It’s increasingly unaffordable to eat 5 a day

[HappySnake]

Is anyone else struggling with this currently? I know some veg is not too expensive, but I just find with fruit it’s so expensive now. My kids particularly like blueberries and strawberries - I’m spending about a fiver a day. I feel like others who are less well off financially must be finding it even more difficult.

Any tips on affordable fruit etc and how you ensure you get 5 a day would be welcome!

Aim for veg!!!!

seriously fruit is great yes but a lot of sugar.

carrots. Cheap
frozen veg in large bags couple of quid.
cucumber sticks

then fruit,
apples
pears
bananas

done.

Berries are a luxury.

It's easy to increase your veg consumption cost-effectively by adding pulses to most of your meals. Spag bols? Add lentils. Chilli? It has kidney beans in it anyway but why not add some black beans too. Chicken stew? Add chick peas.

Pears are expensive at the moment as are apples. I’ve stopped buying berries as they cost a fortune and are never that fresh anymore.
Bananas lately haven’t been good - that’s when you can find them in stock!

Don’t forget dried fruit can also count, and you only need a 30g portion (e.g. about 4 dried apricots). Also fruit juice/smoothie, but you can only count as one portion, regardless of how many you have (think it’s due to the fibre content).

My teen DD particularly likes berries and so do I, I buy a punnet a day but I justify it by not buying as much junk snacks. I do know what you mean though, I'm buying more dark green veg atm as cheaper to cover the 5 a day recommendation.

5 a day is the recommended minimum.

You should eat more, and most of it should be vegetables.

I think it's really hard to eat more tbh. I'm losing weight so tracking intake.

Today i had approx 80g of berries with porridge. Lunch was salmon salad with veg. Dinner was homemade mushroom soup with a side of courgette (going off). Also had an apple. Only 6 actual portions according to my app.

Fresh berries are ridiculously expensive for the amount you get.
i stoped buying them ages ago.
I buy loads of strawberries though when they’re in season
I buy frozen berries which DD uses in smoothies and I defrost over night or in microwave to add to yogurt
we eat different veg every day
I like to buy pineapples and cut them up into chunks for us all to snack on.

very cheap, so are apples, bananas and satsumas

apples aren't that cheap, we go through at least 4 a day.

That kind of fruit is expensive, especially at this time of year. Stick to more seasonal things and 'basics' like apples and pears for now. Rhubarb too, for baking or poaching.
If you really want blueberries etc, you can gently poach frozen ones. Add spices for flavour. Or bake with them.

TBH I tend to think veg is healthier than fruit; fruit's quite sugary. I'd go for more veg in the diet. It's often a lot cheaper too.

I used to buy a lot of grapes but it can be hit and miss with them being too soft

Few mentions for apples - I find a pack of 4 pink lady’s to cost more than berries!

My local Morrisons has a big box of fresh fruit from which children can choose something and it’s free.

Pulses count towards your 5 a day and can be a very cheap basis to a healthy meal. And then use lots of cheap veg (carrots, celery, cabbage etc) Buying loads of berries, especially out of season is the least economical way of getting your 5 a day!

My DD will not eat apple or pear. She’ll only eat banana, melon and strawberries. Sigh.

Well yes if you buy pink lady they are expensive. If you buy a big pack of other types they are very cheap.

6 for 78p

A lot of the cheaper apples aren't smaller though so I want two

are

I agree they are getting more expensive every week. About £2 for a bag of 5 smallish apples.
I planted an apple tree about 5 years ago do at least I get free ones in the Autumn!

Those are usually £1.12 and are really teeny!

But fine for a kid. There’s also big bags of bigger apples for not much.

But fine for a kid.

maybe toddlers but mine primary school age ones want a decent size.

Whilst I take your overall point on it being more expensive than it used to be, I do think you are stretching that point somewhat by using strawberries and blueberries as your example. Bought fresh, they are literally THE most expensive way of eating 5 a day!!

I love fresh blueberries and strawberries but rarely buy them because of the price. You kids need to mix it up more and veg should be a lot of their intake.

Having read through your responses I would say your problem isn't that things are getting expensive and more that you have expensive taste.