Discussion Board

Hello,

I'm a cycling commuter, and I commute 30 miles (roundtrip) every other day up to 90 miles for the week. Obviously, I need a fair amount of calories to give me the energy I need to sustain my daily riding. I'm 6'1 at around the 160-180 range since I went vegan in 2005. My weight hasn't changed changed since then, even with my calorie intake being below 2k for the last couple of years so my weight fluctuating definitely isn't a concern of mine.

I'm on a relatively tight budget, and I spend $25 per week on groceries, to a maximum of $100 for the month. I'm looking for several high calorie staples, or something that can be recommended to supplement them. Right now, the three dishes I cook for the week revolve around brown rice, potatoes, and rolled or steel cut oats. According to CRON-O-Meter, I'm a good ways from being below 2k calories for the day.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Jeff has listed the calorie density of foods as follows:

Fresh Veggies are around 100 cal/lb
Fresh Fruits around 250-300 cal/lb
Starchy Veggies/Intact Whole Grains around 450-500 cal/lb
Legumes around 550-600 cal/lb
Processed Grains (even if their Whole grain) around 1200-1500 cal/lb
Nuts/Seeds around 2800 cal/lb

Beans are extremely cheap and provide slow digesting resistant starch. Processed grains like bread, pasta, cold cereals and tortillas are also dirt cheap while being high in calorie density - you just have to watch out for added oil and dairy.

Assuming you are not overweight, you could even add a small amount of say, natural peanut butter, without busting you budget.

Also, don't be afraid to eat more potatoes, brown rice and oatmeal. Just double up on the amount you cook. Check out your local bulk food store and save even more on your non-perishables.

Kate

To save money, opt for dry beans instead of canned. 1 lb of dry beans will yield the equivalent of 4 15-oz cans.

Another high calorie food to try might be sunflower seeds. They and peanuts seem to be the cheapest of the nut-type foods. Dried fruit is also very calorie dense, with raisins generally being the cheapest. I often add 1/4 cup of raw sunflower seeds to my hot cereal in the morning. I find they don't trigger cravings when I eat them this way.

Thanks for the responses,



That's perfect. Thank you!



Nah. I've been at around 160-180 for the last seven years, and given my cycling I couldn't gain any weight if I tried. But when I make my hummus, I use peanut butter (organic Jif or Smart Balance) instead of tahini -- only two tablespoons, but still. Do nut butters go well with oats?



Ja. I've saved quite a bit of money by switching from canned to dried beans. I usually buy 2-3 pounds of dried beans per week; black, lentil, chickpeas, etc.



Unfortunately, I live in an area where grocery pickings are very minimal. The only sunflower seeds we have are in commercial bags that are cooked in oil. And roasted nuts, to me, taste teeeeeeeerrible. I was using raw almonds to go in my oats that my local grocery sells as their store brand, but it's still pretty expensive; $4 per half pound. Well, not too bad, actually. The area in which I live also prevents me from stocking up on bulk food, and I typically have to buy my bulk online.