How can people afford to eat healthy?
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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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I can't afford salmon either, so I buy mackerel.
Use the brain.
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
Most people can't afford salmon, hence why you have Pork, beef mince, and chicken. Also those calorie requirements are only good if you do mild exercise. If not, you'll get fat.
Original post by Jimbo1234
Most people can't afford salmon, hence why you have Pork, beef mince, and chicken. Also those calorie requirements are only good if you do mild exercise. If not, you'll get fat.
Agree
Yeah if people want fish protein things like mackerel and herring are cheaper. If you're looking at canned fish as opposed to fresh Aldi are good. A portion sized tin of mackerel either plain or in sauce is around 50p give or take, similar with sardines. Tuna is a reasonable price there too.
People need to be more flexible in their meat choices don't they?
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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You can buy 1kg from Asda, which works out to 10 100g portions at 74 pence each. I don't think the nutrition is much different, but the texture of the meat will be different than if you ate fresh. The frozen salmon from Asda is also caught in waters that have lower levels of pollutants, so it's a lot better than other places.
Original post by Juichiro
How much exactly? £25 - £30 is not cheap for a student budget.
It's not expensive either, considering what it's got, unless you're extremely stingy... Another poster in the thread was talking about £5.80 per day, which is £40.60 per week! Also that's shopping at Tesco because it's right round the corner. If it was Lidl and you bought fortnightly you would probably be spending £20 per week max.
Original post by pzoDe
It's not expensive either, considering what it's got, unless you're extremely stingy... Another poster in the thread was talking about £5.80 per day, which is £40.60 per week! Also that's shopping at Tesco because it's right round the corner. If it was Lidl and you bought fortnightly you would probably be spending £20 per week max.
I would say it's slightly expensive for a student. Remember, most students will want to spend most of their money in other things.
I would say £20 per week is the golden amount.
Original post by Jimbo1234
Most people can't afford salmon, hence why you have Pork, beef mince, and chicken. Also those calorie requirements are only good if you do mild exercise. If not, you'll get fat.
Yeah but salmon is nutrious
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Original post by MrMango
So are tuna, mackerel and sardines and you can get them cheap. Salmon is no more nutritious than those suggestions I just gave.
Original post by MrMango
So is prime steak and lobster....
Find alternatives numb nuts 
Original post by SophieSmall
So are tuna, mackerel and sardines and you can get them cheap. Salmon is no more nutritious than those suggestions I just gave.
Salmon contains more lean protein, hence > nutrious.
Original post by MrMango
What more so than pork, beef and chicken? I don't think so, each has it's own set of strengths and besides which a variety of protein sources is probably the best way to go. Not heard much mention of eggs, they're a brilliant source of protein and iron etc.
Original post by Alchemise
Salmon contains more lean protein, hence > nutrious.
Just from a quick google I found tuna has more protein per 100g than salmon.
eat mackeral and tuna instead of salmon, it has become very expensive recently. Or eat flaxseed.
eat more pulses.
Buy a packet of living salad, Transplant into a larger container and grow your own. For even cheaper salad leaves buy seeds, takes a little longer.
eat more pulses.
Buy a packet of living salad, Transplant into a larger container and grow your own. For even cheaper salad leaves buy seeds, takes a little longer.
This thread is rapidly descending into Broscience 'Nutrition' ...
Eating healthily can be expensive but you get out what you put in. Would you put water in your car instead of petrol because it's cheaper? Like someone else said, you might have to sacrifice other stuff in your life but it's up to you to decide what you value more.
Fruit: apples and bananas are cheapest. Tinned fruit can also be cheaper, but get it in fruit juice and drain it - not syrup. I love berries which tend to be expensive so I wait until I see them being reduced and then buy loads, the other day in Sainsbury's they were selling blueberries for 64p a packet which were meant to be £2 a packet. So you can chuck them in the freezer and either eat them frozen, blend them frozen into smoothies, or put them in the fridge to defrost.
Veg: veg is ludicrously cheap. If you really want to eat healthily and think it's expensive, you probably aren't eating enough veg. Salad leaves are expensive at around £1 for a stupidly small bag but carrots, squash, broccoli, cauliflower etc are all really cheap. You can also buy big packs of frozen chopped peppers and onions which are far cheaper than fresh ones, and cook exactly the same as fresh ones.
Meat: butchers are always cheaper than supermarkets, near me you can get a HUGE packet of chicken breasts for £20 which would last a fortnight even if you ate two everyday. I don't eat a lot of meat so I don't know about red meat etc but again you can look for reduced to freeze it, or get a pack of frozen chicken breasts and just defrost them.
Fish: salmon is expensive but tuna isn't and tuna also has a lot of protein in.
Carbs: swap to brown. Bulk buying is cheaper. You can get big packs of brown rice really cheap, potatoes and sweet potatoes are cheap, it's just about choosing the right ones. Also lentils.
What else are you spending your money on? When I was at uni all my friends used to moan about how expensive it was to eat healthily - what they meant was, they would rather go out and spend over £50 on alcohol. If you're doing that then yeah it's expensive in total, but what needs to go is the expensive drinks out. You can buy own brand vodka and it's no different from Smirnoff etc at the end of the day, drink more at predrinks and buy fewer drinks when you're out. Plus alcohol is awful for you, my best friend put on a stone and a half at uni despite eating fairly healthily because she drinks so much, I lost nearly 2 stone with a £30 MAXIMUM food budget per week. It's doable, it just takes some effort and planning.
Fruit: apples and bananas are cheapest. Tinned fruit can also be cheaper, but get it in fruit juice and drain it - not syrup. I love berries which tend to be expensive so I wait until I see them being reduced and then buy loads, the other day in Sainsbury's they were selling blueberries for 64p a packet which were meant to be £2 a packet. So you can chuck them in the freezer and either eat them frozen, blend them frozen into smoothies, or put them in the fridge to defrost.
Veg: veg is ludicrously cheap. If you really want to eat healthily and think it's expensive, you probably aren't eating enough veg. Salad leaves are expensive at around £1 for a stupidly small bag but carrots, squash, broccoli, cauliflower etc are all really cheap. You can also buy big packs of frozen chopped peppers and onions which are far cheaper than fresh ones, and cook exactly the same as fresh ones.
Meat: butchers are always cheaper than supermarkets, near me you can get a HUGE packet of chicken breasts for £20 which would last a fortnight even if you ate two everyday. I don't eat a lot of meat so I don't know about red meat etc but again you can look for reduced to freeze it, or get a pack of frozen chicken breasts and just defrost them.
Fish: salmon is expensive but tuna isn't and tuna also has a lot of protein in.
Carbs: swap to brown. Bulk buying is cheaper. You can get big packs of brown rice really cheap, potatoes and sweet potatoes are cheap, it's just about choosing the right ones. Also lentils.
What else are you spending your money on? When I was at uni all my friends used to moan about how expensive it was to eat healthily - what they meant was, they would rather go out and spend over £50 on alcohol. If you're doing that then yeah it's expensive in total, but what needs to go is the expensive drinks out. You can buy own brand vodka and it's no different from Smirnoff etc at the end of the day, drink more at predrinks and buy fewer drinks when you're out. Plus alcohol is awful for you, my best friend put on a stone and a half at uni despite eating fairly healthily because she drinks so much, I lost nearly 2 stone with a £30 MAXIMUM food budget per week. It's doable, it just takes some effort and planning.
(edited 9 years ago)
There are several things you can do to cut costs:
.Eat less meat. Most people eat for more than they really need. When you have dinner, the amount of meat on your plate should fit on the palm of your hand.
.Buy the unpopular cuts of meat - chicken breast, for example, is really expensive but chicken thighs are much less so.
.Buy big joints of meat instead of buying lots of little joints, e.g. buy a whole chicken and carve it up for yourself. There's
enough meat to last you for many meals.
.Learn which types of meat are more/less expensive.
.Learn your supermarket's routine - most supermarket have set days when they sell produce for less because a delivery is due and they want to clear the shelves.
.Don't be afraid of buying food that's close to it's sell-by date. It's usually discounted.
.Try to buy the less popular carbs - brown rice is generally less popular than white, lentils are usually very cheap, etc.
.Buy tinned food in bulk.
.Go for the buy-one-get-one-free or three-for-two deals.
.Compare how expensive different shops are.
.Try shopping at smaller, family owned shops, or shops that sell food from other countries. There's a Polish Deli near where I live and the food there always seems cheaper (and interesting too!).
.Spend less on alcohol and cigarettes (if you drink/smoke) because they are really expensive.
.Salmon and Cod are really expensive, try Mackerel and Sardines instead.
.Eat less meat. Most people eat for more than they really need. When you have dinner, the amount of meat on your plate should fit on the palm of your hand.
.Buy the unpopular cuts of meat - chicken breast, for example, is really expensive but chicken thighs are much less so.
.Buy big joints of meat instead of buying lots of little joints, e.g. buy a whole chicken and carve it up for yourself. There's
enough meat to last you for many meals.
.Learn which types of meat are more/less expensive.
.Learn your supermarket's routine - most supermarket have set days when they sell produce for less because a delivery is due and they want to clear the shelves.
.Don't be afraid of buying food that's close to it's sell-by date. It's usually discounted.
.Try to buy the less popular carbs - brown rice is generally less popular than white, lentils are usually very cheap, etc.
.Buy tinned food in bulk.
.Go for the buy-one-get-one-free or three-for-two deals.
.Compare how expensive different shops are.
.Try shopping at smaller, family owned shops, or shops that sell food from other countries. There's a Polish Deli near where I live and the food there always seems cheaper (and interesting too!).
.Spend less on alcohol and cigarettes (if you drink/smoke) because they are really expensive.
.Salmon and Cod are really expensive, try Mackerel and Sardines instead.
(edited 9 years ago)
I'm eating healthier now, and it's working out a lot cheaper than I thought it would be.
Look for offers on meat, and freeze what you don't use.
Buy frozen vegetables (they are about £1 per pack in Iceland).
Shop around; prices vary a lot e.g. Tuna costs about £7-8 for four tins in some supermarkets, but it's around £3.50 for four tins in Iceland (yes, I love Iceland), or 65p per tin at Lidl for a different brand.
Look for reduced items.
Write a shopping list before you go shopping, and stick to it.
What really pisses me off (not implying that you are, OP) is when people turn their noses at places such as Iceland, and then complain that healthy eating is too expensive... but will happily spend £10 on a takeaway pizza or £8 on a pack of cigarettes.
Look for offers on meat, and freeze what you don't use.
Buy frozen vegetables (they are about £1 per pack in Iceland).
Shop around; prices vary a lot e.g. Tuna costs about £7-8 for four tins in some supermarkets, but it's around £3.50 for four tins in Iceland (yes, I love Iceland), or 65p per tin at Lidl for a different brand.
Look for reduced items.
Write a shopping list before you go shopping, and stick to it.
What really pisses me off (not implying that you are, OP) is when people turn their noses at places such as Iceland, and then complain that healthy eating is too expensive... but will happily spend £10 on a takeaway pizza or £8 on a pack of cigarettes.
Lol keep going on about salmon wtf? Tinned tuna gives you more protein (...and heavy metals but YOLO), or...one of the cheaper meats...turkey! Turkey, some veg...stir fry. If you're not allergic, peanuts are good. Or eggs, eggs are damn cheap if you don't care about the factory farming morality and since we're talking about eating on 20 quid a week, you probably don't. Cheapest I've seen for eggs is probably Iceland, 20 for £1.60 (think they're large too).
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