The problems within the economy at the moment means that people are having to tighten their belts a little to make ends meet, but the credit crisis doesn’t mean that we should lose sight of our health.

Nutritionists say that just 80p a day can get you eating the recommended 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

Charities such as the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has expressed its concerns that money problems will see shoppers forgetting about healthy food items and go straight for the cheapest they can find.

The WCRF are asking that if shoppers want to save money, they buy goods that are in season, and they go for cheaper and frozen produce.

Healthy Food Prevents Cancer

The research company has previously found that eating a variety of fruit and vegetables decreases the risk of developing cancers along the digestive tract including in the mouth, pharynx, larynx and stomach by nearly 20% and cancer of the oesophagus by nearly 5%.

Also, tomatoes and other similar foods contain lycopene, which has been shown to decrease the risk of prostate cancer by 20%.

The general increase in food prices has led to pressure being put on family budgets because they think fruit and vegetables are too expensive in comparison to other more substantial food stuffs, and expire faster, which has led to a decrease in consumption of such foods.

Nathalie Winn has put together a daily menu that proves that it is possible to eat the recommended five-a-day for less than £1.

She says: “The fact is that fresh fruit and vegetables can sometimes be expensive, but if you shop carefully there is no reason why you cannot have plenty of fruits and vegetables even on a limited budget.

“The secret is not to restrict yourself to the fresh fruit section of the supermarket, because frozen vegetables and canned fruit also count towards your five portions a day and they often cost much less.”

What The Experts Think:

She also advises that to save money, look for fresh produce that is in season: “People should not be taken in by the latest fashionable ‘superfood’, because there is no evidence that these are any better for you than traditional fruit and veg,” she advises.

The president of the Faculty of Public Health, Professor Alan Maryon-Davies says that there is a public perception that a healthy diet is always expensive.

He says: “You can eat quite healthily relatively cheaply, especially if you go for the special offers.” However, he also adds that people are not always sure what counts towards their five-a-day and what doesn’t.

“Some people don’t realise that a glass of fruit juice is a portion, and some think that it just has to be fresh fruit and vegetables,” he added.

What Do You Think?

Do you have any tips for those wishing to save money on healthy food? Is it as easy as the experts make out to make ends meet and still eat healthily? Leave your comments here.

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