How can people afford to eat healthy?
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Original post by MrMango
please tell me where I can get frozen salmon at £1 per portion? are there any nutritional disadvantages to eating salmon which has been frozen as appose to fresh?
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supermarkets freezer departments.
nothing significant, no.
Original post by MrMango
Healthy food is ridiculously expensive considering you need to eat 2500 cals per day if you're a man and 2000 if you're a woman.. I usually endup eating microwave meals... I cant afford salmon
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Microwave meals may be cheaper than salmon but they are more expensive and less healthy than their own ingredients. You eat them because you can't be bothered to cook.
I don't understand- I can get a pack of two hot smoked salmon fillets from tesco for £4, but a ready meal costs about £3 a pop does it not?
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Original post by Observatory
Microwave meals may be cheaper than salmon but they are more expensive and less healthy than their own ingredients. You eat them because you can't be bothered to cook.
Additionally, due to having been reheated at least once already, by time the meal reaches your shopping basket it is already nutritionally deficient. Then you go home and reheat it again.
Not to mention that some producers of microwave meals cut corners, some aspects of your meal are merely simulated with flavourings, stabilizers and bulking agents to make it feel as if you're eating something nutritious when you're not.
I would be curious to see an experiment where the total available nutrition (available meaning what can potentially be absorbed by a healthy average human body in a single sitting) of meals are compared to their price. If they did one for microwave meals across different brands and meal types, and then control groups of the same meals except home-made, and see which is more expensive in the long run, I would be very curious to see if microwave meals are more expensive or not in the long term.
Original post by Powpowpowpowpow
Additionally, due to having been reheated at least once already, by time the meal reaches your shopping basket it is already nutritionally deficient. Then you go home and reheat it again.
Not to mention that some producers of microwave meals cut corners, some aspects of your meal are merely simulated with flavourings, stabilizers and bulking agents to make it feel as if you're eating something nutritious when you're not.
I would be curious to see an experiment where the total available nutrition (available meaning what can potentially be absorbed by a healthy average human body in a single sitting) of meals are compared to their price. If they did one for microwave meals across different brands and meal types, and then control groups of the same meals except home-made, and see which is more expensive in the long run, I would be very curious to see if microwave meals are more expensive or not in the long term.
Not to mention that some producers of microwave meals cut corners, some aspects of your meal are merely simulated with flavourings, stabilizers and bulking agents to make it feel as if you're eating something nutritious when you're not.
I would be curious to see an experiment where the total available nutrition (available meaning what can potentially be absorbed by a healthy average human body in a single sitting) of meals are compared to their price. If they did one for microwave meals across different brands and meal types, and then control groups of the same meals except home-made, and see which is more expensive in the long run, I would be very curious to see if microwave meals are more expensive or not in the long term.
If you're not fussed about eating meat, you can make a healthy tasty meal for less than £1. If you want decent meat, make it £2.
That's still cheaper than a readymeal or junk food.
I buy a 5kg tub of chicken breast from the butchers for £20 (usually about 24-27 breasts in there) and cook 2 a day and buy veg from Lidl for like £4 every other day 
That sorts main meals. Then a couple of quid on cereal and greek yogurt for breakfast and bananas for whenever I get hungry inbetween.
A microwave lasagne is like £3.50, I can make a huge plate of chicken breast, salad and jacket potato for less than that.
That sorts main meals. Then a couple of quid on cereal and greek yogurt for breakfast and bananas for whenever I get hungry inbetween.
A microwave lasagne is like £3.50, I can make a huge plate of chicken breast, salad and jacket potato for less than that.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by hermitthefrog
I don't understand- I can get a pack of two hot smoked salmon fillets from tesco for £4, but a ready meal costs about £3 a pop does it not?
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Yeh, ready meals are a ridiculously expensive way to eat Even the cheap ones will cost twice as much as cooking for yourself as long as you avoid fresh meat from the supermarket (and there are plenty of ways of getting meat/protein otherwise).
I just buy frozen stuff (broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and a couple of ready made meals for those ''can't be bothered'' days), noodles from Home Bargains, broth mix and stock cubes and I get all my fruit and veg from the market as they are a lot cheaper.
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Original post by cole-slaw
If you're not fussed about eating meat, you can make a healthy tasty meal for less than £1. If you want decent meat, make it £2.
That's still cheaper than a readymeal or junk food.
That's still cheaper than a readymeal or junk food.
Yes I know but that's not what the experiment is about. It's about measuring the amount of nutrition you get for your money, not the mass of food. I just thought it would be fun to think about but not sure how anyone could do it without it costing a fair bit or if it's even feasible in the lab to measure the amount of available nutrients in food.
Original post by Powpowpowpowpow
Yes I know but that's not what the experiment is about. It's about measuring the amount of nutrition you get for your money, not the mass of food. I just thought it would be fun to think about but not sure how anyone could do it without it costing a fair bit or if it's even feasible in the lab to measure the amount of available nutrients in food.
If you want nutrients, eat vegetables.
Original post by cole-slaw
If you want nutrients, eat vegetables.
I get the impression you have no idea what I'm talking about. Or what nutrients are.
Original post by Powpowpowpowpow
I get the impression you have no idea what I'm talking about. Or what nutrients are.
Then your impression is wrong. Try again.
Original post by cole-slaw
Then your impression is wrong. Try again.
Then why are you suggesting I eat vegetables (which is a kind of odd thing to suggest since all foods have nutrients to varying degrees and types) when I was talking about a hypothetical experiment? Are you mistaking me for the thread starter?
Original post by Powpowpowpowpow
Then why are you suggesting I eat vegetables (which is a kind of odd thing to suggest since all foods have nutrients to varying degrees and types) when I was talking about a hypothetical experiment? Are you mistaking me for the thread starter?
No, I'm telling you what the answer to your proposed experiment would be.
I would be curious to see an experiment where the total available nutrition (available meaning what can potentially be absorbed by a healthy average human body in a single sitting) of meals are compared to their price. If they did one for microwave meals across different brands and meal types, and then control groups of the same meals except home-made, and see which is more expensive in the long run, I would be very curious to see if microwave meals are more expensive or not in the long term.
Its a pointless experiment because the answer is obvious. On a nutrient for nutrient basis, ready meals are probably 4-5 times the price of a homemade meal. You get far less nutrients in a £3 ready meal than you do in a £1 homemade dinner.
Original post by cole-slaw
No, I'm telling you what the answer to your proposed experiment would be.
Its a pointless experiment because the answer is obvious. On a nutrient for nutrient basis, ready meals are probably 4-5 times the price of a homemade meal. You get far less nutrients in a £3 ready meal than you do in a £1 homemade dinner.
Its a pointless experiment because the answer is obvious. On a nutrient for nutrient basis, ready meals are probably 4-5 times the price of a homemade meal. You get far less nutrients in a £3 ready meal than you do in a £1 homemade dinner.
Well I didn't find the answer obvious at all. Though I would have guessed the most likely outcome it would be interesting to prove it.
But now that you have explained what you meant in a respectable manner I know what you're talking about. Before you weren't being clear about what you were saying.
Healthy food only seems expensive but you have to realise it's likely to last you longer. Eg, a pack of chicken breast is maybe £3, and a packet of brown rice about £2 but that will make you about 2/3 meals (and you'll have rice left). Plus veg is pretty cheap especially if you buy it frozen. Just bulk buy and freeze stuff.
Microwave meals are not a cheap alternative to healthy food.
With a reasonable amount of ability in the kitchen, a bit of imagination and some time spent looking at food websites/blogs, it is possible to eat a healthy and varied range of food on the cheap.
With a reasonable amount of ability in the kitchen, a bit of imagination and some time spent looking at food websites/blogs, it is possible to eat a healthy and varied range of food on the cheap.
Eating healthy is incredibly cheap, I'm willing to bet you don't really know what constitutes as healthy and you are probably buying the branded premium stuff.
Original post by pzoDe
How much do you spend per day on food? Microwave meals are generally small...
Batch cooking helps. Much less waste too. Just cooked 8 batches of chicken stroganoff for like a tenner and stuffed it in the freezer. That's £1.25 per portion (and I'm talking large portions). Do 2-3 more different types of sauce (bolognese and two curries?) and you've added variety. The bolognese and curries will probably be even cheaper than stroganoff. That's dinner sorted for the next month and all you have to do is cook spaghetti and rice. Total about £1.50. For lunch I buy a 4-pack of panini buns and have 2 per lunch. Slice them up, butter, slice of ham, some low fat cheese, another slice of ham, grilled (can use a simple toastie maker for this). Total cost is about £1/lunch. Breakfast is just large bowl of readybrek with a different fresh fruit sliced into it everyday. Bananas are good value for this. Total about 40p. Now on top of the meals, add light portions of salad and vegetables to lunch and dinner for about £1. Throw in an extra fruit for 25p.
That's under £30/week for what I consider a healthy enough diet.
Batch cooking helps. Much less waste too. Just cooked 8 batches of chicken stroganoff for like a tenner and stuffed it in the freezer. That's £1.25 per portion (and I'm talking large portions). Do 2-3 more different types of sauce (bolognese and two curries?) and you've added variety. The bolognese and curries will probably be even cheaper than stroganoff. That's dinner sorted for the next month and all you have to do is cook spaghetti and rice. Total about £1.50. For lunch I buy a 4-pack of panini buns and have 2 per lunch. Slice them up, butter, slice of ham, some low fat cheese, another slice of ham, grilled (can use a simple toastie maker for this). Total cost is about £1/lunch. Breakfast is just large bowl of readybrek with a different fresh fruit sliced into it everyday. Bananas are good value for this. Total about 40p. Now on top of the meals, add light portions of salad and vegetables to lunch and dinner for about £1. Throw in an extra fruit for 25p.
That's under £30/week for what I consider a healthy enough diet.
How much exactly? £25 - £30 is not cheap for a student budget.
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