Introduction

Eating well means eating a wide variety of minimally processed foods that provide good nutrition, such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Eating these foods in the correct amounts will help you to be healthier and support a healthy weight.

An unhealthy diet is one of the most common reasons for ill health and poor wellbeing such as:

• Diabetes
• Some cancers and heart disease
• Weight gain or being underweight
• Low Mood
• Low energy levels and feeling tired

Top tips for eating on a budget

• Modern life and the cost of living going up can mean it is harder than ever to eat healthily. But there are small steps you can take to eat healthier whilst sticking to a budget.
• Buying fruit and vegetables in season, or buying them frozen or in tins
• Plan your meals and aim to stick to a shopping list will help reduce impulse buys of processed or unhealthy foods
• Aim to reduce your food waste by rotating food in your fridge and cupboards so it doesn’t go out of date
• Cook double and freeze half for another day
• Bulk out meals with beans, lentils, chickpeas and other pulses which are a good source of fibre and protein. These foods are often cheaper than meat alternatives
• If you can, grow your own food
• The NHS Healthier Families website provides helpful recipes you can try.

Be Sugar Smart

Most of us eat too much sugar as it is added into so many foods and drinks. The NHS sugar calculator is a quick and simple way of checking how much sugar you and your family have with some top tips for how you can reduce your sugar intake.

The NHS Healthier Families website has useful information about food facts and reducing sugar.

NHS Food Scanner App

With a speedy scan of your family’s favourite foods on the NHS Food Scanner app, you can find healthier swaps for next time you shop.

NHS Healthy Family Recipes

From what to put in your kids lunch box to what to have for dinner, you’ll find lots of delicious low cost healthy recipies.

Somerset Community Food

Somerset Community Food is a charity which aims to help you grow, buy, prepare and eat local food. See their local food growing projects on their website.

Helping make your food go further

Here are some tips on helping your food budget go further

• Find courses on the Somerset Skills and Learning website, or you may be able to join a community cooking group
• See if there is a community fridge or larder nearby where you can access free foods. This is usually donated by local stores and may go very quickly.
• Some towns provide community pantries. These are membership schemes where, for a small fee, you can receive a mix of fresh, chilled and dry foods.
• Some areas of Somerset also offer a low cost or free community meals.
• If you find you cannot afford food and need more immediate help and advice, you can contact a village agent or Citizens’ Advice and ask for a referral to a Somerset food bank.