Struggling to be able to afford to eat as healthily

[Needtodrinkmorewater]

Is anyone else now?
Used to fairly easily be able to include lots of fruit and veg in our diets. I’m not finding that I’m just making sure that it’s enough for Dd, 4, fruit at least. For example if I buy apples, berries and kiwis one week, they’re generally all eaten by her 🙈which is great but I’m getting really conscious of the fact I don’t eat well anymore, the food shop is ideally like to do, full of seeds, fruit, veg etc just isn’t affordable anymore

My youngest dc is 18. We've recently been in a position to buy more fruit and vegetables and I was happily tucking in to a bowl a few weeks ago. Dd looked shocked and said she didn't think I liked fruit. We had only been able to afford enough for the dc so had gone without for so long, they thought I disliked it.

We planted fruit instead of flowers when they were babies so I ate fruit in season from the garden which is always nicer and she thought that's why I liked it.

Thanks Rebel.

I have a fair amount of that in, but I didn’t know artichoke is in season. Not the cheapest or easiest to find, though. Also, I love rhubarb, but if it’s in season now, why is it still so bloody expensive? I’ve put it back on the shelf a couple of times recently, not feeling able to justify the price when I also have to pay to cook it and add sugar (and custard, let’s face it!).

Same. I’ve swapped fresh rasps & strawbs for frozen raspberries & I make a smoothies with them with fresh orange & I always get the super 6 fruit/veg in Aldi, even if I’m not struck! I also buy their dried cranberries& raisin mix bag.

Rhubarb grows like a weed. We placed a tyre on the flower bed and planted some in the middle years ago to try to keep it contained. Well worth making spade for if you like it.

*We then used pallet Wood to build a frame around it to make it look prettier.

@ATerrorofLeftovers yeah I'm not eating rhubarb without sugar! Or crumble

This is handy, I have a calendar in the kitchen with everything listed but CBA getting out of bed to check what else is on it

https://vegsoc.org/cookery-school/blog/seasonal-uk-grown-produce/

Aldi fresh: pineapple, bananas, apples, pears and kiwis
Aldi frozen: raspberries, blueberries, cherries - great with porridge or yogurt

Veg: carrots and parsnips are quite cheap, frozen veg is also cheaper and can be really nice!

Beans, lentils, chickpeas - all count towards your 5 a day once. Cheap and can make tasty meals - daal, chickpea curries, bean chillies.

Soup - you can buy random veg on sale or frozen and make a batch of veggie soup, add beans or chickpeas for protein or a cheap meat

Yes, such a relief to see I'm not the only one thinking the same.

My child loves his fish, vegetables and fruit.

I still buy my child those items and it costs me a fortune now.

For example, we used to have for example a fillet of salmon each together, rice and veg. I now go without and the two pieces I use for him to have two salmon dinners throughout the week.

As so much of my budget now goes on these items I eat poorly. I have the cheap pizzas, beans on toast or hot dogs - I know it’s terrible!

I go without lunch at work and it messes my metabolism I’m massive at the moment.

I do want to start a diet but the items will cost me so much. However, I guess I could do a soup diet like suggested on here.

our Morrisons had 3 for £3 the other day, I got pears, apples and grapes. Also a del Monte gold pineapple for 75p in Aldi. I don’t think fruit is more expensive than junk food

I’m not sure that all of it is necessarily more expensive every time, per se.

But. It’s more expensive if you factor in calories and how filling something is. A pack of custard creams is 35p and will provide, say 6 or 7 snacks. An apple in Tesco is 40p. One apple is less filling than 3 custard creams and you will be hungry and looking for something else quicker, too.

Obviously the two don’t compare in terms of micronutrients or long-term impacts on weight, heart eg. But if you’re cash and time poor, the custard creams make more sense in the short term.

That is handy, thank-you!

Apples, pears and bananas, everything else too pricey. Tending to use more carrots and seasonal veg.

Pack small apples tesco about 67p when on offer

Frozen veg and fruit is reasonably priced, and no vitamin loss.

I work in a supermarket and buy the fruit that's in season or reduced. I eat lots of eggs, yoghurt, porridge, toast, bananas. I have two older teenagers who eat loads more than me, and usually what l buy/cook for them l don't eat. But as a lone parent for ten years that's nothing new, and this is common for a lot of single parents. It doesn't bother me, l still enjoy what l eat.

Buy fruit and veg which are in season. Apples, bananas and oranges are cheap.

I mean buying fresh berries in March in the UK and complaing about the expense is a bit mad.

I have a pretty decent income but it would never occur to me to buy things like fresh berries this time of year, it's a massive waste of money.

I don't know which country you live in, but fruit & veg grown in your country & in season will be cheap

Markets at the end of the day & also cheap tinned food too

Food waste apps like Olio & Too Good To Go

Own brand tinned

Frozen

I would also be interested to know what the actual nutritional value of certain fruits and vegetables like berries that are transported from abroad, stored and then sent to supermarkets. I've given up on raspberries out of season because the are mushy and mouldy after a short time in the fridge and end up in the bin. Strawberries out of season from North Africa are tasteless and not worth the money and again they have a short shelf life. I certainly didn't grow up eating berries in January so I think we need to rethink our shopping habits and maybe shop smarter and in season.

I’ve started taking a tub of chopped carrots and celery to have with my lunch, instead of fruit, as they’re still relatively cheap, and bananas are ok. We have frozen fruit in smoothies for a treat sometimes. I think you just have to look for what’s in season - fresh pineapples have been cheap and good recently and one feeds all of us for pudding. Strawberries and things will get lots cheaper in a couple of months as they’re summer fruits here.

Home made soups of any kind are really good nutritionally and cost wise. I make a lovely soup of frozen cauliflower, half water half milk, onions and cheese blitzed. Another favourite is red lentil with cheap tinned tomatoes, onions and garlic.

A good way to diet is having the lower calorie veg and pulse soups as meals a few days a week. Will freeze well for variety.

There ends the broadcast from The Soup Marketing Board 😁

Do you have a local market? There's one near my mum which has great value fruits and vegetables. You can buy extras when they're very ripe and reduced, then freeze for compotes etc?

@Yoyo2021 For example, we used to have for example a fillet of salmon each together, rice and veg. I now go without and the two pieces I use for him to have two salmon dinners throughout the week.

You could replace your salmon with frozen hake. I buy packs of frozen hake and frozen mussels. Both are good value, healthy and half the price of salmon.

Wrap a hake fillet and a handful of frozen mussels with a little butter and some herbs, in baking paper and bake for 10 mins. Then serve on green lentils. Or make them into a seafood risotto.

Make soup. We buy a 1kg bag of frozen mixed veg from Asda - 72p. Add a stock pot - 25p.

Then boil on the job with water. Blend. And that's enough soup for about 6 adult portions.

We mix it up and sometimes do just one veg - broccoli soup, carrot and coriander, pea etc but always a 1kg bag costing under £1.

For the kids with do a lot of smoothies - £2 for a 500g bag of frozen mixed fruit. Then add a little honey and peanut butter and milk - blend. A bag of fruit lasts us about a week so costing around £4 a week for one a day.

We also buy Asda kids fruit about £1 for 6-7 pieces (bananas apples oranges pears etc) so buy a couple of those and the kids then get one piece each a day.

We get a bag of carrots too - 50p for a kg so they both have a raw carrot daily too.

We have mostly forgotten to eat seasonally. This is the time to adjust.
This is very true!