Eating healthy for less

With the cost of living rising quickly, many people are concerned about how to maintain a healthy, nutritious and tasty diet without spending a fortune on fancy ingredients.

However, it can be done, and in fact many traditional diets in less affluent countries have always based their diets on healthy cheap whole foods, because they didn’t have other options.

 Here are 12 ways to help you cut down on your food shopping costs while maintaining a healthy nourishing diet that doesn’t compromise on taste.

1.     Eat more legumes such as beans, lentils and chickpeas. They are cheap, filling and a great source of nutrients, including protein and iron. Dried pulses can work out even more cost effective than tinned, however they do take a little more preparation and cooking time. Batch cooking and freezing can be a good solution when using dried legumes. Get creative with making delicious and nutritious soups, stews, dahls and curries. They are also great added to salads too.

2.     Buy frozen fruits and vegetables. Often picked at the height of ripeness so minimal nutrition is lost; peas, spinach, onions etc can work out cheaper when bought frozen. They also cut down on waste as they last longer. Frozen vegetables are so easy to throw into a sauce, curry or pasta dish. Frozen berries can also work out cheaper, when buying out of season, to add to smoothies and oats.

3.     Eat seasonally. Check which fruits and vegetables are in season each month and choose these over produce that has been shipped from afar. Refrigeration, air miles and fuel are all factored in to the price of non-seasonal produce. Eating seasonally is also more nutritious, more flavoursome, and a great way to try different fruits and vegetables that you wouldn’t normally reach for.

4.     Spice it up. Keep a good selection of spices and dried herbs in your kitchen cupboard to add flavour to simple meals. Some of my go-to’s are cinnamon, paprika, chilli flakes, bay leaves, curry powder, turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander and dried oregano.

5.     Tinned foods are a great low-cost option. Tinned tuna, sardines and salmon are far cheaper than fresh. Also stock up on tinned legumes, chickpeas and tinned tomatoes.

6.     Eat oats for breakfast. A big bag of oats goes a long way. Oats can also be eaten in a variety of ways such as with chopped nuts and banana, or with yoghurt and frozen berries, overnight oats, or in a smoothie.

7.     Opt for loose produce. When buying fruit and vegetables it usually works out cheaper to buy them loose, rather than the pre portioned packs. You can check this by looking at the £/kg price on both the pre-packaged and loose options.  

8.     Meal planning. Take time each week to plan your meals well and always write a shopping list. This keeps you on track and saves on buying unnecessary items.

9.     Grow your own herbs. If you have a sunny windowsill at home, grow your own herbs to save on buying fresh. Not only do they add delicious flavour and health benefits to your food, but also feels very rewarding too.

10.   Cut down on takeaways, and buying food out and about. This may be an obvious one, but eat before you go out and batch-make foods at home so that you aren’t tempted by a takeaway when the fridge is empty.  Make packed lunch for work and carry snacks in your bag to keep you going.

11.  Freeze your bread. If you end up regularly throwing bread away because it doesn’t get eaten, keep it in the freezer and it can be popped straight into the toaster and cuts down on food waste.

12.  Opt for cheaper brands. Whether it’s tinned or frozen foods, dairy products or bread. Instead of buying brand-named items in the supermarket have you tried the supermarkets own version? These can often be just as good quality, taste the same and can cost significantly less.  

A few cost-effective food ideas:

Breakfast: Oats with chopped nuts and frozen berries, shakshuka with tinned tomatoes and eggs, sardines on toast.

Main meals: Chickpea curry or lentil dahl with brown rice, baked potatoes with baked beans or tinned salmon and salad, minestrone, pasta loaded with vegetables and tuna,

Snacks: Easy to carry fruit such as a banana or satsuma, peanut butter with apple slices, tinned olives with carrot sticks and hummus