It's a well-worn truism in the First World that wealthy people tend to be slim, while many of the poor are obese. This is in stark contrast to poorer countries, where body fat can be seen as a sign of prosperity and good health, and is often considered attractive. The reasons for this paradox are complex, but diet—combined with exercise, or lack of it—remains the chief cause. A diet, that is, of cheap but unhealthy food.
But it does not necessarily need to be difficult to eat well, even if you're on a tight budget. Clare Barnes, of Insight Nutrition, says that it doesn't need to be expensive to cover the five main food groups, and ensure that you get a range of different nutrients. She suggests preparing as much of your own food as possible, and shopping sensibly for produce and other ingredients. Stock up on foods that you can store when they're cheaper or on sale, whether that's dry non-perishables like flour, rice and pasta or canned food like beans, legumes, canned vegies and soups.
'Tinned soups are a great healthy base for a larger meal if you add more vegetables or beans or legumes,' she says. 'Combine pasta and rice with other groups as well, like cheese or eggs or vegetables, and make your own bread and scones. Good quality bread can be very expensive.'
Look out for cheap vegetables when they're plentiful and in season, and chop and prepare yourself before freezing for later use. Contrary to folklore, freezing doesn't make vegetables lose their nutritional value; in fact frozen vegetables often have as many nutrients as fresh vegetables since they're packed and frozen relatively soon after being picked, whereas so-called 'fresh' vegetables may have been picked long before they eventually hit the supermarket and grocery shelves. Remember not to cook vegetables for too long, as lengthy cooking and high temperatures leach them of much of their nutritional value.
For children, pre-packaged snacks to take to school tend to be expensive, and they're often full or fats or sugars. Make your own muffins and low-fat snacks for them to take, or encourage them to eat fruit (especially fruit in season, which is cheaper).
And meat? You don't need to eat much of it—in particular, red meat only needs to be eaten occasionally, if at all. You get similar nutritional value from eggs, nuts, legumes, seafood and chicken,