reckon I've just done the definitive experiment.