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Soups? With beans of lentils those are cheap, nutrient dense and filling and can be put in a slow cooker. Maybe make 2-3 different ones and put them in containers in the fridge and freezer?
Red lentil soupMinestrone (with or without beef)White bean soups are all dirt cheap.
Not sure where you’re located but get them some nutritional type drinks like Ensure to have for when you aren’t around. They’re good for quick calories and can be used as a meal replacement.
Otherwise, some bean or lentil dishes would be relatively cheap and healthy!
My brother is the same way, the doctors say he is malnourished because he doesn’t eat and when he does it’s crap. My mom started buying Ensure for him to drink to up his vitamins and nutrients. This has helped him bring back some energy and appetite!
Next steps would be helping them get some mental health care if possible. Good luck!
Pre cut carrots + cucumber to dip into hummus or whatever dip they like (Veges can go into a Tupperware filled with water in the fridge, they stay fresh for ages).
Peeled boiled eggs (fridge).
Mixed nuts (bigger bags are cheaper), put them in a smaller jars for easy access/storage.
You could bake a banana bread and add in some zucchini & walnuts (heaps of recipes online). Cut it up and wrap each piece separately for easy access (could freeze some too).
if you’re looking for stuff for them to make the id suggest pinwheels ! i heavily rely on them when i’m in the same state. having cheese & bread & sandwich meat w a little spinach always helped me getting a little nutrition while getting better. if i wanted something sweet or felt like my potassium was too low i would make a peanut butter & banana pinwheel and sometimes have a small amount of honey to dip in. the best solution for them is suuuuper low effort foods like canned soups & chili, bread for fiber, and having frozen microwaveable vegetables like broccoli & cheese or carrots and peas on hand is also easy and healthy.
as far as for you giving them food, something that’s low effort to consume is always helpful for me (like sandwiches, rice bowls, soup(not pasta bc unhealthy), etc)but if i do end up going a day without eating my friends have brought me smoothies or a gatorade to bring up my electrolytes and then have me eat something super high in nutrients as my meal for the day like something w shrimp or something with a vegetable.
btw what you’re doing is literally saving their life❤️ i know i personally would not be alive without my friends making sure i are bc like your friend i go without eating for days if no one helped during my spells. you’re a great friend, but also remember to take care of yourself too and to remember that your job isn’t to support them but to support them to getting back to supporting themselves(to an extent bc ik personally i still rely on my friends even tho i’m at a point where i can p often sustain myself when i’m low)
Fast food. It’s optimized to be cheap and enticing to eat. Don’t focus on nutrition first when treating an eating disorder. Healthy precooked meals can be incredibly unappealing in that state, and even when they’re tasty and rewarding to eat, the process of just heating them up can also be too much sometimes. I would seriously focus on cheap tasty fast food and readily available food like nuts first, and then transition to healthier more sustainable options once eating and hunger resumes. Craving fries is also a great motivator to leave the house for a few minutes.
I’m not sure anyone here can answer better than them. Ask what types of food are palatable to them and start blending some veggies into it.
I’d also not worry about them getting “enough” calories. People tend to eat less when stressed out. Just make some hyper palatable foods and shove veggies in where you can.
Now if you can get them to eat some vitamin d supplements, that will probably help a lot.
High calorie food with protein, peanut butter is a good example. If starting slow you can get protein drinks like “Ensure” that are meant for those who are malnourished. I think they usually have coupons online. If they can get more out of taking just a couple bites all the better. Eggs are usually a good cheap go to as well
I am pretty sure they use peanut butter to feed up starving children living in famine conditions. It’s got some very needed calories and fats.
And ensure for all the vitamins and electrolytes and protein is what they give you if you have been wasting away from illness.
Or something from McDonald’s if they are more likely to accept that. At this point, it’s not really about nutrition so much as calories.
But I guess my real question is why isn’t this person being seen to by a medical professional?