The cost of food is has become more of an issue for clients over the last year or so and I find myself discussing not only what they are going to eat but also how are they going to be able to do it. Organic produce and ‘superfoods’ can be pricey.

Here are a few ideas for keeping the shopping bill down.

• Buy frozen berries and spinach, to make smoothies and add to breakfasts. Much cheaper and they don’t go off.

• Buy whole flaxseed (any seeds in fact) and mill them yourself, if you have a Nutribullet or similar this will do the job. Mill in small amounts and keep in the fridge for freshness and better nutrient quality.

• Use a refill/zero waste centre to stock up on grains, beans and pulses and nuts and seeds rather than buying from the supermarket. Aside from working out cheaper, you can also buy smaller quantities of the things you will not use a lot of, such as certain herbs or spices or Nutritional Yeast, which equals less waste. Less for the recycling too.

• Cook from scratch and ditch processed foods. Things like bought pasta sauces contain a lot of sugar, salt and cost a lot more than doing it yourself.

• Eat peasant food, e.g. rice and beans, pasta dishes and casseroles and veggies. Traditional home-cooked food is cheap, super nutritious and really delicious. This is the way people eat in the Blue Zones (the areas of the world where people live the longest).

• More plants less meat. Always buy less but better quality meat, and get more of your protein from plants (beans and pulses, nuts and seeds).

• Use plenty of herbs and spices and reduce the number of supplements you need to buy. There are some crazy expensive turmeric blends and supplements on the market, add turmeric powder to your food for a fraction of the price, maximise its bioavailability by eating with some ground black pepper.

• Buy a fresh herbs as plants in the summer and you’ll have an endless supply.

• Find a good greengrocers or a food market near you and buy only what you need, fresh and in season.

• Make your own oat milk, it costs pennies. Recipe here. 

• Bone broth. Ask the butcher for bones and boil them up with an onion, a carrot and a bit of celery, you’ll save a fortune.

• Stop buying expensive herbal tea bags, buy fresh ginger, lemon, mint and make your own.

• If you are thinking about buying organic veggies, prioritise the ones with delicate skins as they absorb more pesticides than those with thicker skins think banana v strawberry. Check out the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen V Clean 15.