Sport Need a diet, but have a low budget. Help!

Sport Fitness
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sbarra1x

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Hi. My name is Shaun.

In a couple of weeks I am going to start working out at my local gym and I will be frequenting the place 5-6 days a week for roughly 2 hours per session. I will mostly be doing cardiovascular exercises, using the treadmill, bike, swimming etc.

I need a well-balanced diet to match my new workout regime as best as possible.

The problem is, my weekly budget is only about £18-20. This is where I am stuck. I know absolutely nothing about nutrition, and I really feel I need a diet that doesn’t just focus on one particular thing… I want to optimize it somehow, so that I am getting as much of what makes me healthy as possible. Energy for working out, healthy bones, improved blood flow, growth (I am still growing.) You get the idea.

Is this possible with such a small budget? What are my best options?

It really would be immensely appreciated if you guys could give me some insight here and help me find the best diet possible.

For the last few years I have been living almost entirely off of Pizza, chips, more pizza, and fizzy drinks. I am extremely out of shape, my blood pressure is very high (have seen doctor about this already,) my mental / cognitive capability has greatly diminished.

I am of course going to be doing a lot of research myself, but it would be a tremendous help if someone with more knowledge and experience could help me out. Thanks!
 
I'm going ignore the spam reply. I'm not sure how much £1 converts to in Australian currency, or what different foods are worth where you live, so I can't give too solid advice on this one, but generall fruit, milk and vegetables are fairly cheap. Get some red and white meat. Fish and seafood in general is usually quite expensive here, not sure what it's like over there, so, depending on price, it may be better to just buy Omega 3 capsules. Tinned meat may be cheaper than fresh meat...but it's also tinned. I don't know how much nuts cost, but they're good for you, too, as are eggs. If you can buy your groceries, prepare food at home and bring it with you when you go out so that you don't have to buy lunch/dinner/snacks/drinks throughout the day, then that will go a long way towards keeping you within budget, because take away costs you usually 3-10 times what it costs the store the buy the ingrediants, and restaurants can cost even more than that.

Why are you going to be doing 2hrs of cardio 5-6 days a week? That doesn't sound like a very productive way to train to me, unless you have a sport that requires it.

If you've got body composition goals in mind, regardless of whether you want to build muscle or lose fat, strength training trumps cardio for value. Both strength training and cardio burn calories, but only strength training preserves lean body mass, thus whatever weight is lost has to come from fat first.
 
Cheap low GI possabilites could be brown rice, potatoes (make a dish such as blitva - i ate alotta blitva using potatoes / silverbeet / garlic / lemon and olive oil when i was travelling in the Uk last time).

Cheap dried fruit, if i remember dates were particulary cheap (povo 'homebrand' packet variety. U can use these along with the brown rice to make a very tasty brown rice salad. chuck in some lemon zest or orange zest / flesh / whatever fresh greens that are cheap and sseasonal (asparagus / shrooms / spring onions are esp nice). mix it all up with some pepper and parsley. maybe throw in a touch of low fat tzatziki. YUM

another very healthy & cheap option is lentils. chickpeas / kidney beans ect. If u have access to fresh pasly, u can make a killer alternate tabbouleh, use the chickpeas as the base, add a few fresh tomatoes / cumcumber / parsley.

cheap protien = canned sardines. dont fear the bones n guts, you will eat far worse in processed food, you just wont see it. And the bones are wonderfully healthy. also, as they are low end food chain produce, they have very very low toxin concentrations.

Im not the best person to give info on wheat based food, but i presume wholemeal pasta with a pesto sauce with low fat / sodium content would be a cheap and healthy option. Avoid takeout, i recall from my UK days it was amazing unhealthy... sodium, fat ect. and horrendously expensive. take the time to whip up a budget health meal such as a nice brown rice salad and box it up in tupperware box thing. filling & cheap mid-day meal.

also, if u can, buy fresh fruit n veg from fruit n veg markets, buy whatever is in surplas n cheap.
:costumed:
best of luck
 
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One last thing, i didnt read your previous diet and current health issues. Push yourself with your diet mate. If u can cut a few corners in other areas of your life (one or two less beers ect) and spend that on your diet your body will seriously love it. high blood pressure at a young age is not good. i dont mean to preach nor scare, but slashing out all that salt n fat paired with a daily dose of cardio will really help to reduce it. High blood pressure can equal serious vascular damage in the long term (vascual damage is linked to blindness and impotence) n heart dmg. also, high fat / salt / sugar diets rapidly increases the chance of developing lifelong consitions such as diabetes. and proper care for conditions such as diabetes demands both money and extensive lifestyle changes! so keep up the good work mate, diet is important ;)
 
I agree with the above posts. A common misconception in today's society is that it is expensive to eat healthy. It's really not. Eat lots of fruits and veggies, and always eat what is in season, as those things will be the least expensive. Make sure to get lots of lean protein (tuna is a great cheap option) and lots of healthy fats (avocados are cheap and really yummy).

I've also found that going to the store more often is a real help. We used to go once per week, and would end up wasting quite a lot of things. Go once every couple of days - it will ensure that all your fruit and veggies will get eaten before they go bad.
 
Eat foods in their most natural state. You can scout in your local market: fruits, vegetables, fishes and lean meats. Other food options: eggs, milk, wheat bread/pasta, oats, soy and cheese. Aim to take the recommended daily intake of nutrients: calcium, omega 3, magnesium and vitamin c.
 
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