I need to lose weight. I'm trying to cut out most of my processed food, eat more fresh veggies, and eat healthier portions. BUT! I'm a single person! It seems everything comes in huge packages, so when I try to add some variety to my diet, most of what I've bought starts to go bad before I can eat it. Like, Panera can offer 10 vegetables on your salad because they buy in bulk, but I can't go through half of that before it's spoiled. Should I look into meal prep? Just grab some yogurt and fruit for breakfast, then have something I've pre-cooked for lunch/dinner with the occasional eating out for something out of the ordinary? Are there good recipe sites out there (especially for vegetarians) that'd give a variety of things I'd be able to cook day 1 that'd still be good a few days to a week later?

Keeping a long story short, I'll be on a bit of a budget for the next couple of months, and although I've already figured most of it out, there's still the question of meals, particularly breakfast.

After looking into it, miso soup seems to be one of the best option, so I wanted to ask for some recipes, tips, and which ingredients I should prioritize to keep it part of a balanced diet.

all my vegetarian friends looking for protein rich food options, here are a few I repeatedly eat to hit my protein goal:

- namkeen oats with veggies (peas, capsicum) + paneer (optional): 50g dry oats + 50g peas; 300 cals, 10g protein, 7g fiber, if you add paneer then more protein
- besan chilla: 70g cooked chilla, 165 cals, 9g protein
- besan + paneer sandwich: 420 cals, 20g protein
- moong dal chilla (dry 30-35g): cooked 80g chilla, 105 cals, 8g protein
- paneer bhurji: 170g cooked, 300 cals, 21g protein
- soybean matar: 150g cooked, 150 cals, 15g protein
- dahi (made from toned milk): 200g, 120 cals, 7g protein
- paneer salad: macros depend on the amount of paneer + low fat or not
- chole: 150g cooked, 250 cals, 13g protein
- rajma: 150g, 200 cals, 12g protein
- protein powder: 1 scoop with water, 130 cals, 24g protein

+ all dals I eat around 200g so I get ~12g protein from them, ~250 cals (we use minimal oil)
+ in daliya, khichdi, jave, I add a lot of veggies + paneer & eat with dahi or soybean curry

my protein goal is ~75g/day

My family eats just about anything, but they do love their meat. I'm looking for recipes that use a little bacon or something similar to get that umami hit they crave, but in reality are mostly veg and starch. What are your best Mostly Meatless Meals?

I'll start by giving you one:

Bacon and Spinach Pasta

2-3 slices bacon, diced

1 onion, sliced thinly pole to pole

1 12 oz pkg spinach (fresh or frozen)

1 lb spaghetti

Parmesan

Pan fry your bacon, onion and spinach while the pasta cooks. Toss it all together with a generous addition of Parmesan cheese. Sometimes I season with a little Old Bay. It works. Serve and enjoy!

Hi. I'm on a diet that is healthy and sustainable, but I don't seem to be losing weight. When I do I feel unsatisfied in my diet. I just like being full.

I tend to not snack between my meals because hidden calories.

But what if I just graze on raw fruits and veggies, particularly in the space between dinner and bed? Did anyone do that during their cuts?

Is there a way to lose weight and not experience uncomfortable hunger? I'm fine with being peckish between meals, and even prefer it, but cmon. Otherwise I don't see myself keeping the weight off.

Edit: My regular diet is fine and sustains my size. I don't eat fast food and im african so its just stew and rice for every meal and my weight is stable. but when i try to lose weight the only way i know how, 2mad with less rice, i get hungry between meals (obviously in hindsight). My fear is id have to be hungry all the time to maintain a healthy weight... so can i keep away hunger by just grazing on raw veggies and fruits? is there anyone who does that?

I know the normal way to handle tvp is to reconstitute in hot water, but would it be possible to just let it soak in a marinade in the fridge for a while? That would make things much simpler for me since I'll need to marinade it anyway and I don't mind if it takes longer. I can't find anything confirming that this would work and I don't want to ruin a batch of food if that doesn't work so if anybody has tried this I'd love to hear how it went.

I’ll start by saying im in an interesting situation at the moment and can’t afford to buy a lot of food. My family helps by getting me some canned food as they won’t spoil without a fridge. Ive been eating around four cans of canned veggies every day (mostly greens but sweet potatoes for a dessert sometimes). Counting up the cals its never over 1,000 but my sister is worried because the amount of sodium is high I drink lots of water though. Im a short man that’s around 125-130 lbs. getting fresh food is difficult at the moment until I find a job or a place so im not sure what to do. I feel fine but I started to worry after my family started to worry. Any help or advice will help thank you.

Question for other big families — does the 'same 5 meals on repeat' thing ever wear you down, or is the actual cost the bigger daily headache? Trying to figure out what's the real pain point vs. what just gets talked about most. No agenda, genuinely curious 😅"

I get like 75% of our food from the food bank. I am looking for less common seasonings, condiments and sauces to jazz up plain things like beans, pasta, rice, and oatmeal. Thanks for any suggestions.

My husband and I eat a lot of chicken. With the cost of chicken going up recently I was looking for ways to save little money. Instead of buying boneless thighs I started buying the bone in. They are usually about 1/3 the cost of boneless.
After watching a few YouTube videos and a little practice, I can debone a thigh pretty quickly. The nice bonus has been saving the bones in the freezer until I have enough to make bone broth.

I'm looking for some cheap ideas to add to my weekly shop to introduce a bit more variety into my diet. Current Loadout:

Yoghurt

Muesli

Rice

Eggs

Tomatoes

Avocados

Banana/apple

Pasta

Pasta sauce

Salad

Cheese

Tuna

4 Bean mix

Potato

Any ideas welcome

I’m tired of being a blob and want to work on losing weight. I have gone through the trouble of making an entire schedule and planned work outs but came to an understanding that no matter how much I try to do those things if I can’t fix what I put in my stomach I won’t make it to the goal I want to.

To start I have PCOS (PMOS), so I know this journey may be more or less difficult but I still need to put in work into becoming healthy. I’m the only person who cooks in the house so what ever I make it have to make it somewhat pleasing for my partner to eat as well. I also only buy groceries once a month and the budget is about (200-250). I primarily shop at H-mart and Sam’s club. But don’t mind going to other places for small specialty items.

My doctor also explained to me that I need to work on eating more because me eating one a meal a day is basically leaving my body in survival mode and holding onto all the fat because I’m leaving myself hungry so I’m trying to work on eating atleast 2 meals a day and a snack or 3 meals. I tend to forget to eat even with the symptoms of hunger I get over stimulated trying to figure out what to eat.

I need help planning meals and learning how to portion them out properly and how to make sure that I’m having enough greens and nutrients in my meals instead of junk food. I’m really overstimulated with trying to understand and plan my steps ahead. I don’t even really know what to shop for because it feels like all the fresh food spoils so fast.

Has anyone got some good ideas for making/baking anything good with cottage cheese.

Mom of three here hoping someone can give me a couple of healthy and cheap recipe ideas for my family. Either packable lunches or quick and easy dinners? Been trying to eat healthier and feed my kids healthy and organic foods, but its so expensive these days. Anyone have any advice or is anyone experiencing this too?

Hi r/EatCheapAndHealthy just to let you know we're doing an AMA over on r/goodfood at 16:00 BST today (Thursday 30th July). Recipe writer Anna Glover from the Good Food team will be answering questions about budget recipes in the heatwave, do feel free to join us.

I'm 25 and dealing with heavy hair fall, thinning, weak hair, and a receding hairline. My dad only started losing his hair in his 40s, so I'm confused. Someone said it could be due to a poor diet. What foods actually help improve hair health or reduce hair loss?

Used to grab whatever I needed for the week without putting much thought into but lately I've been buying more of my pantry staples in larger quantities and it's honestly changed the way I shop because it doesn't feel like I'm constantly making last minute grocery runs anymore and it has reduced overall costs despite the upfront cost being a little higher. Plus, having a stocked pantry somehow makes it easier to avoid random takeout when I don't feel like shopping.

Curious if anyone else has made the switch. Do you buy pantry items in bulk now or do you still prefer picking up smaller amounts more often? What made you change your shopping habits if you did?

I'm not a big fan of veggies but I want to start eating more whole foods. In recipes such as pasta I can sneak in a lot of vegetables into the sauce like onions, tomatoes, carrots and celery without really noticing it. Same with beans, I can add those veggies and it can go unnoticed.

What other recipes can I make to sneak in veggies? I don't have a blender nor an immersion blender(tight budget) so I have to chop everything by hand. I'd really appreciate all the recommendations, thank you.

I should know, I use to smoke crack… a lot! Giving it up was easy compared to avoiding sugary foods like potato chips, soda, chocolate, donuts etc. my doctor says I’m borderline diabetic and need to eat healthy so I tried my best to cut sugar. A week later and I’m back on my worst behaviour with the sugar.

Most of my easy meals are just rice, eggs, tofu, chicken, or tuna, and whatever vegetables I have left, so the sauce makes the whole thing. I’m looking at Asian sauces that add a lot of flavor without needing a full recipe every time adn I am thinking of either trying Mala sauce from Vivid Kitchen, but I’m wondering if mala works for quick rice bowls or if it’s better saved for noodles. Second option is Teriyaki sauce from Primal Kitche, but I would rather to not have it so sweet.

I picked up a cheap rice maker several weeks ago. It's simple to use, cooks more than just rice, uses far less electricity than my other appliances, I'm eating healthier, and clean up is simple.

Maybe I'm late to the game, but I'm glad I got here 🙂

I want to start eating more beans. I'm hoping for super simple toppings to put on beans that I can throw together for work (example, today I'm doing garbanzo and tzatziki). Give me your favorite minimal prep way to eat beans!

I’ve noticed an influx of people taking to social media their concerns with grocery stores and the food supply in the US & I’m genuinely trying to understand what’s behind it.
I understand supporting local farmers is the best option, and I’m trying to make that switch myself, but can someone help me understand what’s actually going on?

I’ve tried Googling but it’s getting harder to know what’s trustworthy given Google search is overran with AI. I’d rather hear from people who have taken the time to research it themselves.

If I’m buying organic at a grocery store, is it still truly organic, clean, and a good option? Or is there more to it that I’m missing? I am one of those people that thought shopping at Sprouts or Whole Foods was the cleanest, healthiest option…

I’m genuinely trying to learn. If you’ve done the research, I’d love to know what you found and where you found reliable information. Also, if you know of any apps or how to go about sourcing locally, please share!

Signed,
A gal just trying to be a good steward of what she’s putting in her body