Affordable & Nutritious Food
a sometimes tricky balance…
Hi all – it’s been a minute.
I’ve recently been living out my post Masters, Euro summer dream and tripping around Spain, Morocco and Portugal. On our travels we’ve eaten every type of antipasto, tapas, cured meat and seafood under the sun however our main source of fruit and veges came primarily from the wine we’ve been drinking.
The longer the trip went on, the more I craved some fresh veg to snack on. It’s interesting how your body often knows what you need before your brain catches on! So let’s dive in: how can we get more fresh, affordable food into our diets?
Homemade veggie tagine in Morocco
Successful public health messaging and the work of advocates for nutritious food globally means most people now have an understanding of the 2-fruit-5-veg rule that is supposedly best practice or at least a good rule of thumb when attempting to hit a nutritious daily diet.
So, when we look at the difference between that level of understanding and the number of people actually hitting that level of fruit and veg intake, it’s a bit alarming that only about 5% of Australians are actually eating the recommended amount daily.
I know I’m certainly guilty of not.
My degree was underpinned by the concept of trying to make the healthy choice the easy one for people. In Australia, when it comes to healthy and affordable food, this can be really difficult for a few reasons:
Cooking a bowl of pasta is often much less effort than a stirfry when you need to chop up all the veg
Vegetables are verrrry expensive in Australia (especially if you’re living rurally) and is only getting worse due to the cost of living crisis
Knowing which veges to grow and when takes a bit of research and planning which not everybody has the time for
Sometimes it’s just easier to jump on uber eats and smash some hot chippies with chicken salt
All this said, there are definitely ways to get around the cost and effort to make sure we’re more likely to consume if not fresh, at least healthy and affordable food. Here are some of the tips I’ve along the way thanks to a number of helpful people and resources…
Trying to use up what you have
Frozen Peas ! (+ other frozen veg)
Frozen peas are a fav of mine. Add them at the end of pretty much any savoury meal and BAM you’ve already increased your daily veg intake. They also make for good pesto if you pair with some nuts and a bit of cheese (vegan cheese is easy to substitute if you’re trying to eat more plant based, otherwise good old fashioned parmesan won’t let you down).
This goes for any frozen veg – most people have some in the freezer and it’s a cost friendly option if you’re on a low budget.
Disclaimer: it may not be as nutritious as fresh fruit and veg but is much better than no veg at all!
Veggies past their best
Take those veggies sitting in the bottom of your fridge that look like they’re going to go off and cook them down on the stove with a tin of tomatoes to make soup – a classic winter warmer especially in the middle of a cold Melbourne winter.
Add tinned beans or some form of meat depending on your preference to bulk it up a bit for a heart-warming stew for dinner. I often add beans but will sometimes use red meat when it’s on special at the supermarket and I need to boost my iron levels.
If you want to add meat, kangaroo is a good option sustainability-wise in Australia and can be found in your local Woolies and Coles supermarkets.
If your veg are looking unsalvageable and you’re not so keen to put them into a soup or stew, then feel free to cover them with water on the stove, season well and bring to the boil. Strain after 20-40 mins depending on the amount of veg you’re using into containers and you have homemade veggie stock that you can freeze and add to future meals (think risotto – yum !).
Risotto ft. frozen peas and homemade stock
Balancing the financial cost with our health
Unfortunately, veggies can be much more expensive to buy than processed and packaged food (this is a whole issue we’ll dive into separately in another article when we talk food systems) and generally require more preparation BUT they are so good for the brain and bod (& environment) that getting them into the diet is super important.
Although you don’t necessarily see the benefit straight away – which I admit can lessen consistency – making sure there’s at least some fruit and veg in our diets has huge positive implications for our health. For example:
a) Being in the garden (surrounded by nature) can reduce cortisol levels and is a good form of exercise that can be factored into your daily routine, benefitting both your mental and physical health.
b) The veggies you grow can be incorporated into your diet which generally brings greater awareness of the types of food we’re eating and an interest in healthy food options.
It also has huge benefits for the environment –
Growing your own food reduces the amount of air miles that produce needs to travel before it gets to you, subsequently reducing carbon being emitted through transport. This also reduces the plastic packaging used in its distribution. In addition, organically grown food means less pesticide and herbicide pollutants entering the environment, which can help to improve local species health.
Practical tips for buying fresh, affordable food
For Melbourne locals, most markets including Queen Victoria Market (QVM) and community gardens sell veg at prices generally *much* cheaper than in the supermarket monopoly, so I would recommended investigating your locals. Check out this map where you can search community gardens near you Australia wide to get access to veggies closer to home.
For QVM you can always walk (but I’d suggest take a trolley of some sort) or drive and get free parking before 9am for the early risers among us – guilty. If you go in the arvo when everything is starting to be packed down, I’ve found you can often get even further discounted produce that is leftover and may not look as appealing compared to the morning but is still just as tasty!
Aldi is another slay option compared to Coles and Woolies due to the low cost – about a third of the price for the most part, especially if you’re looking for meat and veg.
If these options are sounding like a fair bit of effort, and Coles + Woolies are the easy or only option, then buying their ‘odd bunch’ fruit and veges is another cheaper alternative. These are veg that aren’t ‘beautiful’ enough to be sold at the same price as their aesthetically pleasing counterparts.
There are also a number of subscription veggie boxes that effectively offer the same thing where you are able to choose how much and how often you want veg delivered so you don’t have to actively think about it.
See some listed at the bottom of the article but feel free to do your own research and figure out what will work best for you.
Example of Good & Fugly Veggie box
Eating and shopping seasonally
Knowing which veg option is in season requires a bit of self-education. I’m still definitely in the process of this – stay tuned for home gardening attempts coming your way when we devlve deeper into the practicalities of growing your own backyard herbs and vege (it’s a work in progress) !
In terms of education options, my go-to favourite is Gardening Australia who give you a summary at the end of every program about what’s in season and what you should be doing in the garden that week depending on where you live in Australia.
Full disclosure I used to laugh at my parents watching gardening Australia on a Friday night BUT have since jumped on the bandwagon and love their wholesome and useful content. If you don’t want to eat into your Friday night, episodes are on ABC iView (for background study noise) or you can follow along on Instagram (@gardeningaustralia) where they sometime post which plants can be planted based on the time of year.
For a more Victoria based option, follow @foodfromh0me and check out their blog on backyard veg – we’re big fans over here at OCC.
That pretty much details all my current tips but I’m always on the lookout for more. We’re on a journey of continuous learning and self-improvement here at Our Current Climate so please reach out if you have any tips for squeezing in more healthy and affordable food. In the meantime, I’m off to eat my yummy pea pesto pasta for dinner!
Lil
Resources:
Veggie boxes
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productgroup/2022-the-odd-bunch
https://goodandfugly.com.au/collections/our-boxes
https://www.ceresfairfood.org.au/
https://www.thegreengreengrocer.com.au/
https://theflyingzucchinis.com/
Community Gardens Map
https://communitygarden.org.au/find-a-garden/
