Hi ladies and gents.. I'm appalled at the level of nastiness some people show to others when they are obviously in need of guidance and help! I read a post today (on a radio stations facebook page) about a young woman with two kids who was struggling with loosing weight while being on benefits. She is claiming healthy food is too expensive to buy while on benefits and that it should be increased so that she can afford to eat better or get a personal trainer. While I disagree with her, I don't think that she needs to be belittled buy 18000+ people on one post! There are nice ways of getting your point across, with out hurting people or bringing them down. What happened to helping others who may be less fortunate!? Maybe she didn't have good role models who taught her how to live a healthy lifestyle. Who knows what her circumstances were/are.. But after seeing this I felt the need to try and help her.. I think all she needs is a little encouragement and education on the subject. So I was wondering if all you wonderful ladies and gents could help me out? If you have a CHEAP & HEALTHY meal that your family enjoys could you please share it here and I will do my best to get them to this young woman. Also any advice or words of encouragement would be wonderful. Hopefully this will also help others who see this! I know I could do with some new inexpensive healthy meal ideas too :) Thank you x
4 Replies
Yeah i disagree in needing increased benefits for weight loss, but i know its really disheartening when you see all these superfoods & organic foods and even just nice recipes on tv and know you cant afford it. It makes it psychologically hard to even think you can do it. But you can. Exercise is free. Find a hill, or a nice beach & walk it every day. Change your lifestyle to be more active. I know food is expensive & i really think that part should be changed! Its hard when seriously non- food junk is so damn cheap. But its part of a whole change in lifestyle. You can grow veggies and herbs, there are farmers markets, co-ops Or direct sellers that make up mixed boxes for pretty cheap. Its great though because once you start making your own meals & snacks too it gets much more affordable. You cAn make fritters, stirfrys, burgers & chips (homemade & stacked up with salad), iceblocks, flavoured water, jelly and fruit, soups, pies, quiche, veggie bake, curries, all from one box of fruit And veges.
Tonight i had steamed dimsims & stirfry green veges with ginger & soy sauce it was delicious.
There is one that's gone viral but is actually a woman overseas?
I think if your lucky like me and was taught how to cook, manage money, and you do live in a place where fresh food is readily available then it's not a problem. If You live in a remote area then fresh food can be extremely expensive because food has to be transported such a long way.
For most people the problem is lack of education though (I'm not talking school education). We need to be giving our kids life skills by teaching them how to cook, shop and budget so they have those skills before they leave home. These things were a family event in our house, we all participated in an age appropriate way. I know it would have been easier for mum and dad to do it all herself but they made the decision to include us so we could learn and look after ourselves. For that I'm forever grateful.
PS I almost cried looking after my cousins who were in their early teens and they didn't know chips were made out of potatoes!
Can she get a referral to a nutritionist from her GP? Walking in the park with the headphones on is my favorite excersise, outside, in the evening when it's cool, also helps unwind after whatever sort of day I've had. Sounds like there is a lot going on in this mum's life which can be overwhelming. I always try to stop and remind myself, it won't always be like this, things will change, everything is going to be okay. Positive self talk over and over can help calm and refocus your mind.
Try to walk every day if she can. Drink lots of water its good for you and it's free. Cut out fizzy and juice. Reduce sugar, try not to snack on cchocolate and cookies etc (i have such a hard time with this one!). Have oatmeal or something similar for breakfast which will keep you full for longer. Whenever possible choose full grain over white bread. Brown rice not white. Eat off a smaller plate so that you reduce your portion sizes (I'm so bad for that!). Try not to eat too close to bedtime! Get frozen mixed veg and add it to every meal that it might work with, its not very expensive especially when on sale and adds healthy bulk to meals.
Sorry i was just adding stuff as i though of it! No actual recipe but i hope you find it helpful anyway! Being healthy can be such a challenge especially when you are a single parent with all the daily pressures todeal on your own!
Good luck to this im!
Xx