Six healthy foods to add to your trolley - without blowing the budget
Six healthy foods to add to your trolley - without blowing the budget
[Published on www.1news.co.nz 19th April 2025]
Staying healthy doesn't mean impoverishing yourself with priceless supplements and specialist ingredients. Here are six budget winners for your pantry and fridge, and some tasty ideas for how to use them.
If you feel anxious at the thought of going to the supermarket because of how much the bill is going to be, I feel you! Everything feels so expensive right now, and I know that eating well can feel really challenging with the rising cost of food – so I have some ideas to help.
These are six foods that are extremely nutritious and affordable, which my family regularly has at home. They're all really versatile too, so with a bit of imagination can be used with whatever else you have in the fridge to make delicious warming meals.
1. Oats
At around 12 cents per half cup, oats are a super cost effective and versatile ingredient. In just half a cup, you get 6g of protein (as much as in an egg), and 5g of fibre – a great head start towards the 28g of fibre you need per day, ladies, and the 38g for you gents.
In our family, we have porridge or overnight oats on weekdays as it’s much cheaper and more nourishing than other breakfast cereals. Oats are also great in pancakes, muffins and biscuits and I make a lovely savoury oat loaf with them too.
2. Frozen peas
Being British, frozen peas have been a staple in my life – I had them almost every day growing up – but they’re such an underrated food when it comes to nutrition.
One cup of peas not only gives you the goodness of most other veggies, including fibre and a range of vitamins and minerals, but also a whopping 8.4g of protein – and will only cost you around 50c, maybe less if they’re are on special.
You can add them to almost any dish, mash them, smash them, make them into soup or fritters – the list goes on!
While the protein in peas isn’t the same high "quality" protein found in animal products, including protein from plant-based sources is a great way to get a wide range of nutrients and – thanks to the satiety effect of protein – help you feel fuller for longer.
3. Mussels
It only costs a couple of dollars for 150g of mussels – which works out to around 10 mussels – and that’s great value for the nutrition boost you get.
As well as being packed with more protein than three eggs, this portion ticks the box for your daily needs of selenium, iodine, and omega-3.
For my boys (who are 7 and 10), I often make corn and mussel fritters. We also steam them and use them in pasta or rice dishes.
4. Pulses
Beans, chickpeas, and lentils are some of the most amazing, nutrition-packed foods – super affordable and incredibly versatile. A quarter cup of red lentils is just 30 cents, and half a can of chickpeas is around 60 cents or less. How good is that?
Pulses are low GI (meaning their energy is slowly released, reducing the chance of blood sugar spikes), they’re a fantastic source of fibre, and a great way to add protein to a meal. You can make literally hundreds of different recipes with them – from dips, soups and casseroles to curries and burgers. We have them in some form every day in our house.
5. Exercise plays a big role
One of the biggest learnings of all was the enormous impact of activity on my blood sugar levels. Moving your body increases your body's sensitivity to insulin and better able to manage rises in your blood sugar and, interestingly, it's not just at the time of exercising that this takes effect. Even for hours after exercising, this sensitivity continues. On the days I did a morning walk, I really noticed my blood sugar level peaks being lower, compared to days when I didn’t walk, even though I ate the same things. So rather than stressing over every gram of carbs in your meal, do some moving!
5. Eggs
Eggs are less affordable than they used to be, that’s for sure – but they’re still a cheaper option than many other sources of high-quality protein. One egg has around 6g of protein, as well as vitamins A, B12, D, E, iron, selenium, choline and more.
They’re incredibly versatile, and research now suggests there’s no need for the average person to limit how many they eat each week. Only those with an increased risk of heart disease are advised to limit them to six per week (read more at the NZ Heart Foundation).
From eggs on toast to omelettes, fritters, frittatas and more – there are so many meals that can be made in a flash with eggs.
6. Tofu
I’ll be honest, even as a nutritionist, it took me a while to get into tofu. But after trying all sorts of different recipes and mastering how to cook it, I really enjoy it and so does my wallet!
It’s one of the few plant-based protein foods considered a "complete protein", meaning it contains all the essential amino acids found in animal proteins. A 170g serving of tofu has a whopping 20g of protein which is brilliant.
Plus, some varieties also contain a good amount of calcium so check the label when you’re buying it and opt for one, if possible, that uses a calcium-based coagulant.
Tofu can be grated and made into delicious fritters, pan-fried, and added to stir-fries, or made into a curry and more. It’s well worth experimenting with if you’re new to tofu.
Here’s a link to the article on nzherald.co.nz: Six healthy foods to add to your trolley – without blowing the budget
