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!

Who knew fruit and veg could be another Reform issue!

I sometimes get some out the evening before I want them and leave them to defrost. Or I cook them from frozen with oats when making porridge, or if I'm adding some to apple, rhubarb or gooseberry crumble.

You only consider buying the poshest things 😂

Don't get me wrong, I love pink ladies, my favourite apples no doubt but they are a luxury and when people talk about apples being cheaper, they are not refering to pink ladies. There are many more types of apples and most of them are cheaper than berries.

You can defrost fruit in a couple of minutes in the microwave

I make smoothies with bananas, yogurt, milk and frozen berries. Cheap, nutritious and yummy

It will be if they'll only eat strawberries and blueberries. I try to stock up when I pop into town, but mainly supplement my five-a-day with soups and stews bulked up with vegetables until my fruit plants get going in the spring and summer!

I make lentil soup with onions and grated carrots, sometimes spinach. It's incredibly cheap, filling and delicious!

I never bother to buy strawberries out of season. Blueberries are airfreighted from South America FFS. Eat seasonal food. There’s still rhubarb about, strawberries are just starting.

Tinned peaches in Morrisons are less than 40p (own brand) rinse the syrup off, job done.

avoid ready prepared fruit and buy whole if possible. Costs less.

Apart from the few weeks homegrown strawberries are in season they’re a complete waste of money. The imported ones are tasteless.

In the microwave. Great in porridge or on pancakes, etc.

In the microwave. Great in porridge or on pancakes, etc.

We just keep apples and bananas in here. I don't think you can beat a bunch of 5 or 6 small bananas for about a quid.

You could try growing your own blueberries/raspberries?
My parents have two big blueberry bushes in their back garden and every summer they make more blueberries that we can eat in one go (you could freeze the extras or make jam).

We do buy berries but also a lot of apples (breaburns) and pears (the small ones are very cheap in Asda) and carrots (DS1 likes carrot sticks).

Mango you can eat pretty much straight from the freezer, but 30 minutes in a bowl and it'll be defrosted. Berries you can defrost in the microwave or again get out an hour before you need and leave on the side. If having for breakfast just get out the night before - or get the whole bag out ad put in the fridge if you're going to be having each day - as they will be fine in the fridge.

If you want a quick instant ice dessert, mix frozen mango with Aldi coconut yogurt and put both in the liquidiser or vitamin and fizz up - its blardy delicious

Pink lady are definitely luxury apples.
Gala and Braeburn are much more affordable.

Oh dear🤦🏼‍♀️ I see now why you’re shelling out £35 per week.

They are very good value. I put them in a bowl to defrost, doesn’t take long.

Blueberries are always going to be expensive because they are imported and expensive to package , buy them as a treat and encourage your child to eat cheaper fruit like pears and apples and plums in season. Concentrate on vegetables and salads, tomatoes are easy to grow, cucumbers are cheap, carrots are nutritious and cheap. Try to buy UK grown produce to support UK farmers and reduce air miles. We are coming into UK strawberry season always worth waiting for them, and paying for them, they are the best tasting strawberries in the world.

I think a lot of people feed their kids expensive berries because, yes they are delicious, but they don’t require much chewing, and a lot of people are lazy about eating fruits and vegetables that require a bit of effort!

You can defrost quickly in a pot or microwave if you want them warm quickly, or leave out a batch overnight. I will say frozen fruit isn’t great for eating ‘as is’ (mainly due to
the texture) and is best used for smoothies, compotes and crumbles etc.

Fresh berries are a massive luxury. We have a very good household income but will only buy fresh berries in summer and then only British ones.

Eat seasonal fruits, it is cheaper and nicer. Also as others have said your 5 a day should.mainly be veg.

dwarf apple trees take a couple of years to produce fruit, then they produce more fruit that a standard size tree. You can get dwarf trees to plant relatively cheaply. Same goes for pears. For tone of each you'll be looking at £50/60 but you'll have a good supply of fruit and in a small space

It’s a bit like arguing eating enough iron is unaffordable by looking at the price of fillet steak. You’re choosing the most expensive possible option. Buy vegetables. Carrots are cheap.

"If you want a quick instant ice dessert, mix frozen mango with Aldi coconut yogurt and put both in the liquidiser or vitamin and fizz up - its blardy delicious"

Oooh, I'd forgotten about that! I was making it regularly last summer (but with plain yoghurt) It is delicious! You can do it with frozen berries too, but IME, it ends up a bit too runny and smoothie-like, whereas the mango version is like a soft serve ice cream 😋

Has been this way for poor families for years. Fruit doesn’t fill hungry bellies for what it costs. Therefore poor families don’t get 5 a day.
And the govt thought a sugar tax would help.

Better to eat most of your fruit whole, liquidising them means that you get all the sugar content in a rush rather than in a gradual slow release which is better for you. It also destroys the fibre content of the fruit which is an important part of the nutritional value.