Marika Day: Can we achieve proper nutrition on a budget?

Article

17 July 2023

4 min read

Healthy Body Wellness

The cost of living is rising, and so is the price of food – especially fresh produce. AIA Ambassador, nutritionist and Accredited Practising Dietitian Marika Day explores whether a nutrient-dense, healthy diet can be achieved on a budget.

Proper nutrition is different for everyone based on their goals and their health, but it generally means meeting your nutritional requirements and eating a balanced and varied diet.

Fresh produce is normally a huge part of this, but inflation and weather-related supply chain issues are making it a lot more expensive right now. A lot of inexpensive foods are lining the supermarket aisles, offering value for money. But often their low price reflects their low nutritional value. That said, it’s still possible to meet your nutrient requirements and reduce your risk of chronic disease on a budget – it might just require a little more planning.

Where you can save on your food budget

Learning to cook is a key skill when you’re trying to eat well on a budget. Preparing your own meals is much cheaper than buying nutritious food out and about. A café salad might be $20, but a similar one prepared at home could be a fraction of the cost. The only way to learn how to cook is to practise, but plenty of free online videos and resources can help guide the way, like the AIA Vitality Eat Well Guide.

I love a quick throw-together salad using tinned tuna or salmon, spinach, cucumber, avocado, tomato and any leftover roast veggies. One of my other go-to meals that fits a food budget is a chickpea curry, served with basmati rice.

Canned and frozen vs fresh food

Frozen or canned foods are a great way to save money, both at the checkout and at home by reducing food waste. Throwing out food because it’s expiring or going bad not only harms the environment – it also means losing dollars from your pocket.

As well as staying good for longer, most frozen and canned foods are also comparable from a nutritional point of view – and, at times, even healthier. Because they’re snap frozen, vegetables in the freezer section essentially retain the amount of nutrients and antioxidants they had when they were picked. An apple, meanwhile, can be in the supermarket for a month before you buy it, being exposed to heat and light, which can degrade nutrients. When buying frozen veggies, there’s no need to go for brand names – the nutritional content is the same across similar products.

For canned veggies, be mindful to read the label so you can avoid added salt, and – depending on the brand – added sugar. Similarly, if you’re buying canned fruit, buy the one in juice instead of sugary syrups. If you’re concerned about microplastics, look out for BPA-free cans.

Earn rewards for mindful eating

WA healthy diet can bolster your immune system and help protect you against bugs like the flu, and is great for your overall health.

If you’re an AIA Vitality member, try taking the AIA Online Nutrition Assessment on the app – it takes around 5 minutes to complete, and you can earn up to 1,000 AIA Vitality points per membership year, which goes towards increasing your AIA Vitality Status.

Cost effective ways to eat fresh

One of the challenges of relying entirely on canned and frozen produce is the lack of variety available. If you’re only eating frozen peas and corn, you’ll only get the nutrients available in those vegetables, and you’ll be missing out on others that play important roles in our health. Texture, flavour and palatability also play a part, and fresh produce will almost always win out here.

If you can continue to afford fresh produce, buy it. Not only to help our growers and farmers, but also to get the nutritional variety your body needs.

There are ways to do this on the cheap. For starters, get familiar with what’s in season. Prices fluctuate based on when and where produce is grown, and sometimes there’s an abundance of a product, which drives down prices. Just look at avocadoes over the past few years, which have ranged from $1–$5.

If you prefer to shop fresh, you can check what’s on special before you head to the shops so you can plan meals around what is cheapest. Many grocery stores have a section with further reduced products that are about to go bad. These can be used in creative ways. For example, a sad-looking bunch of spinach can be frozen and added to soup or smoothies. Apples can be stewed and eaten on porridge in the morning.

With a little bit of awareness and planning, you can certainly prioritise nutrition and health on a budget.

Other ways to be supermarket savvy

You can also opt for home-brand products, especially on basics like rolled oats, rice and pasta, that offer the same nutrition profile across brands. You can even swap your fresh milk for long-life milk, which is cheaper, lasts longer, and has the same nutritional content.

Plus, you can buy ingredients that you can use across three meals – for example, Greek yoghurt. I’ll have it on top of my porridge in the morning with some fruit, serve it alongside a curry or on top of a baked potato, and serve it for a healthier dessert with some baked cinnamon apples.

A dietitian-approved menu: budget-friendly edition

Budget-friendly breakfast: Porridge is one of the most underrated, nutritious, and budget-friendly brekkies. Simply pop 1/2 cup of oats into a bowl or onto a pot on the stovetop and cover with boiling water. If using the stovetop add 1/2 a cup of milk now and heat over low-medium heat until cooked to your liking. If using a microwave, allow the oats to sit in the boiling water until absorbed, then add in 1/2 cup milk and cook in 60-second increments in the microwave.

Top your porridge with fresh or frozen fruit, chopped nuts or seeds and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.

Low-cost lunch: I love a quick throw-together meal of a tuna salad. Simply heat a microwave cup of rice in the microwave, and add to a plate or bowl with baby spinach or mixed greens, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, avocado and a tin of drained tuna.

Inexpensive dinner: Lentils and legumes are a great inexpensive way to make a large, filling and nutritious meal. One of my favourite meals is a red lentil dhal.

Red Lentil Dhal Recipe

Serves 4

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp ginger, grated
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp ground turmeric
2 cups red lentils
1L vegetable stock
400mL coconut milk
1/2 head of cauliflower, florets only
Brown basmati rice, to serve
Green beans, to serve
Greek yoghurt, to serve

Add oil to a large saucepan over high heat and sauté onion for three minutes, or until soft.

Turn heat down to medium, add garlic, ginger, turmeric and curry powder to the pan, and cook for another two minutes.
Rinse lentils, then add them to the pan with vegetable stock and half of the coconut milk.
Cook over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
Add cauliflower with any extra water if dhal is becoming dry. Cook for a further 10–15 minutes, or until lentils are cooked through.
Stir through remaining coconut milk and serve with rice, green beans and a dollop of yoghurt – enjoy.

Marika Day

Marika Day is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist with over 10 years' experience in a variety of clinical and non-clinical areas. Her expertise and interests include gastrointestinal nutrition, which is influenced by her personal experience with coeliac disease. Additionally, she focuses on women’s health and the complexities of disordered and emotional eating. In addition to her clinical expertise, Marika regularly works in recipe development, helping people make nutritious choices every day. Her approach to nutrition is balanced, practical and empathetic and aims to help people enjoy food and live a healthy balanced life.

Disclaimer:
Copyright © 2023 AIA Australia Limited (ABN 79 004 837 861 AFSL 230043). This is general information only, without taking into account factors like the objectives, financial situation, needs or personal circumstances of any individual and is not intended to be financial, legal, tax, medical, nutritional, health, fitness or other advice. The source information of the articles is current as of the date of publication and may be subject to change. While the information contained herein is believed to be accurate, AIA Australia expressly disclaims any and all liability for representations or warranties, expressed or implied, contained in, or for omissions from, the information.

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