Help getting healthy

[inaliz]

I’m not a mother so I apologise if I am not allowed to post here.

I am 19, and I’m trying to eat healthier as at the moment my BMI is 27, which isn’t ideal and I am also short (5’2). All the food my mother buys is frozen, and she only eats ready meals. I eat whatever she buys which is usually frozen chicken from Iceland and try to use whatever vegetables she buys. It is all I have ever eaten, and there isn’t anyone in my life to ask for help hence why I’m here.

I’m hoping someone here will be able to direct me to cheap healthy recipes. I don’t have much at the end of the month, I can probably spend £100 on groceries which I think should be okay? I pay my mother most of my income on rent, so I have to budget whatever is left. People in my family don’t tend to live particularly long, and I’ve read on all the health risks an unhealthy diet causes and I’m hoping it isn’t too late for me to turn it all around. I don’t like the way I look too, I am embarrassed by myself and I’d like to look better so I can find a partner in the next couple of years. I walk plenty, and I’m looking into a gym membership with whatever money I can spare after my own food costs.

Does anyone have any tips or recommend somewhere to find healthy recipes?

BBC good food has thousands of recipes, many simple and the layout is clear to follow.

I like the advice about 30 different plants a week, that includes veg, fruit, grains, herbs and spices. Maybe starting with a lower number and building up over time as you get used to different ingrediants would be a helpful, practical target.

"Greenwashing" your food, e.g. adding veg/ salad to an otherwise beige meal automatically adds nutrients and unprocessed food. For one person, a bag of salad is relatively cheap and will last a few meals

I generally aim to plan meals around a protein, a carb and veg. If your food looks colourful, it's likely to be healthy.

Generally healthy foods don't need to advertise their health benefits. If they're covered in "low fat" "high fibre" "no artificial..." they're probably not that healthy and are highly likely to be heavily processed.

Drink water

You're young and young bodies tend to be forgiving. It's never too late to add healthier habits to your life. Good luck!

Hi
Don't apologise for wanting to improve yourself - well done.
Insta & tictok have a lot of people posting about healthy eating & simply food prep. Would you be able to bulk cook & freeze some meals? It would be cheaper & mean you could have something ready for those evenings when you're tired.

Good luck

I should have space in the freezer to bulk cook if I use up all of the chicken strips etc in there. I’m going to make a shopping list in the next couple of days as I get paid at the end of the week. It will just be me eating whatever I cook, as my mother prefers what she eats now so freezing meals would save on waste.

Walking is free and effective for better physical health and mental health. So save your gym money for a better food budget.

Good on you!
start the day as you mean to go on, I have the most glorious breakfast of yogurt, chia seeds, frozen raspberries, nuts, seeds, honey and cinnamon
infind if I start the day well I’m inspired

(reminder to self, soak chia seeds tonight ;)

I would suggest looking at some vegetarian recipes. You don't have to become vegetarian but if some of your meals are based around veg that means your eating more of them. So for example I'll often make soup that does a few days lunches, it's very easy to make. It'll happily sit in the fridge for a couple of days.

Thank you! I am excited to try new recipes. Growing up it was rare I got to try new things. Up until I got a job the only fruits I had ever tried were apples, oranges and bananas. It’s been fun finding out what I like and what I don’t. Going to make a wee list of ingredients from recipes that catch my eye later!