Akasha_88's Journal, 14 Jan 23

Jip - not easy. I eat a lot of carrots and beetroot. Protein we try to buy bulk - pnp sell 2 kg russians (i know its not the “healthiest”. And during season - lots of watermelon. Snacks - Foodlovers mini corn cakes. Kitchen scale an absolute must have 

I looked at the kitchen scale today and was like, nah I don't need it. Oops, I'll have to go back to get one. I think I'm struggling with portions... Because what is 100g of cold meat(Polony)... How many slices is that... Will the scale be able to tell me these things?  

The kitchen scale is a must in my house. Really does help with portion control. Good lovers has some great deals of fruit and veg.  

I found huge bags of chopped carrots, cabbage, pumpkin and spinach at Makro, cooked and I thereafter froze portions. I do the same with mince dishes, I make meatballs and freeze it, pasta and mince. With stews if you add lots of veggies and potatoes you don’t need rice or another starch with it. I generally don’t buy anything specially made for kilojoule control or diets because it’s more expensive. With cereal I pre weigh every morning’s portion and keep it in cups for the week and just pour minimum milk over it. Cheaper fruits are bananas and apples and I check for specials the whole time. 

It depends on how thick the slices are. Yes the scale will help you with that. I weigh everything. I bought my digital scale at @home for R300 

batch cooking. reduces food wastage and you can weigh out your portions ahead of time which helps eliminate over eating. use all the veggies you have to bulk up things whether you reduce them to sauces and soups or add them into Bolognese and curry and stew. eating healthy doesn't mean eating expensive.  

oh. and clicks sell kitchen scales ... cheap and cheerful and they work wonderfully.  

the freezer is your Friend. also I found that during loadshedding, our freezer items stayed frozen longer if there was a lot in it because the icy containers help maintain the cold environment...  

Portion control is tricky, but as mentioned a scale helps alot. I personally love canned goods like tuna and Pilchards since it does not require refrigeration, and I can usually buy the size according to my portion requirements, for everything else I Ziplock it. Chicken breast is usually the best protein to rand value, as well as eggs. Protein unfortunately has a price tag which makes it prohibitive but it is so essential for a good body composition/ muscle ratio. (not to mention metabolism, hair, skin, nails and other metabolic processes) In cruciferous vegetables calories are usually negligible so you can generally add as much as you like.  

lean mince, any normal mince just has alot of fat and water in it. Spend that bit extra. Have a look at the game meats too. Checkers has a decent Venison and ostrich selection. Lean and cheapish. I prefer the chicken pieces at PicknPay. The local one near me sells chicken "Chop" at super cheap. Basically quatered chicken pieces that are close to sell by, spiced and it goes for like R50 a chicken Veg, Mixed frozen veg and rice... Bland, but cheap Check Dischem out for scales, bought one a few weeks ago for R110, works really well Veg I  

Start a veg garden, it can literally be pots on your balcony, I grow spinach, it saves money, working in the garden burns calories,not to mention it is so good for my mental health!  

Ive started using beans as a source of protein and carbs, I use that for a few meals with tomato and cucumber. raw or cooked in the airfryer - its delicious and cheap.  

Legumes!!!!! I buy lots of beans, all kinds or which ever is cheaper when I go to the shops, chickpeas, lentils. Legumes are cost effective. I also buy my veggies from the street vendors, like in my case I go past MTN when commuting so that where I buy all my fruits and veggies 

I agree with Ele. Lentils, split peas, legumes, beans, barley... It is a great source of fiber. A great product is Pick n Pay's soup mix! I use it as a replacement for rice, mix it with salad or eat it just like that.  

we eat loads of eggs and fresh veg. Wednesday supper was roast pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots and baby marrows. 450g of that and I was full till noon Thursday.  

Vanjaarsveld how do you prepare barley? I want to start eating it this year 

You guys are awesome. Right now, I can't stomach eggs... The smell of eggs is putting me off. However I do eat a lot of chicken, tuna and mince. My problem is carbs... Rice, pasta.. Potatoes. How do I make cauli rice? I'm definitely get a scale tomorrow... An MD start weighing everything. I need to put myself in a calorie deficit but it's so difficult.  

On the subject of eggs, it is probably not a must eat so i would not be too concerned. There are plenty of other protein options out there, like you mentioned. (Eggs just have a multitude of vitamins so very high on my list personally) On the carbohydrate part, that is indeed a tricky thing. Try and add crunchy veggies to everything since they will be firstly high in fibre and secondly low in carbohydrates... Possibly look at increasing you good fat ratio as that helps with craving and satiety (feeling full). Last tip would be to trick your brain, if it is just the idea of not having carbs that gets you. Things like the life bake seed crackers, available from dischem (white and pink box) is great if you want a "crunchy cookie", otherwise just ensure your portion of carbs is smaller, chosen from a selection of lower GI foods, and eat the meat and veggies first... 

Thanks Rudolph. Will definitely give it a try. Any suggestions where I'm able to find budget friendly recipes? Being Indian, makes it a little difficult to cook healthy so I'm running out of ideas.