Publish date: 23 May 2022
This blog post was written by diabetes health and wellness coach, Vidya Gandhi, who works for Ealing Community Partners (ECP).
One in six people over the age of 40 are likely to have diabetes with many more who are in the pre-diabetes range and might not even know it. Healthier eating can be a way to prevent type 2 diabetes, but also a great way to feel energised. It is paramount to take control of your health while it is in your hands, so here are some tips about healthy eating on a budget, especially in times when the cost of living is skyrocketing.
Making healthier food choices starts with planning and freshly preparing food at home can be cheaper. The key to this is to have a weekly meal plan that will prevent you from buying food on the go and it could save you a lot of money.
Time to think about how much you spend on coffee and croissants, other breakfasts, lunchtime meals, other food treats, ready meals, takeaways or last minute eating out.
Planning:
You need to actually ‘plan’ for meal planning to work. Choose a time each week to plan breakfasts, lunches and dinners, add a reminder on your phone so this gets done, and this will help to avoid shopping on a daily basis which can be a lot more expensive.
Convert and audit:
Turn these meal plans into shopping lists, to make things easier take an audit of the food you already have in your freezer, fridge and cupboards. Cross them off your shopping list.
Try to buy only what’s on your shopping list with no extras for at least a week, impulse buys and going shopping when you’re hungry can make you go over budget with too much food.
Get creative with leftovers and use them rather than binning them, we find ourselves throwing leftovers away instead of finding easy recipes that will help you use any food lying in the fridge.
Here are some great links to help out!
Tesco meal planner leftover tool Clever ways to use up leftovers | Tesco Real Food
Love food hate waste Love Food Hate Waste
Tips for Healthy Eating on a budget
1) Include protein in every meal & snack
Protein is essential for growth and repair, it keeps you fuller for longer, keeping your energy levels stable. Good sources of protein are lentils, beans, pulses, quinoa, nuts and seeds, tofu, eggs, fish, chicken and meat. Protein should make up a quarter of your meal (about the size of your palm). Protein combined with starchy foods like rice, potato, bread etc will aid in slow energy release thus regulating your blood glucose throughout the day.
Money saving tip: Opt in for vegetarian sources of protein as they are the cheapest and consider going meat-free one or two days a week.
2) Eat plenty of fibre
Eating a variety of vegetables and fruits low in sugar provides the body with essential vitamins and minerals required for all physiological functions and to strengthen immunity.
The recommended intake is at least five portions of fruit and veg a day (ideally two portions of fruit and three portions of vegetables). Vegetables should make up at least half a plate. How does this compare to your current intake? It’s never too late to start, aim to eat a rainbow of colours over the course of the week, so you get a variety of vitamins and minerals.
Money saving tip: Consider buying your veg from the greengrocers, they are often cheaper. Also the basic and essential range are just as good, though not regular shapes and sizes, but these can help a lot when buying on a budget. Frozen veg are just as good as fresh and are often frozen shortly after they were picked. They are convenient to use, cheaper and generate less waste.
3) Choose healthy fats
Consuming fat doesn’t necessarily make you gain fat but some fats are healthier than others. Keep an eye on the quantity as large amounts of even the best types of fat will make you gain weight.
Essential fatty acids such as Omega 3 reduce inflammation, support the stress response and even help boost your mood. They are found in oily fish (sardines, salmon, trout, tuna, mackerel), flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds and walnuts. Other sources of healthy fats are avocados, olive oil, nuts and seeds.
Money saving tip: Frozen fish is cheaper than fresh, also swapping processed ready foods (high in saturated fats) such as bacon, ham, sausages, with healthier fats is lighter on the heart as well as your pocket.
4) Starchy carbs - Watch quality and quantity
Most of our meals are based on starchy food (bread, rice, pasta, noodles, potatoes), these when consumed on their own without protein and fibre can disrupt blood sugar levels and cause fat accumulation. Swap to wholegrain versions of bread, rice pasta and sweet potatoes and ensure this takes up no more than a quarter of your plate.
Money saving tip: Most people tend to eat a lot of refined carbs especially when on a budget but your body will love it if you bulk up vegetables instead. Eating large portions of starchy foods will have you craving for more food than if you have controlled portions.
5) Sugar
Sugar is the simplest form of carbohydrate. Glucose (e.g. from starchy food like bread and pasta), fructose (fruit) and sucrose (table sugar, a combination of glucose and fructose) are all different types of sugar. All sugar results in negative effects when overconsumed. As refined high sugar foods usually provide little nutritional value it is best to avoid them as much as possible. When consuming carbohydrates it is best to opt for whole food options such as rye bread, oats, sweet potatoes. These won’t spike your blood sugar levels as much as refined options such as white bread or sugary cereals.
Money saving tip: Consider that the more sugar you eat the more your body will crave it and sugary treats soon become a three times a day habit. Depending what you’re snacking on, cutting it out (or cutting down) could save several pounds a week.
Portion Sizes:
- Eat three meals a day at regular intervals.
- Eat a palm-sized portion of protein during each meal (meat and poultry, fish and seafood, tofu, eggs, beans, lentils, chickpeas, nuts and seeds – ideally nothing in batter or breadcrumbs).
- Don’t worry about healthy fats, like olive oil and avocados.
- Eat a minimum of five portions (three heaped tablespoons) of non-starchy vegetables / salad per day. Always have vegetables / salad with lunch and dinner, breakfast too if you wish. There is no upper limit on how many vegetables you can eat. The ideal options are anything that grows above ground.
- Eat two portions of low glycaemic fruit per day, with meals - bananas are high in sugar, however they are handy to transport, try sticking to berries of any kind, apples, pears, plums, tangerines or similar, lemon and lime, peaches and nectarines.
- Ideally you should feel satisfied from your main meals and not require snacks though the day, however, should you feel hungry or if you are working out you can have one snack per day – something like oatcakes with cream cheese, hummus, cottage cheese, ham and tomato, a small pot of natural yoghurt with berries, a Bounce ball, a handful of nuts and/or seeds, a matchbox-sized chunk of cheese with an apple, cut up apple and unsweetened nut butter.
For more information about the Trust's Diabetes Health and Wellness Coaching Service click here.
