Is this kind of eating even possible if...

[Queen0fFlamingEverything]

You are a) vegetarian and b) on a low food budget (approx £40 a week for 4 of us)?

I can't work out how I could afford to cut carbs without leaving us all hungry . For example I see people saying they eat 3 eggs for breakfast every day - but that would multiply the cost of our breakfast by about 10 times (currently its cereal or toast all round).

Protein is just so expensive, we tend to have small amounts of it bulked out with potatoes/pasta/rice/bread and plenty of veg, and use cheaper protein options like pulses which as far as I can work out don't fit into paleo/primal eating.

I'm genuinely curious as I have dreadful carb and sugar cravings and a tendency for my blood sugar to get low and make me extremely irritable and irrational. I just can't work out if this would be a viable option for us.

[solveproblem]

I spent £50 today on a weeks shopping for four of us today, bit I'm sure it can be done on £40 (my £50 includes nappies and toiletries so probably spent £50 on food).

I went to tescos where I got three meat for £10, so got two large packets of mince and a packet of pork chops, enough for five dinners. I also got pork loin for roast tonight which was on offer for £2.99.

Got low carb veg; cauliflower, sprouts, swede and frozen spinach as well as salad stuff (tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber).

I also got full fat mayo, creme fraiche, cream, eggs and cheese.

And a few other bits and bobs, it's definitely doable on £40.

[solveproblem]

Ooooops, haha, missed the vegetarian bit. So sorry!!!

[Queen0fFlamingEverything]

Thank you anyway

Staple meals chez QOFE include - jacket potatoes with cheese and homemade coleslaw, soup (generally vegetable+pulse based) with homemade bread, couscous with feta and roast veg, veggie stews, pasta with tomato and chickpea sauce, lentil loaf with roast potatoes and steamed veg, homemade lentil and oat sausages with mash and greens.

So pretty reliant on starches, though we mostly use wholemeal flour/pasta/rice.

[thenightsky]

I do it using quorn mince for moussaka etc. But, I have had to give in and eat chicken. I'm lucky as I get given eggs whenever my friend's hens are producing too many for her to cope with. I do think my food bills have gone up.

[RubySlippers77]

I'm vege and have to admit that it made the Harcombe diet harder/ more boring for me - in fact it was pretty much impossible till I gave in and added quorn to the diet!

On the bright side, quorn is cheap and filling :) I also are lots of brown rice and whole oat porridge (a bit dearer but not much difference when porridge is also cheap!). Lentils, kidney beans, tinned tomatoes etc are all good basic ingredients and if I'd had any sort of garden I would have grown some salad/ veg to help with costs - as it is, I can only grow herbs in little pots!

Do you eat fish, I eat a bit now and then and smoked mackerel is a good choice if you're watching the pennies?