If you only looked at Instagram for #healthyfood inspo, you’d probably imagine that a balanced, nutritious meal is the difference between you and an Aussie mortgage. All that smashed avo, all those acai bowls, all those golden lattes, all those expensive, heavily marketed “superfoods”... sometimes it seems like eating tasty, nutritious meals costs more than, well, it’s actually worth.
What is clear is that most of us are not eating a healthy, balanced diet according to Australian government guidelines. A study from 2011 shows that less than ten per cent of us met the guidelines for healthy eating, and that a contributing factor to this less-than-ideal situation may be the fact that we perceive healthy food to be more expensive. But is that really the case?
“No!” says nutritionist Lyndi Cohen. “Absolutely not. There is this idea out there that eating a healthy diet means packing your plate with so-called superfoods and only shopping from expensive health food stores. But actually, the most nutritious food is usually cheap and plentiful.”
Shopping carefully at direct-from-the-farm grocers, like Sydney's Jarern Chai, can yield plenty of bargains. Source: Jarern Chai Grocer
It’s a sentiment that chef Shane Delia, owner of Maha and Biggie Smalls and host of SBS's upcoming Recipe For Life series, agrees with. “Somehow we got this idea that you can’t eat healthy food without spending a fortune. But it’s just not the case.”
There is this idea out there that eating a healthy diet means packing your plate with so-called superfoods and only shopping from expensive health food stores. But actually, the most nutritious food is usually cheap and plentiful.
The first step, both Cohen and Delia agree, is to buy and eat what is in season. Those $12 raspberries in June? No. “Produce that’s in season looks good, tastes great and most importantly, is cheap,” says Delia. “There’s heaps of it and grocers want to sell it.” Cohen goes one step further, saying buying in-season produce in bulk and freezing is a great way to eat well on a budget. “Buy a deep freezer and purchase in-season fruit and veg in bulk, then freeze it. It’s just as nutritious as the fresh stuff,” she says. This works particularly well with summer fruits, which tend to have a shorter shelf life.
The next step, says Delia, is to change the way you cook: letting go of the “meat-and-three-veg” idea will save you some serious dough, and up your health quotient.
Buying in season and in bulk are great money-saving moves, says chef Shane Delia. Source: SBS
“A big piece of steak with a few token vegetables is pretty expensive,” says Delia. “Instead, think of the meat as being the side dish, with the vegetables as the main part of your meal.” Cohen agrees. “I use lots of legumes in my cooking,” she says, “and it makes a huge difference. Black beans, chickpeas and lentils are a great source of protein – I add them to bolognese sauces, soups, curries, pesto, dips and more. They're really satiating whilst being incredibly healthy and affordable.” If you use canned varieties, which help make speedy meals on weeknights, be sure to rinse the beans thoroughly, as the liquid can be quite salty.
Produce that’s in season looks good, tastes great and most importantly, is cheap,” says Delia. “There’s heaps of it and grocers want to sell it.
And while it might seem obvious, the final step to eating well on a budget is to simply not waste the food you have. “Meal planning is so important,” says Cohen. “Not only does it help [you] eat healthily, but it'll save you wasting food that gets forgotten at the bottom of the fridge.”
In Australia, one in five grocery bags ends up in the bin, equalling $3800 worth of wasted groceries per household per year, she adds. Rethink the way you use food: save bones and veggie skins for stock (freeze them if necessary, then make a batch when you have enough), freeze chopped leftover herbs in a little olive oil (use ice cube trays), grate limp veg like zucchini, carrots and celery and freeze for easy ways to add bulk and nutrition to sauces later, blend almost-ready-to-chuck fruit with Greek yoghurt for smoothies (or freeze in icy pole moulds!), freeze cheese rinds and add to soups and pasta sauces later for a kick of flavour, and of course, don’t buy what you already have.
“It’s important to eat as a group, too,” says Delia. “Sometimes this isn’t possible, but cooking for one or two can be expensive - the recipe you’re cooking may only need one stalk of celery and half a bunch of coriander. What do you do with the rest of it if you don’t want to cook with those ingredients again that week? It ends up wilting and in the bin. So, cook bigger dishes for more people to bring the cost down and use up everything you buy. Or simply cook it all, freeze what you don’t use and then you have a ‘pre-paid’ dinner ready to go anytime you want!”
Making vegetable stock is a smart way to use up food waste. Source: SBS Food
Shane Delia's Recipe For Life is available on SBS On Demand. You can find the recipes and more features from the show here. You can follow Shane Delia via Instagram @shanedelia.
