Low carb on a budget?

[MrsSpendyPants]

After three miscarriages, my immunologist is suggesting a diet change to try and reduce inflammation.  He suggested a very low carb diet compromising mostly of beef, butter, and bacon.  Obviously I need some variety plus there are three of us in the family so need to feed us all and my toddler and husband are very picky.  Meat and fresh produce is so expensive and beans and pasta are much cheaper in comparison.  What are your tips for eating low carb on a budget?

[Ethel]

My condolences, MrsSpendyPants.

With meats, I get the cuts that are less popular, e.g. in the case of chicken, anything that's not the breast. Same nutrients for half the price.  Also, organ meat is very cheap.

Fresh produce can be cheap if it's local and seasonal, so that really depends on where you are.

I'm guessing with a toddler you don't have the time to go bargain hunting, but if you can buy from the source (e.g. a farm) and/or in bulk, that can really lower the price. My local turkish fast food joint sometimes sells eggs from a friend's farm and they're dirt cheap.

Can you include foods like lentils in your diet? They're high in protein though of course also have carbs.

Your husband and child could still supplement their meals with a side of pasta, that could help keep the costs down.

I'm sure others will have better suggestions but I hope these help.

[Missy B]

After three miscarriages, my immunologist is suggesting a diet change to try and reduce inflammation.  He suggested a very low carb diet compromising mostly of beef, butter, and bacon.  Obviously I need some variety plus there are three of us in the family so need to feed us all and my toddler and husband are very picky.  Meat and fresh produce is so expensive and beans and pasta are much cheaper in comparison.  What are your tips for eating low carb on a budget?

Hello MrsSpendyPants! Low carb diets are very helpful at reducing inflammation, (I know some people who've had substantive changes, including myself) but that your immunologist is pointing you at beef, bacon and butter worries me.
Beef and bacon are pretty high in arachidonic acid, which is inflammatory. Dairy isn't great either, and most low-inflammation diets limit dairy.
My bf is low carb, and he actually saves money now from all the crap he doesn't buy:)

Normally, an anti-inflammatory diet has fish and chicken, lots of green vegetables (they are all low carb) and nothing 'white' except cauliflower. Supplements for Omega 3. Lentils and beans are generally good for low carb, but they are thought to contain compounds that create issues for some people, so sometimes people leave them out.
Unless you have reason to think you are reacting to them, lentils and beans could be a core item in your meals. Red lentils are cheap, high in nutrients and cook up really fast. Nuts aren't necessarily cheap but its important to keep some on you because low-carb food is very hard to get when you're out running around and hungry.

We eat a lot of vegetable and meat stir-fry (but with no rice), hamburger meat and black beans (like taco filling but no taco) and soup which is basically shredded cabbage, beans and tomato sauce with asian hot and sour soup flavoring, blended with the hand blender until it is smooth because he likes the texture that way. And shredded chicken. I roast cauliflower for 'rice' sometimes. A lot of other things we just make without the carb, lasagna without the noodles, wraps without the wrap (or lettuce leaves). Green salads with tuna, egg or chicken.
Coconut and Nuts and avocado are high fat, which you will need to keep your blood sugar even. (Sure, you can eat a lot of butter instead... but I dunno. Unless its grass-fed, which is quite expensive).

[Khaetra]

As a Type 2 Diabetic who has to watch the carbs, I have found The Diet Doctors list of foods to be extremely helpful.  It's free to poke around and they have some recipes as well.  Good luck!

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/foods

[Loretta]

I’m sorry for your losses.  Have you been tested for MTHFR gene mutation?  In your shoes I would avoid anything fortified with the bad kind of man made folic acid.  Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor.

For low carb eating how do you feel about eggs?  Maybe an omelet with a little cheese and ham, scrambled eggs with herbs, runny eggs with bacon, sausage or ham with a little bit of shredded potato?  Eggs can be cheap and versatile. 

Carrots with peanut butter, celery with peanut butter, a little green apple with peanut butter...  Tuna salad in a bowl without bread.  Chicken salad without the bread.  Rolled up ham or turkey with sliced cheese and a shot of brown mustard or your favorite unsweetened condiment. 

[knigry01]

Do you have the ability to access public hunting ground, national forest, etc?

Venison is a good source of low cost protein if you can handle basic field dressing.

Processing can be done yourself as well or most butchers will do it at a reasonable fee.

[wenchsenior]

After three miscarriages, my immunologist is suggesting a diet change to try and reduce inflammation.  He suggested a very low carb diet compromising mostly of beef, butter, and bacon.  Obviously I need some variety plus there are three of us in the family so need to feed us all and my toddler and husband are very picky.  Meat and fresh produce is so expensive and beans and pasta are much cheaper in comparison.  What are your tips for eating low carb on a budget?

Hello MrsSpendyPants! Low carb diets are very helpful at reducing inflammation, (I know some people who've had substantive changes, including myself) but that your immunologist is pointing you at beef, bacon and butter worries me.
Beef and bacon are pretty high in arachidonic acid, which is inflammatory. Dairy isn't great either, and most low-inflammation diets limit dairy.
My bf is low carb, and he actually saves money now from all the crap he doesn't buy:)

Normally, an anti-inflammatory diet has fish and chicken, lots of green vegetables (they are all low carb) and nothing 'white' except cauliflower. Supplements for Omega 3. Lentils and beans are generally good for low carb, but they are thought to contain compounds that create issues for some people, so sometimes people leave them out.
Unless you have reason to think you are reacting to them, lentils and beans could be a core item in your meals. Red lentils are cheap, high in nutrients and cook up really fast. Nuts aren't necessarily cheap but its important to keep some on you because low-carb food is very hard to get when you're out running around and hungry.

We eat a lot of vegetable and meat stir-fry (but with no rice), hamburger meat and black beans (like taco filling but no taco) and soup which is basically shredded cabbage, beans and tomato sauce with asian hot and sour soup flavoring, blended with the hand blender until it is smooth because he likes the texture that way. And shredded chicken. I roast cauliflower for 'rice' sometimes. A lot of other things we just make without the carb, lasagna without the noodles, wraps without the wrap (or lettuce leaves). Green salads with tuna, egg or chicken.
Coconut and Nuts and avocado are high fat, which you will need to keep your blood sugar even. (Sure, you can eat a lot of butter instead... but I dunno. Unless its grass-fed, which is quite expensive).

MrsSpendyPants, you don't have to answer, but if your miscarriages are confirmed or suspected to be attributable to PCOS/insulin resistance, then you should be aware that there is some evidence that would counter-indicate dairy for PCOS sufferers.  If you have PCOS, then the advice given above would be similar to what I would give in that case.  Especially limit or eliminate all the high glycemic 'white' carbs, sugar, and tropical fruits and limit other carbs to veggies and some whole grains/beans/nontropical fruit in very small amounts.

[imadandylion]

I would say consult a registered dietician or nutritionist about diet. Of course you want to an anti-inflammatory diet, but the immunologist's recommendations seem a bit odd especially considering the meat-based American diet is considered inflammatory. There are different doctors for different specialties so while the immunologist probably had good intentions, I would still consult a professional specific to diet and nutrition. I think if anything Missy B's answer seems most balanced and in line with an anti-inflammatory diet.

[PDXTabs]

Meat and fresh produce is so expensive and beans and pasta are much cheaper in comparison.  What are your tips for eating low carb on a budget?

Meat and fresh produce are expensive, but 10,000 years ago we weren't eating white pasta. I would consider going full AIP to start with. This is your health, unless you literally don't have the money this is where you should be spending it.

I would try very hard to stick to grass fed beef and dairy as they have a drastically different omega3/6 fat ratio than grain fed beef and dairy. You can get Kerrygold butter at Costco and Winco for a reasonable price. Costco also has Kerrygold cheddar for a good price. Discount stores like Winco and Grocery Outlet can be a good source for lamb and grass fed ground beef.

Don't skimp on vegetables, and remember that low carb does not mean high protien. Also, in my experience, once your body has time to lower inflammation you can move from low carb to lower carb.* That is, you can eat as much sweet potato, banana, etc as long as you feel good. But don't reintroduce the pasta, humans didn't evolve to eat that much concentrated carbohydrate. Also, some people have trouble with legumes but I seem to tolerate them just fine, I actually have more trouble with nightshades, YMMV.

* - Actually, AIP isn't usually done as low carb, just lower carb. I might just start there.

[vand]

Dr Tim Noakes is a very respected sports scientist and author based out of South Africa who convert to LCHF about 10 years ago, and he has been spreading the message about the diet (and been demonized amongst the traditional medical "profession" for doing so). Anyway, as you can imagine, dispoable incomes are not as large in SA as they are in the US, something that he has been acutely aware of and sought to address.

One of his best suggestions is to get into eating liver and other offal, which normally sells really cheaply as nobody ever wants it.

Anyway, Tim Noakes.. good guy. Definitely worth googling.

[mm1970]

I gave up wheat/ gluten a few years ago.  (It was no longer agreeing with me.)  Before that, I had a 1 year process of losing weight post birth, that involved a lower-carb diet. 

A few recommendations:
- You don't have to eat the same things that your family eats. My husband and kids eat regular bread, flour tortillas, etc.
- Think fat not protein.  When I was losing weight, I ate a lot more protein that I was used to, but it was definitely very expensive.  After I hit goal weight I adjusted a bit towards fat, so it got cheaper.
- Figure out how to make meals adjustable
(Example: We would have spaghetti.  I'd make up sauce with meatballs - I buy the gluten free meatballs because: kind of lazy.  I'd cook spaghetti for them, and I'd eat carrot noodles or zucchini noodles instead.)

- Buy in bulk, when things are on sale, and cheaper cuts.  Whole chicken.  Eggs, roasts instead of loins.  Full fat dairy (if you can do dairy).
- Nuts.  I eat peanut butter and all sorts of nuts to get my fats.
- Oils.  I make my own salad dressing with olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and I do NOT use it sparingly on my salads.

- Canned salmon if you like that (I do).

[Runrooster]

I went on a low carb diet about 4 years ago in order to lose weight, not inflammation related.  I ate eggs/omelet for breakfast, usually with fruit; beans with vegetables for lunch; chicken with vegetables for dinner, usually salad.  Snack was fruit and greek yogurt.  The other two members of my household added bread, rice, etc. to their meals.  I exercised 8 miles of walking per day (on an incline on the treadmill, so more like 12 miles, with TV).  I lost 60 pounds over less than a year.

In terms of expense, chicken eggs beans yogurt are all pretty decent. Recently I have taken to buying the Costco rotisserie chicken at $5/3 lb chicken.  I debone it right away, while it's still warm, throw one half in the freezer, make stock when I have two carcasses.

Frozen veg and cheaper veg can help fill the meals.  I keep my produce under 1.50/pound, with most less than $1/pound.  Recently I was able to stock up frozen veg for that price point, grateful it was in the store.  But everything seems noticeably more expensive these last two months, even at my cheap produce market.  Eggplant and squash used to run .69/pound, now is .99; tomatoes are 1.49 instead of .59 or .79.  It's not enough of a change that I'm buying less, but my grocery bill has gone up 20% overall.

[Ethel]

As a Type 2 Diabetic who has to watch the carbs, I have found The Diet Doctors list of foods to be extremely helpful.  It's free to poke around and they have some recipes as well.  Good luck!

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/foods

Bit off-topic but that site looks useful, thanks for the link. I've been trying to motivate myself to start a stricter LCHF diet.

[former player]

As I understand it, the two most common causes of diet-related inflamation are lactose intolerance and gluten intolerance, in that order.  Either cut out dairy and wheat or turn to the lactose free and gluten free options.  I would suggest doing this for a month and seeing how you feel.  If you have diet-related inflammation it probably shows up in a swollen belly and that will take time to resolve but you should see distinct changes after a month and continued improvement after that.

Most vegetables are unlikely to cause inflammation, but I have known people who swore off the "nightshades", principally potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, to manage arthritis and claimed success.

[texxan1]

i am not going to go throuhg what everyone else said, but im doing the Keto thing and yes its expensive, but what helped me alot is buying a pellet smoker.... it allows me to buy lower grades of meat and they still come out better than restruant quality foods.

however, dont skimp on the butter   Kerry gold is expensive but worth it.

also, if your serious about low carb, after about a week your gonna push yourself to eat more than once a day.. you just dont get that hungry to be honest, atleast i dont

[partgypsy]

There is all good examples. I don't do low carb but I worked on a research study that looked at the effects of a low carb diet (less than 25 grams a day!) to patients who had out of control diabetes, and the results were striking. A dietician is most likely going to know more about the ins and outs of the different kinds of diets than a pcp unless the pcp has a specialty related to diet. One way to go, is to go on a restrictive diet, and then add items in every couple weeks so you can find out what is causing the problem. As someone else said, two main culprits are: dairy, and gluten. so you may want to try that first, before trying to go through every single thing to see what your body is reacting to.
Anyways, a low inflammation diet is different than a low carb diet. Maybe discuss with the dietician what you are trying to achieve with the diet and go from there.

Simplistically speaking,
For the low carb diet study, they could have: eggs, full fat dairy (including milk, cheese, yogurt) meat, fowl, fish. All the vegetables they cared to eat, with the exception of potatoes and sweet potatoes. Berries for fruit (but a limited amount), nuts as snacks. What was eliminated was all pasta, breads, rice, refined sugar.

low inflammation diet severely reduce or eliminate red meats, butter, and limit dairy. They include smaller amounts of poultry and fish, beans, a wide range of vegetables and fruits, some dairy and various whole grains. Olive oil over other types of oils and not frying food.
Both suggest reducing or eliminating alcohol and refined sugars and grains.

Buying meat in bulk, buying vegetables in season (and there are some types of veggies like kale, greens, carrots that are always cheap) are ways to keep costs down. 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320233

[BTDretire]

I gave up wheat/ gluten a few years ago.  (It was no longer agreeing with me.)  Before that, I had a 1 year process of losing weight post birth, that involved a lower-carb diet. 

A few recommendations:
- You don't have to eat the same things that your family eats. My husband and kids eat regular bread, flour tortillas, etc.
- Think fat not protein.  When I was losing weight, I ate a lot more protein that I was used to, but it was definitely very expensive.  After I hit goal weight I adjusted a bit towards fat, so it got cheaper.
- Figure out how to make meals adjustable
(Example: We would have spaghetti.  I'd make up sauce with meatballs - I buy the gluten free meatballs because: kind of lazy.  I'd cook spaghetti for them, and I'd eat carrot noodles or zucchini noodles instead.)

- Buy in bulk, when things are on sale, and cheaper cuts.  Whole chicken.  Eggs, roasts instead of loins.  Full fat dairy (if you can do dairy).
- Nuts.  I eat peanut butter and all sorts of nuts to get my fats.
- Oils.  I make my own salad dressing with olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and I do NOT use it sparingly on my salads.

- Canned salmon if you like that (I do).

I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but this is pretty much Keto.
When I was doing Keto, a lot of my fat came from Olive oil. It is probably your cheapest source of fat.
I'd have at least one cup of bouillon daily and put two tablespoons of OO in it, it does mix well, just stir as you drink.
 Someone mentioned Tim Noakes, I'd also recommend Dr. Phinney.
 I lost 23 lbs in 3 months.

[vand]

I would caution against trying to go too-low budget, whether it is LCHF or any other diet. The quality of your macros still matters, not purely from a weight-loss perspective but also from a gut health and metabolic perspective. You can sabotage your best efforts if you try to do everything on a minimum spend.

A big error quite common in low carbers is they use way too much industrialized seed-oils which are artifically created using a very chemical intensive process and contain almost exclusively omega 6s. 

[I recommend reading some of Cate Shanahan's work who has some very good research on "bad oils" https://drcate.com/list-of-good-fats-and-oils-versus-bad/]

[lhamo]

Regardless of which variety you choose to pursue, anyone eating a high-protein healthy-fat rich diet is going to get a lot more bang for their buck at Costco.  All the healthy oils, nuts, frozen/canned fish and seafood, etc. are easily 20-30% cheaper per oz there than at other retail outlets.  A HUGE container of organic extra virgin olive oil costs what you would pay for a small bottle at Whole Foods.  They also have coconut oil, avocado oil, etc.  The wild caught frozen alaskan salmon fillets are great.  The west coast stores also have a lot of organic meat and veggies if that is important to you -- not sure that applies in the rest of the country, though.

[facepalm]

After three miscarriages, my immunologist is suggesting a diet change to try and reduce inflammation.  He suggested a very low carb diet compromising mostly of beef, butter, and bacon.  Obviously I need some variety plus there are three of us in the family so need to feed us all and my toddler and husband are very picky.  Meat and fresh produce is so expensive and beans and pasta are much cheaper in comparison.  What are your tips for eating low carb on a budget?

I have been doing a VLC diet for a while due to carbohydrate/plant intolerance issues. It appears that your immunologist is suggesting a diet that runs a tny bit higher in fats than your typical carnivorous diet. I eat primarily beef, some chicken, but don't eat butter so use coconut oil when cooking, since I tolerate it.

First tip is to buy in bulk and freeze. I shop the sales and when I see a good deal I buy it up and freeze as much as I can. Meat will keep in the freezer like forever.  Chicken can be very cheap, esp when buying a whole chicken. Shop the sales. and while I like Costco, their fresh meat can sometimes run a bit more--but it is excellent quality. They do have great prices on frozen meat.

To keep costs down, your best cuts of beef will always be roasts. I can usually get top sirloin cuts fairly cheaply, but roasts are even cheaper per pound. Hamburger can be even cheaper when purchased in bulk, and it freezes well. And don't forget organ meats. Beef liver has a lot of nutrition.

Lastly, ignore the posters that suggest that read meat is somehow inflammatory. While you can find lots of posts on the 'net suggesting it is, none of the criticism holds up to scrutiny. Someone I trust immensely on the subject is Chris Kresser. You can read what he has to say here:

https://chriskresser.com/does-red-meat-cause-inflammation/

Best of luck!