Eating wisely as the credit crunch bites
Last updated 14:55, Thursday, 16 October 2008
As the credit crunch eats away at people’s finances, many families are finding it’s nibbling away at their diets too.
Cash-strapped parents are being forced to change the way they shop and cook in a bid to make family food go further.
But a new survey suggests far from this leading to hungry or malnourished children, a tighter budget means many families are actually eating a healthier diet.
The survey, for the parenting website raisingkids.co.uk’s Back to the Table Week found that 59 per cent of parents said their shopping habits had changed, and 42 per cent said they’d altered their cooking habits as well.
As a result, almost a third of parents said they bought less sweets or snacks, and a similar amount said they cooked all their family meals from scratch.
Those meals were more likely to include leftovers, or be soups and stews made with cheaper cuts of meat, bulked out with healthy lentils or oats.
“All of us have to tighten our belts as the economy slows, but interestingly the survey shows there are positive outcomes from the credit crunch,” says Dr Pat Spungin, child psychologist and founder of raisingkids.
“Families are eating healthier with fewer sweets and snacks and fewer processed, ready-made meals.
“There’s more healthy, homemade food – and it can be really easy to prepare.”
Govindji cautions against buying cheaper cuts of meat, as they tend to be fattier, although fat can be cut off and the meal bulked out with beans and lentils.
She recommends making home cooking go further by bulking out additional foods like sauces. Putting a handful of oats into a bolognese sauce, for example, will create more servings and make the sauce creamier.
Spungin says a lot of parents are going back to basics, buying vegetables they prepare themselves rather than processed foods.
In fact, the biggest difference the survey showed was a move away from expensive products – 42 per cent of parents said they now bought more own-brand or value goods, 41 per cent said they compared prices more, and 22 per cent made weekly meal plans.
“The big thing we found is that people are cutting things out of their diet that are expensive or unnecessary, and quite often that’s things like snacks and confectionary,” Spungin says.
“It’s a shocking fact, but people were better fed during and just after the war, when there wasn’t much food around and they didn’t eat so much processed food and stuck to food that was fairly fresh.”
Children’s food author Annabel Karmel points out that as a result of this belt-tightening, parents know what’s gone into fresh food they’ve cooked cheaply at home.
“By cooking yourself, you know exactly what your child’s eating, and if you choose ingredients carefully you can be sure of no added colourings or flavours.”
Using frozen vegetables is a cheap, quick way to ensure your family get their five-a-day, as they are just as nutritious as fresh produce, she says.
“It means you know what you need and so you don’t buy extra food that goes to waste.
“It’s a great idea to make mini portions of cottage pie, lasagne etc, and freeze them so you have your own selection of home-made convenience meals that you can whip out of the freezer whenever you need them.
“And left-over food from the night before can make tasty lunchboxes the next day.”
Azmina Govindji, a registered dietitian with the British Dietetic Assocation, says not buying ready meals and takeaways saves money, and is healthier as they are often high in fat, salt and sugar.
She also suggests buying chicken on the bone, which is much cheaper than fillets, buying canned fish such as salmon and sardines instead of the more expensive fresh fish, and including lentils, beans or peanut butter for protein in meals, rather than animal foods like meat and fish.
“Canned foods are a great idea if you’re on a budget,” she adds.
“Fruit or vegetables canned in natural juices will give you one of your five daily servings.
“Try to choose the reduced salt and sugar versions if you can, but if one without salt is more expensive you could buy the cheaper one with salt and rinse the food.
“It’s really hard for working mums with young kids to make ends meet, and I would rather they buy a can of peas, for example, with salt that they rinse off than go for something like chips from the fish and chip shop, which is a meal which has nothing but calories and fat.
“It’s about making choices, and if you do find you have to go for vegetables canned with salt in, it’s still vegetables.”
And she too points out that people tended to be better fed during the war years: “When there was a time of shortage, we had to make scrupulous decisions around money and food, and in those circumstances you find you go for food which is healthier and much cheaper, and take a bit of time in the kitchen.”
Of course, time in the kitchen is often limited when you’re a busy mum.
So who better to supply tips on making the family food budget go further than the mums themselves?
Advice from mums discussing thrifty food ideas on the parenting website mumsnet.com includes:
- Eating more vegetarian food.
- Meal planning.
- Growing vegetables.
- Buying own-brand products.
- Shopping late and freezing reduced goods.
- Cutting a small pork loin joint into slices, which is half the price of pork chops.
- Not taking the children shopping if at all possible, to avoid pester power.
“Mumsnetters, like everyone else, are struggling with food price rises,” says Carrie Longton, one of the website’s co-founders.
“They’re a thrifty lot and our recipe of the week at the moment always seems to involve someone beating the credit crunch with homegrown courgettes or cheaper chicken dishes.
“Lots of people suggest meal planning to cut down on food waste, and shopping online to prevent giving in to temptation when roaming the aisles.
“One top tip was to cook in bulk and freeze half before serving – so you don’t cook double and then eat the lot.”
But Longton’s favourite tip might in fact be the cheapest of the lot. “If all else fails, you could always follow one Mumsnetter’s advice: ‘hang around friends’ houses at meal times and look hungry’.”
