How to Eat Healthy on a Budget

Utilise your Freezer

Frozen fruit and vegetables are not only cheaper, they also can have a higher vitamin content than fresh alternatives. This is because the fresh variety can lose vitamins during transportation and storage, while freezing immediately preserves them.

Try defrosting blueberries in the microwave to make a sweet sauce to drizzle on porridge, or throw a handful of frozen peas into a curry.

Try Tinned

Just like frozen foods, tinned ingredients are cost effective and have a long shelf life.

Versatile tinned foods that I like to have in my cupboard include chickpeas, beans, lentils and tomatoes. A few tins can easily make a meal with a little imagination: how about rustling up a kidney bean chilli or lentil cottage pie?

It’s also worth remembering that vegetarian protein sources like pulses and legumes contain fibre, and diets rich in fibre are linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes and colorectal cancer.

Make the Most of Dairy

While there are certain dietary requirements and choices that result in people avoiding dairy, it is good to note that it’s a rich source of protein, calcium, iodine, phosphorus and B12.

The nutrients in dairy products help support muscle and bone health, growth and brain development as well as the immune system. Dairy products are very useful in cooking as they can be used as a key ingredient in many dishes.

Try to limit consumption of dairy items that are high in saturated fat such as hard cheese, instead choose items like milk and natural yogurt. If you drink dairy alternatives instead of milk, check they’re fortified with essential vitamins and minerals including iodine, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

Spice Instead of Salt

We all need to eat less salt: it’s estimated that the average adult consumes over two and a half times the recommended 6g per day.

Even if you’re used to adding salt to dishes for flavour, you’ll find that food can still be tasty without it. Spices and herbs such as coriander, cumin, turmeric, basil and paprika are an effective way of making food taste good without adding a lot of salt.

Spices have a long shelf life, as long as you keep the packages airtight – look for them in the ‘world food’ section of your supermarket.

Explore our other articles on how to keep fit and healthy and look after your mental health; and join the Army Cadets to take part in adventurous activities.