While we’re in lockdown, it’s important to keep your mind and body full of the good stuff. And although money might be tight, we want to ensure everyone has the ability to look and feel their best! that’s why we’ve lined up 13 super cheap, super nutritious foods you need to start eating! Whether that be at breakfast, lunch, snack time or dinner…
Kale
Kale is one of the healthiest and most nutritious plant foods to exist. Packed with vitamins including vitamin A, vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and also containing manganese, calcium, copper, potassium and magnesium, kale is number 2 on the list of miracle foods (chocolate being number 1 but unfortunately that doesn’t make this list!).
Kale contains plenty of powerful antioxidants, is high in minerals, has cancer-fighting substances and can help lower your cholesterol. O.K. I’m out of breath from listing all the benefits, just get it into your weekly shop already!
Enjoy 250g of Kale for just £1.30 at Waitrose
Tomatoes
Not only do tomatoes add a crunchy tasty pop to your salad or a unique taste to your sauces, pasta dishes and curries, but tomatoes pack a whole load of health benefits too! They’re best known for their vitamin content, beta-carotene, Vitamins C and E and some vitamins B and K. There is evidence that higher dietary potassium intake, which is what you’d have if you consumed tomatoes, is associated with lower rates of stroke and heart disease. So, when you’re next having a meal, don’t forget the tomatoes, another fantastic cheap nutritious food!
Enjoy a 3kf Pick & Mix box for just £20.50 at Isle of Whight Tomatoes
Chia seeds
Chia seeds are small tasty seeds, you can add to porridge, smoothies, yoghurt and more to give it a nutritional pop. They promote fullness, yet prevent you from feeling overly full, so you can still enjoy your day. The little seeds are loaded with nutrients, fibre, protein and calcium, with plenty of vitamins as well. As fibre is linked to weight loss, chia seeds may be what you need in your diets to see results!
Chia Seeds are just £0.94p at Zerowase Nada Leicester
Almonds
Almonds are high in nutrients, fibre, protein, manganese, vitamin E, magnesium, copper, B2, and phosphorus. They’re a great thing to snack on instead of always reaching for foods high in sugars and saturates. If your looking to lose a few pounds, eating a handful of almonds per day can make you feel fuller for longer and therefore prevent you eating more calories than you burn off.
Almonds are just 88p per 100g at ASDA! Start making healthier snacking choices here.
Bananas
Bananas. They’re great, aren’t they? You can put them in porridge, on pancakes, you can even make pancakes with them, you can eat them on their own, mash them, eat them when they’re green, eat them when they’re yellow… or brown. Not only are they tasty and easy, but bananas also have so many nutritional factors. A single banana contains an abundance of nutrients, potassium, fibre and protein. They also contain nutrients that can help lower blood sugar levels and improve your digestive health! They’re an all-round healer. So, the next time you’re wondering what fruit to pick up, choose bananas. Oh – they’re cheap as chips too!
Get Bananas from Fairtrade, just 16p each at Waitrose!
Granola
Although some brands exploit the true goodness of granola by adding sugar and carbs to granola bars, making them not much better than a regular chocolate bar, granola itself is still seriously nutritious. Packed with fibre and iron to keep you going all day long while the nuts and seeds are a heart-healthy unsaturated fat, ‘good’ granola bars are a great form of healthy fuel for the day! (remember to read the labels for whole ingredients)
Enjoy healthy Fruit and Nut Granola Bars from Positive Bakes – psst, they’re vegan too!
Yoghurt
Another cheap nutritious food is Yoghurt! Containing nearly all of the nutrients that your body needs, yoghurt is high in protein, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and vitamin D. Yoghurt is also extremely diverse. You can chuck almost any fruit and nuts into a bowl of yoghurt in the morning and create a healthy taste explosion, or, as its Summer soon, why not make yoghurt ice lollies, perfect for children!
Probiotic yoghurts like Activia contain live bacteria that can help to lessen the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. It can also help strengthen your immune system..
Having a yoghurt a day would massively benefit your diet – they’re not just for kids you know!
Quick, get 4 Fat-Free Strawberry Activia Yoghurts at ASDA for just £1.50, a limited time offer!
Brown rice
Packing considerably fewer carbohydrates than white rice, brown rice is a fantastic healthy alternative if you’re trying to watch the waistline. Health benefits of choosing brown rice are that it lowers cholesterol, promotes fullness and controls blood sugar levels.
So the next time you’re sitting down to eat a curry, choose brown rice, you won’t regret integrating this tasty and diverse cheap nutritious food into your diet!
Get Easy Cook Long Grain Brown Rice at ASDA for just £0.89p per 1kg!
Liver
Did you know that liver is the most nutrient-dense organ meat? It contains powerful sources of vitamin B12, vitamin A, riboflavin, folate, iron, copper and choline. Vitamin A is beneficial for eye health and reducing diseases that cause inflammation. Liver provides a high-quality protein and has fewer calories than most meats, if cutting your calorie intake is something on the agenda, try liver.
Enjoy Calves Liver from just £3.95 at Meat & Cleaver, a family-run independent butchers!
Garlic
Mmmm garlic. What’s not to love? It makes food taste amazing and it’s nutritious too! Garlic is a fantastic ingredient to add to your meals because although it’s packed with plenty of nutrients, the calorie content is low. Garlic is said to combat sickness, including the common cold and has active compounds which reduce blood pressure and lowers cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of heart disease.
Brazil nuts
Not only are brazil nuts inexpensive for snacking, but they’re also packed with selenium. Selenium supports the immune system to work normally. Low in sugars, this cheap nutritious food is an ideal snack for weight loss and come loaded with fibre and protein.
Enjoy Brazil Nuts from The Grape Tree!
Potatoes
Contrary to popular belief, potatoes are actually an extremely nutritious food. Now, we’re not saying have a bowl of fries for lunch, but cooked correctly potatoes allow you to get all the essential nutrients you need without having a whole range of food on your plate. High in potassium, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, vitamin C and vitamin B potatoes promote fullness and they’re incredibly affordable, what’s not to love?!
Get Potatoes from as little as 80p at Sainsbury’s!
Fish
Fish is one of the healthiest foods on the planet. Loaded with protein and vitamin D, fish has plenty of essential nutrients your body and brain needs to function. Not only is fish a great source of omega-3 but it’s also low in fat, so adding fish to your diet if you’re aiming to lose weight might be a good idea. From cod to haddock, salmon to mackerel, fish comes at different prices for what you buy, so if you’re on a budget you can still enjoy health benefits of eating fish.
See fish on Snizl, or check out the link below demonstrating healthy fish-based meals!