Trying to spend less on food? Following the dietary guidelines might prevent $160 a fortnight

An increase within the cost of living has led many households to look for tactics to get monetary savings.

New research suggests maintaining a healthy weight loss program, in step with the Australian Dietary Guidelinesis cheaper than an unhealthy weight loss program and could save A$160 off a family of 4’s fortnightly shopping bill.

Poor weight loss program is essentially the most common preventable risk factor contributing to chronic disease in Australia. So improving your weight loss program will also be a very important option to reduce the possibility of developing chronic disease.

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First, what are the dietary guidelines?

The guidelines provide information on the amount and sorts of foods most Australians should eat to advertise overall health and wellbeing.

Recommendations include eating a wide range of nutritious foods from the principal five food groups:

• vegetables and legumes
• fruit
• grains
• lean meats and meat alternatives akin to tofu, nuts and legumes
• dairy products.

The guidelines recommend limiting our intake of foods high in saturated fat, added salt, added sugars and alcohol.

What are Australians eating?

Fewer than 7% of Australians eat sufficient vegetables, in step with the Australian Dietary Guidelines. In fact, Australians have a median healthy weight loss program rating of 55 out of 100 – barely passing.

Foods that aren’t a part of a food group are often called “discretionary” items, which incorporates alcohol, cakes, biscuits, chocolate and confectionery and most takeaway foods. Because they’re typically high in kilojoules, saturated fat, sodium and added sugars, the Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend they only be eaten occasionally and in small amounts (ideally zero serves).

For many households, discretionary items make up a giant portion of their grocery shop. Australians eat a median of 28 serves of discretionary selections per week (equal to twenty-eight doughnuts, 28 slices of cake, or 28 cans of soppy drink or beer). This is a rise of ten serves since 2015.

One recent study estimated 55% of Australians’ total energy intake was from discretionary items.

What did the researchers find?

Researchers from the Health Promotion Team at South West Healthcare recently visited 4 local supermarkets and takeaway stores in Warrnambool, Victoria, and purchased two baskets of groceries.

One basket met the Australian Dietary Guidelines (basket one), the opposite aligned with the everyday dietary intake of Australians (basket two).

They compared prices between the 2 and located basket one would cost roughly $167 less per fortnight for a family of 4 at essentially the most reasonably priced supermarket. That’s equal to $4,342 a yr.

Basket one was sufficient to provide a family of 4 for a fortnight, and aligned with the Australian Dietary Guidelines. It cost $724 and included:

1. fruit and vegetables (made up 31% of the fortnightly shop)
2. grains and cereals (oats, cornflakes, bread, rice, pasta, Weet-bix)
3. lean meats and alternatives (mince, steak, chicken, tuna, eggs, nuts)
4. milk, yoghurt and cheese
5. oils and spreads (olive oil).

Basket two reflected the present average Australian fortnightly shop for a family of 4.

In the project, the team spent over half of the fortnightly shop on processed and packaged foods, of which 21% was spent on take-away. This relies on actual dietary intake of the overall population reported within the 2011-2012 Australian Health Survey.

Basket two cost $891 and included:

1. fruit and vegetables (made up 13% of the fortnightly shop)
2. grains and cereals (oats, cornflakes, bread, rice, pasta, Weet-bix)
3. lean meats and alternatives (mince, steak, chicken, tuna, eggs, nuts)
4. milk, yogurt and cheese
5. oils and spreads (olive oil, butter)
6. drinks (soft drink, fruit juice)
7. desserts and snacks (muffins, sweet biscuits, chocolate, ice cream, potato chips, muesli bars)
8. processed meats (sausages, ham)
9. convenience meals
10. fast food (pizza, meat pie, hamburger, fish and chips)
11. alcohol (beer, wine).

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But a healthy basket continues to be unaffordable for a lot of

While this piece of labor, and other researchsuggests a healthy weight loss program is inexpensive than an unhealthy weight loss program, affordability continues to be a challenge for a lot of families.

The Warrnambool research found basket one (which aligned with guidelines) was still costly, requiring roughly 25% of a median household income.

This is unaffordable for a lot of. For a household reliant on welfare, basket one would require allocating 26%-38% of their income. This highlights how the rising cost of living crisis is affecting those already facing financial difficulties.

Around 3.7 million Australian households didn’t have access to enough food to fulfill their basic needs in some unspecified time in the future within the last 12 months.

Policy motion is required from the Australian government to make really helpful diets cheaper for low socioeconomic groups. This means lowering the prices of healthy foods and ensuring household incomes are sufficient.

What else are you able to do to chop your spending?

To help reduce food costs and support your health, reducing discretionary foods could possibly be idea.

Other ways to scale back your grocery bill and keep your food healthy and fresh include:

• planning for some meatless meals each week. Pulses (beans, lentils and legumes) are nutritious and low-cost (a can is lower than $1.50. Here are some great pulse recipes to try
• checking the specials and buy in bulk (to store or freeze) when items are cheaper
• making big batches of meals and freezing them. Single-serve portions can assist save time for lunches at work, saving on takeaway
• Australian supermarkets are almost never the most cost effective place for fresh produce, so shop around for farmers markets or smaller local grocery shops
• buying generic brands when possible, as they’re notably cheaper. Supermarkets often promote the items they need you to purchase at eye-level, so check the shelves above and below for cheaper alternatives.

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