Healthy eating on a budget

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive – with a little nutritional ‘know how’, careful planning and some prudent shopping, you can eat healthily without spending a fortune.

Here are a few tips to help you balance your budget as well as your diet:

• Writing a weekly menu plan can help to avoid wasting money on ‘impulse’ buys and unnecessary items.
• Write a list before you go shopping… and stick to it.
• Choose loose rather than pre-packed fruits, vegetables and salads. They’re very often a lot cheaper than packaged options.
• Make the most of seasonal fruit and vegetables - not only are they cheaper, they’ll also be fresher.
• Avoid added value products such as canned tomatoes with herbs and garlic. It’s much cheaper to add a pinch of dried herbs to a can of regular tomatoes.
• Take advantage of special offers, but only if they’re on products that you know you’ll use.
• Compare prices - most supermarkets now give the price per kilogram.
• Although lean meat is more expensive than fatty cuts, it’s much better nutritional value. Buy lean meat and bulk out dishes like shepherds pie and lasagne by adding vegetables or beans and pulses such as lentils or kidney beans.
• Try to avoid convenience foods. Things like ready-grated cheese and pre-washed vegetables are almost always more expensive.