Healthy eating on a budget

Fresh, frozen and tinned are all ok!

Most types of fruit and vegetables can be included in your daily target of 5 vegetables and 2 fruits, (apart from potatoes, yams and plantains which are considered starchy carbohydrates).

• With fresh produce, it's worth looking out for special promotional offers. Buying produce in season will be much cheaper and tastier than out of season. For example, berries will cost less during the summer months compared to during winter, due to increased local availability.
• Frozen fruit and veg are just as nutritious as the fresh kind and are often cheaper. When cooking, make sure not to over-steam or boil vegetables, to preserve vitamin and mineral content. Frozen is also an excellent option as it helps to avoid food becoming spoiled and reduces food waste.
• Tinned fruit and veg count towards your target if they’re tinned in water or juice, without added sugar or salt. These products have a long shelf life and are good for adding bulk to meals when needed.

Protein without the price-tag

• Plant proteins – like beans, lentils and tofu – are generally the cheapest way to get protein, and because they’re lower in saturated fat than meat, they’re a great choice for your heart health too.
• Meals do not have to be fully vegetarian, if that is not what you are used to. Start by using less meat in traditional dishes and add more vegetables instead. This will not only make your portion go further, but add lots of fibre, vitamins and minerals. Try adding chickpeas to a chicken curry, lentils to a meat-based sauce like shepherd’s pie or bolognaise, or add tofu to a stir fry.
• Skin-on pieces of chicken and pieces with bones are cheaper than skinless, boneless chicken pieces. Chicken skin does contain extra saturated fat, so remove it before cooking.
• Tinned fish like sardines, salmon or tuna is cheaper than buying fresh fish. They are easy to prepare and have a long shelf-life. Tinned oily fish is high in omega-3 fats, which can help to keep the heart healthy and is a source of vitamin D, an important nutrient for our bones and muscles.
• If you have the space, buying meat products when they are on special is a smart way to save money. These can then be frozen and used for future meals.

Plan ahead and always shop with a food list

• Planning in advance helps to reduce costs, ensuring that you only buy necessary items.
• If planning for a whole week seems like too much right now, start off with two or three days. Buying only what you need for these meals will prevent any food waste.
• Create a list of all the ingredients that you need and stick to only what is on the list!
• Before you hit the shops, take a moment to check what you have in your cupboards already, so you don’t accidentally buy something that you already have!

Be wary of promotional offers.

• Don’t be fooled by big yellow promotional stickers or ‘buy one get one free’ offers. While these are tempting, they may result in more food waste.
• Choose the less expensive generic brands on the bottom shelf, instead of the luxury and branded products on shelves at eye level.
• Often, even when branded products are on special, they can still work out more expensive but it is easy to be fooled by the marketing.
• You can find the cost per 100g in small print on the shelf label that will help you quickly check which product is the best value, or use your phone's calculator to help. For example, the cheese on ‘special’ here is $18.00 per kg, whereas the supermarket own brand is only $13.90 per kg.

Energy efficient cooking

• It is small changes that often make all the difference. Your shopping bill is not the only cost when it comes to making nutritious meals. Gas and electricity have all increased in price, so it is important to get the best bang for your buck when cooking.
• If you are using the oven, you can reduce the energy cost per dish by batch cooking. If you are baking chicken for dinner, for example, serve it with roasted veg that you can cook alongside potatoes in the oven. Cook double portions so that you have leftovers for the next day.
• As long as the meat is fully cooked, you can try turning the oven off five to ten minutes before the end of the cooking time, as the food should finish cooking in the heat that’s still in the oven. This works well for casseroles, vegetable dishes and shepherd’s pies, but less well for things where the exact temperature is important, like biscuits and cakes.
• Using an airfryer or microwave, if you have one, as these are more energy efficient than heating a whole oven.
• If you are cooking on the hob, use the smallest pot possible and put a lid on it to speed up cooking and save on the amount of fuel you use. Try not to boil more water in the kettle than you need, but if you have leftover boiling water, you can put it in a flask to use for hot drinks later.

Finally

• Download supermarket apps to keep an eye out for weekly specials and join rewards programs.
• Last but not least, always do your grocery shop on a full stomach, this means you’ll buy what you need and nothing more. 😊 By planning ahead and being organised, you can shop smart by eating well and saving more.

Find information on healthy meal ideas and healthy cooking tips, on the NDSS website here.