I’m a food coach, here’s how to eat healthily on a budget

A basket of healthy food costs more than double that of less healthy options, according to new research by the Food Foundation. The annual Broken Plate report found that 1,000 calories of healthy food such as fruit and veg comes to £8.80, compared to £4.30 for foods such as ready meals and processed meats.

This gap has grown in the past two years, with the cost of healthier foods rising by 21% from 2022 to 2024, while less healthy foods only saw an increase of 11% by comparison. The report also found that families with children were being hardest hit by the lack of affordable food.

But, in response, food coach Vanessa Sturman argues it’s a 'myth' that healthy food has to be more expensive. Here are her top tips…

1. Use your leftovers

Throwing away food costs the average person £250 per year, with that figure rising to £1,000 for the average household of four people, according to WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme). Sturman recommends using up your leftover vegetables in other dishes.

"Fritters are a great example of this," she says. "They can be made with a mix of whatever is left in the fridge, and you can add frozen veg such as peas and sweetcorn."

"They are held together with chickpea flour which is healthy and cheap," she adds. "Fritters can be used as part of meals, in sandwiches or are great healthy snacks."

2. Eat seasonally

When it comes to shopping for fruit and vegetables, Sturman insists it's important to eat seasonally – choose foods that are naturally in harvest at this time of year.

"For example, you’ll find peaches and strawberries are expensive in winter, but apples and oranges are pretty cheap," she says. "You don’t have to be an expert. Take a look in the supermarket at what is generally abundant and cheapest when it comes to fresh fruit and veg, and avoid the very expensive items until they are in season."

Other produce in season this month include pears, beetroot, carrots, onions, parsnips, potatoes, turnips and squash. Next month look out for leeks, rhubarb, artichokes, chicory, radishes and watercress.

3. Use your freezer more

Whether for meal preparation or freezing surplus fruit and veg, Sturman is keen to encourage people to make good use of their freezer.

"We don’t use our freezers enough, but they are great for storing food and keeping things fresher for longer," she says. "Bread you’re not going to use for a while can go in the freezer and it will keep."

"Vegetables can go into the freezer and be used for a soup or a smoothie," she recommends. “For instance, if you have spinach or kale that might go off in the fridge, then freeze it and add it to a smoothie later."

"Effectively, all of your meals will be 'free' if you use items from the freezer for casseroles, soups or curries," she adds.

4. Go for tinned pulses

"A tin of chickpeas, beans or lentils doesn’t have a label on it saying ‘healthy’ of course so some people don’t realise how good they are for you," Sturman says. "People might not think they are healthy as they come in a tin, but beans, lentils and chickpeas contain fibre and protein that help keep us full. Many of these plant-based wholefoods have a high water content, which also helps to keep us fuller for longer."

5. Avoid 'wonder products'

Don’t fall for the hype of 'wonder supplements' in diet adverts, products that promise to change your life with one item, Sturman says.

"The way healthy food can be presented is 'Check out this incredible green powder that is £50 a month,'" she says. "If you're going to label the product and call it 'healthy' people will think it is. I’m not saying those products are unhealthy, but it’s a myth that we need 'health products' to be healthy."

"Someone that promises you can just take this one thing and every single thing in your life with transform is a red flag," she points out. "Yes, people might see some results but one thing will not change everything."

"Our health can’t just be transformed by one product, it is made up of many factors including nutrition, mental health, movement and much more," she adds.

Read more on nutrition:

• The true cost of healthy eating in the UK (Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read)

• Six healthy eating 'rules' to follow in 2025 (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)

• Five-second healthy habits you can start today (Yahoo Life UK, 7-min read)