Feed your family healthily for less
With the cost-of-living crisis causing many of us to tighten our purse strings, LISA SALMON gets some tips from a dietitian on how to eat nutritiously on a budget
OBESITY levels among children are soaring and more of them are getting diagnosed with type 2 diabetes – and the cost of living crisis could make it worse in the future, a charity has warned.
Diabetes UK (diabetes.org.uk) says high levels of obesity have led to a “concerning climb” in the number of youngsters diagnosed with the type 2 condition.
Healthier diets could help, and feeding a family nutritious food doesn’t have to be expensive, stresses Aisling Pigott, dietitian and British Dietetic Association (bda.uk.com) spokesperson.
Aisling says: “The first thing is increase the amount of fruit and vegetables we’re consuming.
“That often feels like it could be expensive, but there are lots of really affordable ways of doing it. Simple swaps can be made, that don’t have to be painful for families.”
Here are Aisling’s tips on how to eat well for less..
Fruit and veg don’t have to be fresh
If fresh fruit and veg seem a bit pricey, go for frozen or tinned versions. They’re often cheaper, and are just as nutritious – sometimes even more so, says Aisling.
“Vegetables maintain quite a lot of nutrients,” she says, “and frozen veg can contain more nutrients than fresh produce, because it’s often frozen at the point of picking or production.”
Look for food packed with fibre
The more fibre we eat, the fuller we feel. Aisling says: “Fibre in food makes it more satisfying, so we’re less likely to overeat.”
Fibre can be found in frozen and tinned veg, and you can choose cheaper wholegrain options of bread, rice and pasta.
Swap in a fibre-filled cheap breakfast cereal
Aisling says high-sugar breakfast cereals “can often be changed for cheaper, high-fibre options, which can contain two or three times the amount of fibre, and much less sugar.”
She suggests trying supermarket own brand wheat-based cereals, adding: “They often match branded products nutritionally and are fortified with vitamins and minerals, at a fraction of the cost.”
Get kids involved in choosing food
It’s no use buying cheaper healthy food if your kids won’t eat it, so Aisling suggests parents get children involved in helping choose food at the supermarket – challenge them to find the cheapest healthy options.
Snacks don’t have to be pre-packaged
Pre-packaged snacks – such as chocolate bars or biscuits – can end up costing a lot over time, and be a source of extra fat, sugar and salt.
Aisling advises: “Things like yoghurt, a little bit of cheese, a piece of fruit, some wholegrain toast – there are lots of healthy and appropriate snacks that don’t come out of a packet.”
Have rules on sweet treats
Aisling recommends having rules on when children can eat sweet treats.
This “doesn’t necessarily mean restricting them, but having them at a certain time of the day or week” could mean less is eaten – and you won’t need to top up the biscuit tin quite so often.
Aisling adds: “A really simple trick lots of families find helpful is putting treat foods in a cupboard that’s not accessible to young children.”
JUNGLE queen Vicky Pattison has resorted to some extreme measures to control her weight and her looks over the years, she admits.
In her 20s, the reality TV star – who made her name in shows like Geordie Shore, Ex On The Beach and I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! – would exercise to the extreme, obsess about maintaining a size-six figure, and use alcohol to self-medicate, she reveals in her book, The Secret To Happy.
“Now, after years of hard work on myself, I have a healthy relationship with most things. I have an addictive personality which can lead to anything like exercise, healthy eating, alcohol. I can be prone to excessive tendencies,” the 34-year-old writes.
“I work really hard to keep balance in my life. I’ve removed myself from most toxic situations that would exacerbate my obsessive qualities, such as being around people who make me nervous or insecure. That can make me want to drink or bring out old food compulsions that make me feel more in control.”
Today, she lives in her dream £1.5m house with fiancé, ex-Towie star Ercan Ramadan, and says she’s the happiest she’s ever been. In terms of her relationship with alcohol now, Vicky reflects in the book: “I like to think drinking too much is totally behind me now because I know it’s a recipe for anxiety.”
Here’s how Vicky’s approach to taking care of herself has changed...
How do you keep your addictive side at bay?
I exercise regularly – and not to my detriment. I get a lot of fresh air and don’t deprive myself of anything. I have nights in and I also have nights out. I have pizza when I want pizza and I eat the right amount of lettuce.
Times have changed (in relation to exercise). I’ve talked to my trainer about the way the industry has moved and it’s more focused on
wellness and mental health and training to be strong or capable rather than for some impossible, unrealistic aesthetic – and I’m all for that progression.
How do you feel when you look in the mirror?
It’s hard as a woman. I don’t know many women who look in the mirror and go, ‘Yes!’. I don’t know if that’s in us, or society or the media or Instagram. But I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my own skin.
That has taken being really thin and realising that didn’t make me happy. Being slightly bigger and probably a bit unhealthy didn’t make me happy either.
It’s taken getting to 34 and experiencing all these extremes and realising that none of them brought me happiness, to work out that happiness probably lies in the middle.
A little bit of squish, but getting your endorphins going every morning; greens, yes, but also cheese.
I’m now a really nice size 10. I’ve
got boobs and a bum. I’ll never be able to get my boobs in anything smaller than a size 10.
Why did you have your breasts uplifted?
About eight years ago, when I first lost loads of weight, unfortunately the first place I lost it was my boobs, so I had to get them uplifted and I had to have an implant in one as it was a lot smaller than the other.
I’ve been really honest about the process. It wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
Yes, I love my boobs but it was dead painful. I spent weeks sleeping on a sofa because I couldn’t lie down in bed.
My chest didn’t feel like my own. It felt like there was something alien in my body and, of course, there is.
(Vicky says she wouldn’t interfere with people’s personal choice but adds: “I would urge people to not take these decisions lightly, because it’s a huge surgery and a big strain on your body.”)
You say in the book you’ve resisted cosmetic surgery to your face
I don’t want to look at myself and not recognise myself. For now, I’m really happy.
Why do you think you were drawn to toxic relationships in the past?
The first reason for this was, you accept the love you think you deserve.
Despite seeming confident and self-assured, I’ve always struggled with my self-worth.
Living my life within the public eye from such a young age exacerbated those feelings. I didn’t believe I deserved love and a nice partner.
What was it like sharing your home with Ercan during lockdown?
He’s a really lovely man. I’m very lucky that I met him, but that’s not to say we don’t have normal couples’ ups and downs and argue about whose turn it is to walk the dog, or where he’s left his pants. We are just normal.
When lockdown happened, there were moments when I felt really grateful to have him there, because a lot of my mates were isolating on their own. There were also moments when I thought, ‘Get out of my house!’
How do you relax?
I like to have a big bath and to watch a good show and eat nice things.
What would you tell your 20-year-old self?
I’d tell her that things get better and to lay off the fake tan because she’s practically radioactive – I think I was very orange at that point. And I’d give her a big old hug.
■ The Secret To Happy by Vicky Pattison,
Sphere, £16.99