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Joined 1 month ago
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Cake day: May 28th, 2024

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  • Oh no, it’s not a gastro thing. I can tell you that for certain. The taste and texture makes my stomach do somersaults. Normally you see that type of thing when you’ve eaten something and became sick recently after (my neuro prof back in the day had a funny anecdote about whiskey and his inability to drink it after a particularly rowdy night) so I’m wondering if that’s what’s happening. Or maybe I just really can’t stand potatoes.

    I’ve never heard of potato bread before! I’ll give it a go. As for eggplant, I’m not the biggest on it and it’s actually a bit expensive here. But zucchini? A m a z i n g. Got some growing right now. Unfortunately that doesn’t help me for a wee while, so I might pick a couple up if I have the money. I like to eat em chopped up with a Greek dressing. Can also shred em and put em in baking (chocolate zucchini muffin :> ) but I can’t quite afford anything so extravagant right now.

    As for what’s cheap - basically nothing, lately. I really should move to somewhere that doesn’t have an oligarchical food industry, but that’s a long term thing. Either way, I do appreciate the offer but I’m not sure I’m comfortable accepting. It’s endlessly kind, but I feel I should try to work with what I have before I take from someone else.





  • My budget at the moment is CAD$250 per month. 750g of cottage cheese a month would run me $225 at $7.49 a package. As others have indicated, it’s an unhealthily low amount of calories despite it meeting my protein requirements. The only dietary restriction that I need to target is getting enough protein for maintenance of muscle mass. The reasons are twofold: firstly, as I’ve indicated elsewhere, I have had issues with ED in the past. I fear that losing muscle mass would cause a relapse and I can’t afford that at present. More importantly, however, is that my current employment is fairly physical, so I can’t afford to get weaker either.

    So, to summarize: $250/month, maximizing protein per dollar.

    Issues with cottage cheese idea:

    • Unfulfilling psychologically
    • Potential for malnutrition/health complications
    • Extremely low-calorie

    Ideas to remedy the situation:

    • Cheap carbs (potatoes, flour, pasta/ramen)
    • Making things from raw (e.g. milk -> cottage cheese, flour -> bread)
    • Cheap meat

    I think animal protein needs to be a part of the solution. Tried vegetarianism in the past and I couldn’t function well on it. But all animal protein in Canada is expensive, either due to supply management (eggs and dairy), price gouging, supply and demand (e.g. price of chicken breast is ludicrous), or some other unknown factor(s). So plant based protein should also be part of the solution in spite of its lower quality. Others have suggested dried beans/lentils.

    It would be worthwhile to make things from raw. I can save roughly a dollar per kg of cottage cheese if I make the cottage cheese myself from milk. I can also use the byproducts in the making of bread, furthering the value and capturing all protein. There will be a significant time cost in doing this.

    At the moment we’re looking at a diet of homemade cottage cheese, bread, and beans. If I can save enough doing this then I could incorporate vegetables as well, but it might be better to just take a multivitamin and eat the psychological cost. This will only be for a month, potentially two, and hopefully not more. I think I can go that long without becoming too miserable. I’d love to hear some feedback if you have any.

    (Bonus solution: find a better paying job.)