How do you stretch your food budget in these inflationary times?

Little change. This frugal senior with a BMI 22 that tends to eat like a bird (well except on occasional binge days haha) , is rather ignorant about food preparation so has never spent much on expensive food nor been one to dine at restaurants. My monthly SS benefit check is enough that I have never needed to dig into my bank savings over the last 7 retirement years. So buy whatever food I desire. (Well except for that 5 pound loaf of peanut butter fudge I used to order for $40 that is now $80, haha.) And I do eat lots of milk and other dairy. My only expensive regular gourmet food product is Old Amsterdam Age Gouda cheese.
 

We make big batches of food and either freeze or can it. We usually wait until the most expensive ingredients go on sale. We buy certain veggies frozen so they have a longer shelf life and we also buy supplies in bulk and make our own breads including pancakes, waffles, biscuits, breads etc
We pick a lot of berries in the summer and freeze them. We are fairly resourceful.
My husband is a good fisherman so we eat a lot of super fresh fish and I like most fish.
 
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I buy on sale, eat no meat and little dairy, buy in bulk, shop sales, cook mostly from scratch, bulk cook/bake and freeze serving portions. Little gets wasted.

As for protein for seniors, I stopped eating meat and dairy almost 10 years and am nowhere near protein deficient. Beans, nuts, oats, whole grains, tofu, potatoes, peanut butter, fruits and vegetables all contain protein.

Giant herbivores like giraffes, elephants, hippos, etc., all manage to build plenty of muscle without eating meat or dairy, despite the livestock industry's insistence that humans need to consume animal products at virtually every meal.
 
Colleen said:
Since my husband passed away last month, my eating habits have changed drastically. First of all, I'm not hungry. My stomach growls but when I fix something (scrambled eggs, maybe), I take a few bites and can't finish. My neighbors brought me food the first couple weeks or so and it all ended up in the freezer. I'm sure my appetite will return at some point. This is not the way to cut down on grocery bills, though :(

I have a ton of food here. The pantry is stocked with all the things I use to use to cook/bake for us and the freezer (large upright one) is packed. We had just gone shopping a couple days before he died because we were starting to stock up for winter. I could feed an army.
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@Colleen, I experienced the same thing after my husband died. I did not want to cook anything. I did not have an appetite. But over time, it all changed. I hope you find some comfort in knowing you are not alone in this.
 
StarSong said:
As for protein for seniors, I stopped eating meat and dairy almost 10 years and am nowhere near protein deficient. Beans, nuts, oats, whole grains, tofu, potatoes, peanut butter, fruits and vegetables all contain protein.

Giant herbivores like giraffes, elephants, hippos, etc., all manage to build plenty of muscle without eating meat or dairy, despite the livestock industry's insistence that humans need to consume animal products at virtually every meal.
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Comparing humans - omnivores - to grazing animals (ruminants) that have 4 stomachs and eons of adaptation to their vegetarian diet is ridiculous. Why are all those animals so big? They need all that space to process the low protein food they eat.

The protein needs of the elderly are far more complex that you make them out to be. And substituting plant protein for animal protein is not a 1:1 trade off.

The study below is long and boring but is relevant to the roughly ~40% of the elderly that don't get enough protein on a daily basis. To sum it up in the simplest terms meat might be the most efficient, lowest cost, and highest quality protein available.


Protein Consumption and the Elderly
 
againstthegrain said:
Comparing humans - omnivores - to grazing animals (ruminants) that have 4 stomachs and eons of adaptation to their vegetarian diet is ridiculous. Why are all those animals so big? They need all that space to process the low protein food they eat.

The protein needs of the elderly are far more complex that you make them out to be. And substituting plant protein for animal protein is not a 1:1 trade off.

The study below is long and boring but is relevant to the roughly ~40% of the elderly that don't get enough protein on a daily basis. To sum it up in the simplest terms meat might be the most efficient, lowest cost, and highest quality protein available.


Protein Consumption and the Elderly
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That study's funding:
The authors were supported by the Claude D. Pepper Center for Older Americans in Little Rock, AR. Baum and Kim were supported by a Pepper Center Pilot Study Award P30 AG028718. Wolfe has received honoraria for talks or consulting from the National Cattlemanā€™s Beef Association, PepsiCo, and Pronutria. Wolfe has also received research grants for the Abbott Nutrition and National Cattlemanā€™s Beef Association. Baum has received grants from the Egg Nutrition Center/American Egg Board.

These companies all have a stake in the results. The study's conclusions therefore, are unsurprising. Follow the money.
 
^^^What you say is true that was published w the study so it's not a secret, but they reference other peer reviewed studies that they had no relationship to, to make their case.

My point is, unlike you, some seniors cutting back on meat because of it's cost aren't likely to replace it w other expensive foods like nuts and won't eat enough of the low protein density foods you mention to supply their protein needs.They'll substitute with whatever is cheap and appealing usually processed carbs.

As many elderly "eat like a bird" what ever food they do eat needs to be protein dense and there is no denying that meat fits the bill.
 
againstthegrain said:
How do you replace the protein that is lost from minimizing meat?

I use brown rice/beans, eggs, and cottage cheese to fill the gap.
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The amount of meat protein many eat is much more than needed. I use the size of a deck of cards as my guide.

Making well balanced vegetarian meals may be bit more work. My husband was raised a vegetarian and many in his family never changed. I had a vegetarian lifestyle for years so have lots of recipes to fall back on.
 
againstthegrain said:
As many elderly "eat like a bird" what ever food they do eat needs to be protein dense and there is no denying that meat fits the bill.
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So does Greek yogurt. Plain Greek non-fat yogurt is 64 cents and has 15g of protein. Good alternative for those who don't eat meat. And that's more protein than regular yogurt, so a better choice.
 
My thoughts regarding meat are not meant to be confrontational or assert that being a meat eater or vegetarian are better or worse than the other. Humans are omnivores with a digestive system and teeth meant to eat both meat and plants. I made my living selling fresh produce, so I'm a fan of plant based food. My grandfather was a dairymen so I love milk, and all milk products. They all play a part in a nutritious diet.

In this thread regarding saving money on food on a forum dedicated to seniors I'm trying to point out that cutting meat out to save money might be a mistake for many - a false economy.

As I have noted above 40% of the elderly are protein deficient. Why is that? Do they eat less overall? Do they substitute low protein food for high protein? Does the digestive system slowly lose it's ability to absorb nutrients? Why do the elderly become decrepit and bones break like a pretzel? Is that partly a consequence of protein deficiency?

Meat on a per lb basis can be considered expensive, but what is it's value? Could more grams of perhaps a higher quality protein in a smaller amount produce better outcomes vs plant based protein?

For some of us eating meat or not might be a lifestyle choice, for others that are really struggling economically to buy food to maintain or improve their physical condition eliminating meat might not be the correct choice.
 
For one thing I get cheaper meats and often get them from Aldi's. A pound of Ground turkey roll is 3.29. I also get chicken thighs which are a cheaper cut too. I've been getting most of my food from Aldi's. Even steaks are a lot less there even for a NY Strip Steak šŸ„© and they taste delicious too.

Other things like garbage bags and freezer bags and dish detergent and dishwasher detergent and toilet paper and paper towels I have been buying in bulk I get on Amazon. They have their own brand for the plastic things I buy and regular brand names for detergents, soaps, hair products.

I feel I'm saving money buying in bulk.
 
palides2021 said:
@Colleen, I experienced the same thing after my husband died. I did not want to cook anything. I did not have an appetite. But over time, it all changed. I hope you find some comfort in knowing you are not alone in this.
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Thank you. I know it will get better and I know I'm not alone. It just feels like it. The house is so empty and quiet. Thank goodness for our kitty to keep me company.
 
againstthegrain said:
As I have noted above 40% of the elderly are protein deficient.
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I can't find that stat anywhere in the link, nor have I seen that statistic elsewhere. Perhaps I'm not reading the study carefully enough.

When searching on the internet: "In developed countries, the most cited cause of malnutrition is disease, as both acute and chronic disorders have the potential to result in or aggravate malnutrition."
Malnutrition in Older Adultsā€”Recent Advances and Remaining Challenges

This six minute video (or click below the video to read the transcript) has a different take on the subject:
Flashback Friday: Increasing Protein Intake After Age 65 | NutritionFacts.org
againstthegrain said:
My point is, unlike you, some seniors cutting back on meat because of it's cost aren't likely to replace it w other expensive foods like nuts and won't eat enough of the low protein density foods you mention to supply their protein needs.They'll substitute with whatever is cheap and appealing usually processed carbs.
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I agree that far too many seniors buy quick-to-fix, highly processed foods and often indulge in fast foods. High fat, junk carbs, low nutrients.
 
David777 said:
Little change. This frugal senior with a BMI 22 that tends to eat like a bird (well except on occasional binge days haha) , is rather ignorant about food preparation so has never spent much on expensive food nor been one to dine at restaurants. My monthly SS benefit check is enough that I have never needed to dig into my bank savings over the last 7 retirement years. So buy whatever food I desire. (Well except for that 5 pound loaf of peanut butter fudge I used to order for $40 that is now $80, haha.) And I do eat lots of milk and other dairy. My only expensive regular gourmet food product is Old Amsterdam Age Gouda cheese.
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Good for you, for watching your BMI! My goal is to get back down to 19.5-20, but this dang dark chocolate keeps jumping into my mouth! šŸ™„
 
I buy whatever I want but I'm eating less. I'm not a coupon person (just seems like more trouble than it's worth) but I do look for sales while inside the grocery store.

On the other hand, my mother, who was far from poor, would buy toothpicks at the dollar general and break them in half to use. She'd buy toilet paper there as well, that was so thin you had to use twice as much of it ā˜ŗļø
 
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Marie5656 said:
I am not a big eater of fancy stuff. Lots of chicken or pork. But I will make big batches food to freeze, like chili or chicken soup. Freeze it up in individual containers. Also, use coupons and sales. I am also not above shopping at Aldi or Save A Lot.
I will also check store brands of items.
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I think shopping at Aldi is a privilege not an embarrassment. I bought my turkey there yesterday at 99 cents a pound. And if you're feeling flush it is a good place to pick up canned goods for the food bank.
 
againstthegrain said:
Nutrionfact.org is biased towards a plant based diet.

31-50% US adults don't meet daily minimum protein requirements

I think 40% is a fair approximation.
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It is indeed. Doesn't make its cited studies or data incorrect.

According to the article you cited:
Across all age categories, adults not meeting the recommended protein intake had significantly lower total HEI scores (Table 4). Those not meeting protein recommendations had scored significantly less for greens and beans (P<0.001), dairy (P<0.001), total protein foods (P<0.001 for all age categories), seafood and plant protein foods (P<0.001), refined grains (P=0.022 for 51ā€“60 year oldā€™s, P=0.005 for 61ā€“70 year oldā€™s, P<0.001 for >70 year oldā€™s) and added sugars (P<0.001 for all age categories), however, the whole grain score was only significantly lower for those not meeting the protein recommendation in the 61ā€“70 year oldā€™s, although whole grain intakes were low overall (highest mean score was 3.5/10 in the over 70 age group).

Notably, adults aged 51ā€“60 years old not meeting protein recommendations had significantly lower diet quality scores for sodium, which as a moderation subscale indicates they consumed more of this nutrient (P<0.001). Adults between 61ā€“70 years old not meeting the protein recommendation had significantly lower diet quality scores for total fruit (P=0.007).

Bottom line: these people were eating crap diets. Not enough greens, beans, fruit. Probably low on fresh vegetables, as well. Eating an additional chicken leg each day won't solve problems brought on by a generally unhealthy diet.
 
Alizerine said:
I think shopping at Aldi is a privilege not an embarrassment. I bought my turkey there yesterday at 99 cents a pound. And if you're feeling flush it is a good place to pick up canned goods for the food bank.
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I shop Aldi regularly. Their selection isn't nearly wide enough to be my only grocery source, but their offerings are good quality at reasonable prices.
 

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