Buying food and drinks is 5.9% more expensive on average than in 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics, with the poorest households set to be hit the hardest.
So if you find your budget is struggling to keep up with these spiraling food costs, how can you maintain a healthy diet without breaking the bank?
NationalWorld has turned to food and nutrition experts for their best advice.
What impact does the cost of living have on healthy diets?
Even before the cost of living crisis had strained family budgets, the UK’s less well-off households were struggling to afford to eat healthily.
For the richest fifth of households, the figure was 7%, a drop of 1% from the 2020 report.
The report also found that the healthiest foods were almost three times more expensive, calorie for calorie, than the least healthy foods, while children from the bottom 20% of households were almost twice as likely to be obese among the four and the six years compared to the top quintile. richest families.
With the cost of living rising ever higher, Sarah Coe, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, says the poorest are “likely” to be made even worse off when it comes to accessing healthy food.
“Households experiencing food poverty in the UK are growing in number, meaning more people do not have access to nutritious food and instead rely on cheap, energy-rich, nutrient-poor food.”
Ms Coe and Professor Alex Johnstone from the Rowett Institute for Nutrition and Health at the University of Aberdeen have given advice on how to eat healthy on a budget:
- Plan ahead for nutrition sources
But it can also help you find lower-cost options that span all the key food groups, says Sarah Coe.
“A healthy, balanced diet would include plenty of fruits and vegetables and high-fiber foods from a variety of sources, protein from a variety of sources, especially beans, peas, and lentils, some dairy products or fortified alternatives, and some ‘healthy’ unsaturated foods. fats,” she says.
- Don’t be afraid of supermarket value ranges
“Supermarket value range options of staples like bread, potatoes, rice and pasta are generally good value for money,” she says.
“These varieties, particularly those higher in fiber, such as whole-grain bread, whole-grain pasta, brown rice, and potatoes with the skin, can be useful foods to base meals on.”
- Look out for nutrition labeling to make healthy choices
Most foods and drinks you find in UK supermarkets carry Nutrition Facts labels on their packaging.
This labeling can sometimes take the form of a traffic light, showing you how much a food or drink weighs when it comes to food groups we need to watch out for, like saturated fat, sugar, and salt.
“The green color coded sections on the traffic light front of pack labels mean it’s a healthier product, compared to the red labels,” says Professor Johnstone.
If there is no traffic light label on the food’s packaging, keep in mind that categories such as cakes, cookies, and sugary drinks are generally high in saturated fat, salt, and sugars (HFSS foods).
“These are not necessary and should be consumed less frequently and in smaller amounts,” says Sarah Coe.
“Eating too many energy-dense foods that are high in fat or sugar can increase your risk of obesity, which in turn can lead to more health problems like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.”
- Fruits and vegetables don’t have to be bought fresh to be healthy
Professor Johnstone says: “Canned and frozen vegetables may have a higher nutritional value compared to old and overcooked produce.”
She echoes Sarah Coe, who adds: “Fruit and vegetables are often cheaper if you buy them canned or frozen and they will still count towards your 5 a day.
“If you buy canned fruits and vegetables, they should be in natural juice or water without added salt or sugar.
“If you want to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, look for the varieties that are offered in the supermarket every week.
“Some supermarkets also sell ‘crooked’ fruits and vegetables which are just as nutritious but vary in shape and size so tend to be a bit cheaper.”
- Canned Foods May Be Healthy in Other Food Groups Too
It’s not just fruits and vegetables that can be cheap and healthy when they come in cans, says Sarah Coe.
“Good value sources of protein include canned beans, such as kidney beans, chick peas, and lentils. These are also high in fiber,” she says.
“Frozen fish and canned oily fish, such as sardines and salmon, can be cheaper than buying fresh fish. Oily fish is high in omega-3 fats that can help keep your heart healthy, plus frozen and canned varieties can be easy to prepare and have a long shelf life.
Coe says that if you’re shopping for frozen foods, look for items that don’t have “added ingredients like breadcrumbs or dough.”
According to Professor Johnstone, cooking at home is a cheaper way to get your nutrition.
“It would be cheaper to buy ingredients, like vegetables and cheaper cuts of meat, to make a meal from scratch rather than buying it prepared,” he says.
“This requires some planning to purchase the correct ingredients and the ability to budget for gas and/or electricity.”
- Shop locally or find a big supermarket
One of the measures he recommends is to head to your local food market.
As well as being locally sourced, the products on the market often offer good value for money.
But if you can’t get to one, larger supermarkets often have a wider range of products that are cheaper.
