Managing a budget while maintaining a healthy balanced diet in today’s economy has its challenges. Inflation and global pressures have increased food and supply costs but there is good news. With some planning and strategic shopping, it is possible to achieve a healthy diet without breaking the bank.
We will look at what contributes to good nutrition, share some tips to save money with some useful links that include sources of inspiration for healthy eating recipes.
What is good nutrition?
Good nutrition is part of a balanced diet. You need nutrients in your body to be able to maintain various functions such as muscle strength, brain function, skin health, your immune system and more. Having a variety of nutrient rich food is recommended as this increases the chances of your body getting all the goodness it needs.
Find out more about nutrition, especially in relation to eating at work in our recent blog: Nutrition and fitness at work – how a healthy body helps a healthy mind
Tips to save money on food
Although processed foods are often cheaper to buy in a supermarket, they aren’t always the best and healthiest option. This is because many are ultra-processed foods with saturated fats which, if eaten too much, may increase your risk of chronic diseases. Typical examples include ready meals, cakes and biscuits, crisps and sweetened drinks. Perhaps low in price, but certainly also low in nutrition.
So, how do you save money AND eat well? Here are some healthy eating tips:
Plan your meals: By planning your meals for the week, it helps to curb impulse purchases whilst ensuring all ingredients get used such as perishables. What’s more, if you cook items in bulk, you can freeze portions to enjoy across the week. Cooking your own food doesn’t have to add to your time in the kitchen.
Shop smart and compare: Make sure to compare prices per 100g so you are getting the best deals. Many supermarkets have budget ranges for staple items such as pasta, rice and tins. But don’t forget to look at the local greengrocers as they often have cheaper fresh produce.
Buy in bulk: Buying in bulk for non-perishable foods or items can save you money. For example, frozen fruit and veg last much longer and tend to be a lot cheaper as well as having a longer shelf life, making great ingredients for smoothies and soups.
Eat seasonally: Seasonal produce is more often cheaper and tastier than out of season. This means that you get to enjoy the nutritional benefits as well as the produce tasting at their best.
Cook from scratch: You should start cooking from scratch as much as possible. It is healthier and cheaper than buying ready meals as well as allowing you to understand ingredients and avoid added sugars, salts and fat. Simple and basic recipes are most likely to be both nutritious and cost effective.
Avoid food waste: You can do this by freezing your leftovers if you don’t want them the next day. Or you could also become more creative with leftovers such as using stale bread as croutons.
Use pulses and grains: Pulses such as beans, lentils and chickpeas are high in protein and can be used to bulk up meals making them more filling, reducing the need to buy meat. They are also rich in fibre, minerals and vitamins.
Grow your own: Not only is having a vegetable patch or an allotment a source of nutritional food at virtually no cost, research has found that gardening also brings benefits in terms of fitness and mental health.
Adopt a Vegetarian or Vegan diet: Many are starting to adopt a vegetarian diet as not only a way to stay healthy and help the environment but also due to the economic benefits of more affordable groceries, avoiding the higher cost of meat. It should be noted that supermarkets now cater for this trend and prepared vegetarian and vegan food may not be such a saving. The savings come where you do as we’ve suggested above and prepare your own food.
Inspiration for healthy and nutritious eating
Now that we’ve inspired you to add more healthy and nutritious food to your diet, where do you go for ideas? Look no further than these helpful links to some seriously tasty recipes.
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/budget-vegetarian-recipes
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/healthy_on_a_budget
https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/food-facts-eat-well-spend-less.html
Get our guide
Cordell Health have produced a new guide to healthy eating on a budget for clients who use our wellbeing subscription service. If you are not signed up to this service and would like to find out more, please contact us on wellbeing@cordellhealth.co.uk.
In conclusion
It’s a myth to think that healthy and nutritious food is either more expensive or time consuming. While we suggest you avoid ready meals, most supermarkets have essential ingredients at lower cost, while going vegetarian or vegan and growing your own also bring benefits that extend to physical and mental health. With some careful planning and cost conscious shopping, you can both save money and eat well.
Photo by Neven Krcmarek on Unsplash
