With food prices still elevated in 2026, "eating healthy" can feel like a luxury reserved for people with comfortable incomes. But that perception is largely wrong. Some of the most nutritious foods available in UK supermarkets are also the cheapest. The trick is knowing where to look, what to prioritise, and how to make your food budget work harder. This guide focuses on practical, UK-specific strategies that work in the real world — not advice that requires a Waitrose budget and three hours of cooking every evening.
You don't need expensive speciality ingredients to eat well. These affordable UK supermarket staples form the backbone of an excellent diet.
| Food | Approx. Cost | Key Nutrients |
|---|---|---|
| Porridge oats (1kg) | 75p-£1 | Fibre, manganese, iron, B vitamins |
| Tinned beans (400g) | 30-40p | Protein, fibre, iron, folate |
| Tinned lentils (400g) | 35-50p | Protein, fibre, iron, potassium |
| Frozen mixed veg (1kg) | 90p-£1.20 | Vitamin C, vitamin A, fibre |
| Eggs (10 pack) | £1.50-2 | Complete protein, B12, vitamin D, selenium |
| Tinned sardines (120g) | 60-80p | Omega-3, calcium, vitamin D, protein |
| Whole milk (4 pints) | £1.55 | Calcium, protein, B12, iodine |
| Bananas (each) | 15p | Potassium, vitamin B6, fibre |
| Wholemeal bread (800g) | 70-90p | Fibre, B vitamins, iron, zinc |
| Tinned chopped tomatoes (400g) | 30-35p | Lycopene, vitamin C, potassium |
| Frozen spinach (900g) | £1-1.50 | Iron, vitamin K, folate, vitamin A |
| Peanut butter (340g) | £1-1.50 | Protein, healthy fats, magnesium, niacin |
Most of these items are available at Aldi, Lidl, Asda, and Tesco at the prices listed. Own-brand versions are nutritionally identical to branded versions in almost every case.
If there's one message to take from this entire article, it's this: frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh. In some cases, they're actually more so.
Frozen vegetables are typically harvested at peak ripeness and blanched then frozen within hours. This process locks in nutrients at their highest point. Fresh vegetables, by contrast, may spend several days in transit, in distribution centres, and on supermarket shelves — gradually losing vitamin C, folate, and other heat-sensitive nutrients with each passing day.
The NHS explicitly states that frozen vegetables count towards your 5-a-day, and the British Dietetic Association confirms their nutritional value is comparable to fresh produce.
Fresh berries: £2-3 per 150g punnet. Frozen berries: £1.50-2 per 500g bag. That's roughly 4x more fruit for your money — with equivalent nutritional value.
Protein is often the most expensive part of a meal, but it doesn't have to be. The UK has excellent budget protein sources that many people overlook.
Tinned sardines, mackerel, and tuna are among the most nutrient-dense foods you can buy for under £1. Sardines in particular are an outstanding source of omega-3 fatty acids, calcium (from the edible bones), vitamin D, and protein. Two tins per week provides a significant nutritional boost at minimal cost.
Tinned beans and lentils provide protein and fibre at roughly 30-50p per tin. A tin of chickpeas contains around 20g of protein. While plant protein is less bioavailable than animal protein, combining different sources throughout the day (beans with rice, lentils with bread) easily meets your needs.
Dried beans and lentils are even cheaper — often half the price of tinned — though they require soaking and longer cooking times.
At around 15-20p per egg, these provide complete protein with all essential amino acids, plus B12, vitamin D, selenium, and choline. Incredibly versatile — scrambled, boiled, in omelettes, baked into dishes, or added to fried rice.
If you eat meat, chicken thighs are significantly cheaper than breast meat and arguably more flavourful. They work brilliantly in curries, traybakes, and slow-cooked dishes. Buying whole chickens and jointing them yourself saves even more.
Batch cooking is perhaps the single most effective strategy for eating well on a budget. The principle is simple: cook large portions of 2-3 dishes on one day, then portion them into containers for the week.
Most batch-cooked meals freeze well for up to 3 months, giving you a reserve of healthy, budget-friendly meals for busy days.
How you shop matters almost as much as what you buy. These UK-specific strategies can significantly reduce your food bill without sacrificing nutrition.
Aldi and Lidl consistently offer the lowest prices for core grocery items in the UK. Their own-brand staples — bread, milk, eggs, tinned goods, frozen vegetables, pasta, rice — are typically 20-30% cheaper than equivalent items at Tesco or Sainsbury's, with no meaningful difference in quality or nutrition.
For staple ingredients, there is virtually no nutritional difference between own-brand and premium branded products. Tesco Everyday Value chopped tomatoes contain the same tomatoes as a £1.50 branded tin. The same applies to flour, rice, pasta, tinned beans, frozen vegetables, and most dairy products.
Most UK supermarkets reduce items approaching their use-by date, typically in the evening (usually after 7pm, though timing varies by store). Reduced meat, fish, bread, and dairy can be frozen immediately and used later. This is one of the most effective ways to access higher-quality protein at budget prices.
Buying fruit and vegetables in season is cheaper and often tastier. In the UK, some seasonal highlights include:
The simplest way to reduce food waste (and therefore food spending) is to plan your meals for the week before shopping. Check what you already have, write a list, and stick to it. Impulse purchases are the biggest enemy of a food budget.
Bread, milk, meat, fish, cooked meals, cheese, herbs, and even eggs (cracked into ice cube trays) all freeze well. If something is reduced or on offer, buy extra and freeze it. Your freezer is effectively a money-saving device.
The most useful shift in budget nutrition is moving from "what's the cheapest meal?" to "what gives me the most nutrition per pound?" This reframing changes what looks like a good deal.
A £1 packet of instant noodles provides almost nothing except refined carbohydrates and sodium. A £1 spent on a tin of sardines provides protein, omega-3, calcium, vitamin D, and B12. Same price, vastly different nutritional return.
Similarly, a £3 meal deal (sandwich, crisps, drink) might seem affordable, but a homemade sandwich with tinned fish, some salad leaves, and a piece of fruit costs around £1 and delivers far more nutrition.
When you track your food with an app like NutraSafe, you start to see which foods in your diet deliver the most nutritional value. You might discover that the £2 you spend on a daily coffee contributes nothing nutritionally, while redirecting that to eggs and frozen spinach would significantly improve your iron and protein intake. Data makes these trade-offs visible.
The average UK household wastes approximately £700 of food per year, according to WRAP. That's money thrown directly in the bin. Food tracking helps in several ways.
When you log your meals, patterns emerge quickly. You might realise you never eat the salad leaves you buy every week, or that you consistently throw away the second half of a loaf of bread. This awareness naturally changes your shopping habits.
Tracking encourages you to use ingredients before they go off, because you're more conscious of what's in your kitchen. Instead of ordering a takeaway because "there's nothing in," you're more likely to throw together a meal from what you have.
NutraSafe's AI nutritionist can analyse your food diary and highlight which foods are providing the best nutritional value in your diet. This helps you make informed decisions about where your food budget is best spent — doubling down on affordable, nutrient-dense foods and cutting back on expensive items that add little nutritional value.
NutraSafe tracks your calories, macros, vitamins, and minerals — helping you see which affordable foods are delivering the most nutrition. Eat well on any budget.
Try NutraSafe FreeHere are five practical meal ideas that cost under £1 per portion and deliver solid nutrition.
Mix oats with milk and leave overnight in the fridge. Add frozen berries in the morning. Provides fibre, manganese, calcium, and antioxidants.
Tinned beans, tinned tomatoes, frozen mixed vegetables, onion, garlic, stock. Make a huge batch and freeze portions. High in fibre, protein, and vitamins A and C.
Leftover rice (or cook a large batch), scrambled eggs, frozen peas and sweetcorn, soy sauce. Complete protein from eggs, fibre from vegetables, and very filling.
Tinned sardines on wholemeal toast with a squeeze of lemon. Outstanding source of omega-3, calcium, vitamin D, and protein. Takes three minutes.
Red lentils cooked with onion, garlic, turmeric, cumin, and tinned tomatoes, served with rice. Add frozen spinach for extra iron. Provides protein, fibre, iron, and folate.
Yes — and sometimes more so. Frozen vegetables are typically blanched and frozen within hours of harvest, locking in nutrients at their peak. Fresh vegetables may spend days in transit and on shelves, gradually losing vitamin C and other heat-sensitive nutrients. The NHS and British Dietetic Association both confirm that frozen vegetables count towards your 5-a-day and are nutritionally comparable to fresh.
Some of the most nutritious and affordable foods include: oats (from 75p/kg), tinned beans and lentils (30-40p per tin), frozen mixed vegetables (around £1/kg), eggs (typically £1.50-2 for 10), tinned sardines and mackerel (60-80p per tin), whole milk (around £1.55 for 4 pints), bananas (around 15p each), and own-brand wholemeal bread (around 80p per loaf).
In most cases, yes — significantly so. A homemade lentil dhal serving 4 people costs roughly £1.50-2 in ingredients. The equivalent ready meal for 4 would cost £8-12. Batch cooking on weekends helps manage time. Even partial home cooking (making your own pasta sauce rather than buying jars) saves money.
The average UK household wastes around £700 of food per year (WRAP). Key strategies include: planning meals before shopping, checking what you already have, understanding the difference between "use by" (safety) and "best before" (quality) dates, freezing bread and leftovers, using wilting vegetables in soups and stews, and tracking what you throw away to identify patterns.
It's challenging but possible for one person with careful planning. Focus on budget staples: oats for breakfast, tinned beans and lentils as protein sources, frozen vegetables, eggs, own-brand bread, pasta, rice, and seasonal fresh produce. Shopping at Aldi or Lidl helps significantly. The key is planning meals around what's cheap and in season rather than buying ingredients for specific recipes.
Last updated: February 2026