How can I make an effort to change my diet?

This is almost a repeat question of the one asking about how to eat healthy for cheaper..
My step dad keeps a really tight budget on the food he buys. He always get food for convenience and never cooks for us kids (me and my two teenage brothers). He buys processed foods such as canned ravioli, frozen pizzas, bagels and cream cheese, pop-tarts, cereal. etc. And he buys the exact same things EVERY time he gets groceries and when I think about it, has been, for YEARS! I hate the way he does things because I would seriously like to eat healthier, but he does NOT like spending money. Even when he has it. He buys fast food very often, but only for himself and my mother. (How awful is that, right?) Anyways, do you think there is anyway I can convince him to buy some things that are better for me? Try to go easy on the vegetable suggestions, as I'm not a big fan, unfortunately. Are there any ides of just some simple, cheap-ish foods that aren't complete junk? I don't even know, when they ask me "Well what kind of food??" Because I don't go to the store with them, and when I do I always feel like they're hurrying me! I hate this. It's quite often anymore that after I eat I feel gross, from the inside, almost like puking.I know most of that has to do with what I'm eating and how unhealthy it usually is. I've wanted to be healthier for a long, long time now. And even more so since I just had a baby a month ago and I'm starting to put on a little bit more weight since I gave birth and am ready to start exercising. Everyone in my house has very unhealthy lifestyles and do not care to change it.. So it can't be anything too drastic.

Any help/suggestions?

[TrudieC]

Wow, you have a tough situation.  here are a few suggestions:

1)  Many grocery stores carry rotisserie chickens.  These are a fantastic value - you get a hot, cooked chicken for the price of a raw one.  This can then be cut up and eaten as is or sliced for sandwiches, stir frys, etc. and you can then boil the carcass to make chicken stock for soup.  This is inexpensive, fast but healthy.

2)  If you have to have canned ravioli, try putting a little of olive oil in a pan and cook up some chopped carrots, onions and celery.  Then cook a small amount of pasta (about half a cup) in boiling water.  Drain the pasta and then add it and the cooked carrots, onions and celery to the warmed up can of ravioli.  This stretches the sauce and adds nutrients and makes the can go farther than usual for a minimal cost.

3)  If you've got bagels toast half of one and put a mixture of canned tuna, chopped onion and celery, and a dab of light mayo on top.  You can sprinkle with a tablespoon of shredded cheese and put under the broiler for a few minutes.

4)  Go with canned beans and try getting some of the soups that are healthier.  Campbell's has a lot of lower fat soups and even the Chunky soups have a good mixture of dietary needs.  You could always have one piece of pizza and a bowl of soup.

5)  Ask them to buy some low sugar cereals like corn flakes or Special K.  You can then put fresh fruit (or canned) on it.  

6)  Ask them to buy fresh bananas and apples.  Try eating eggs more often.

Good luck!  I'd also suggest you try taking a multi-vitamin which will help to ensure you are getting the right nutrients for you and your baby.

[irrelevance]

Thank you. I will try some of these, I already take vitamins, a One-Daily Women's vitamin.. I eat a lot of eggs and I ask him to get bananas often. I will have to remind him to get tuna sometime because I actually really like it. Thanks for your suggestions.

[gracefromHHP]

Another suggestion is start watching the food channel on tv and then printing out recipes that you think sound good.  Show them to your step dad and say hey I saw them make this on tv the other day and it looked good - think we could try it?  Help them get out of their cooking rut they seem to be in.

trudie's rotisserie chicken idea is awesome!  If you are willing to pick off the meat you really can get a lot from 1 chicken.  You can make chicken and low fat cheese and veggie quesidilla's/wraps too yourself with the leftovers :)


grace

[peekawho]

In the past, I've used about 1 rotisserie chicken a week.  Excellent for fast sandwiches, to add to salads, or to shred into soups.  

[swampcritter]

The "feeling gross after eating" caught Swampy's eye -- this is your body trying to tell you what is wrong. Since everyone works differently, its hard to interpret.

Does your family have a history of ulcers or other stomach problems?

What happens if you reduce fat a little, or reduce carbs? How about if you eat foods that are "easy to digest" such as rice? Its a little odd, but you might consider trying to get them to buy you some boxed dry rice dinners (like rice pilafs and things)...they are lower in fat and sodium than canned goods and are pretty inexpensive.

[therese83]

I was just wondering how old are you?  Could you start cooking a little? I guess they wont allow you to at home.

Include as much vegetables and salads as you can.  Lunch and dinner should always include vegetables (even frozen veg).  Fill up with vegetables.

[irrelevance]

I do cook. I have to cook for myself, obviously or else I'd starve!
I'm 16. Although I've basically been cooking [from very basic things like grilled cheese/quesadilas/etc] for nearing 10 years now.. I said in my post, however, that I do not like vegetables much. We don't have "lunch and dinner" my household has always been a sort of "fend for yourself" kind of deal. And we've been eating the same JUNK that's not even real FOOD, for years now and I see the effect it's had on my other family members (On top of their laziness) And I refuse to let them pull me down with them!

[gracefromHHP]

Maybe start making a menu for the week and handing them a store list of things you want?  Let them know that you are wanting to take better care of yourself and start your baby with good habits and want to start eating healthier :)

Ask for things like bag o'salad , low sodium soups, kashi frozen dinners, whole wheat tortillas and low fat cheeses, calcium fortified oj, low fat yogurt etc.  You need more calcium now than you will ever again in your lifetime plus you just had a baby so your body "robs" your bones and teeth of the calcium it needed for the baby so you need to replace it.  Are you still taking any vitamins like you were when pregnant? Extra calcium for the next couple of years is a good idea too!  

grace

[tiredbuthappy]

Dh and I are super busy, and always looking to save a buck. I also am not a fan of most veggies, so it's hard for me to eat healthy at times too. But we ave a pretty good system worked out. We buy whatever meat is on sale. This week it was london broil for $1.60/lb or something ridiculously cheap like that. We grill up a huge london broil, and eat it for several days in different forms. Kinda like the rotisserie chicken idea (which we do as well!) Day one might be london broil with minute rice. The next day we might make fajitas out of it- all you need is tortillas, salsa, some of the left over rice, etc... day 3 we might make sandwiches out of it, or throw it over some romaine lettuce and make a steak salad.
Grilled chicken- day 1 chicken with a side like rice, couscous, etc...
option 2- fajitas
option 3- chicken salad sandwiches
option 4- chicken ceasar salad

if you're not a fan of grilling, there's other ways you can cook it as well. during the winter we buy chicken thighs on sale and throw them in the oven. with a meat thermometer even i can't mess that up! then we do the same thing for a couple of days as described above.


we make a lot of homemade casseroles- kinda like hamburger helper. cook up some ground beef or turkey, mix with pasta and some sauce. for calcium you can add part skim ricotta. we usually throw in some frozen chopped spinach to get some veggies in to me (hidden in a casserole i don't mind it). dh makes huge batches so we can eat for 2 or 3 days without having to cook.

[fashiongirl]

okay..this may be harsh...but if you are old enough and responsible enough to care for a baby, then you are old enough to take care of your health.

Do you have a job? Any source of your own income or do you rely heavily on your parents? can you drive yourself or do you have a grocery store within walking/driving distance?

I used to be 200lbs, I am now 122, so I have a lot of experience in healthy eating...especially on a budget, since thats what i'm on.

my staple foods of choice are salmon, tilapia, stirfrys, salads, whole wheat pasta, shrimp etc...

A lof of these foods can be bought fairly cheaply and prepared easily.

Salmon - brush with a little bit of olive oil and spices, put in oven at 400 - bake for 26 minutes.  

Tilapia - can of diced tomatoes, feta cheese, black olives, spices.
put 1/2 cup (or more if you like) of canned tomatoes on tilapia, crumble feta cheese over top with black olives and spice. bake in over at 400 - for 17 minutes.

Whole wheat pasta with shrimp.  Buy a bag of shrimp (pretty cheap), cook shrimp in skillet.  Boil pasta till soft.  In skillet put 1/2 cup of tomatoes and saute with shrimp, spice with dill/oregano.  Spoon over pasta.  

Stirfry - Buy bag of frozen veggies (europe best zen garden is great) cook veggies in wok/skillet.  cook shrimp with veggies.  saute with a nice stirfry sauce.  Throw in noodles or spoon over rice.

all of the above are completely healthy and quite delicious.
Once you start eating healthy you won't go back.

Try to eat lots of fruits, eventually you'll crave strawberries or cherries over a bag of chips or chocolate.  It's all about conditioning your body and your mind.

Also about the stomach issues, you could have developed an intolerance.
I went through similar things like you and developed intolerance to lactose and wheat (i cheat sometimes and still eat both, but in moderation)

[fibromama]

here are some really cheap easy meal prep ideas

Pottatoe Soup:  get a 10lb bag of tatoes,,2 cans of evaporated milk,regular milk,,butter,,onion powder or the real thing,,celery stock or the powder

peel and cut about 8-10 potatoes put um in  big pot with the 2  cans of evaporated milk,,about a half stick or 2 tbs butter,,celery and onion powders or fresh and chopped,,usually 2 celery stocks and half onion,,,you can add more tatoes to make a bigger pot with added regular milk.


Chilli:  get a large can of pinto beans,large can of peeled diced tomatoes a chilli seasoning packet put all ingredients together in a pot and cook until hot.  
you can also add fritos to make a frito pie or put chopped green onion and a spoon full of sour cream on top,,or cheese,,,or even have crackers with butter to dip in the chilli.

Chicken and dumplings: you can get a whole chicken for a good price or at Costco 2 whole chickens for like $9,,,,so you need a whole chicken,,carrots and onion,,chicken stock and a cheap can of biscuits.
boil your chicken until its done then pull all the meat off add it to a big pot cut up some carrots and onion add it to the pot I would use about 2 cans of chicken stock.  Cut each individual doughy biscuit into 4 pieces and ball them up and drop into the soup 5 minutes before serving.  The dough will be gooey on the outside the inside should look like a biscuit would cooked.  And voila you got chicken and dumplings.

I know you said you dont like veggies so you can take them out of the recipes if you please,,but a little wouldnt hurt :)


I have a few more ideas if you'd like um just send me a msg.

good luck with your new baby