Healthy Food on a Budget
The cost of food has risen so much that I wonder how people are coping with this, especially those with large families. My Mother used to say, “You must give your family the best food you can afford.” This is important for your health and the health of your family. This is why I would like to help you eat healthy on a budget.
When I was a child most women cooked, there was no such thing as “Ready Meals!” These meals are often cheap, quick, and easy to prepare. It is understandable after an exhausting day you don’t always feel like cooking. Please consider the fact, that food manufacturers are only concerned with profit and long shelf life. Most of these meals are full of salt, sugar and fat, their nutritional value can be extremely low. There is a special ingredient in home-cooked food and it’s the love and care you put into the preparation that makes all the difference.
The low-cost supermarkets often have fresh fruit and vegetables at considerably lower costs than many of the standard supermarkets and look for special offers. It is worth investigating these alternative places to shop. Look at cheaper brands; there is often no difference in taste and good savings can be made.
Getting variety into our diet is important and vegetarian food is one way of saving on your food bill and providing your family with healthy nutritious food. Vegetarian meals will be cheaper than when we add fish and meat. Pulses, such as beans, lentils, and peas are low cost but also low in calories and fat but packed with much-needed fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Whole grains are best so always choose brown rice and whole wheat pasta.
Sweet potatoes are a great alternative to normal potatoes as they contain more Vitamin C and more flavour; you can even make wedges and chips with them! Even if you are resistant to eliminating meat completely you can always add more vegetables to casseroles and soups to make them more filling and nutritious. Think about making homemade soup now, while the days are so cold and miserable.
They are so nourishing, warming, quick, and cheap to make; please email me if you would like to try some delicious soup and vegetarian recipes.
Writing a shopping list and sticking to it also helps us budget better; as does planning your meals in advance. Use ingredients you already have so it’s a good idea to get to know what you have in your cupboards. Sounds mad but you will be surprised how often useful ingredients get pushed out of sight. We are all guilty of wasting food we bought but did not use within the use-by date. Bread is one of the most wasted household foods. Reduce this waste by freezing bread into portion sizes, while it is at its freshest.
There are savings to be made if you become a discerning shopper and cook from scratch for your family or indeed for yourself. If you have any tips for saving money on food bills, please share them here with me!
Live with joy and health 💚
Elizabeth Beetham