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As more people, in a quest to cut down on their spending, turn to cheaper yet less healthy food choices, potentially aggravating the already prevalent obesity and heart health problems in this country. Sadly, our concerns are being proved right. In spite of the government’s pledge to spend millions on the Change for Life campaign to promote healthy eating, a poll commissioned by the specialist debt help charity, Christians Against Poverty found that nearly half of the 35-44 year olds admitted their diet has deteriorated in the last year, as a result of this credit crunch.

Fast Food

With money scarce, reliance on ‘unhealthy’ foods appears to be getting worse and the demand for fast food is soaring. McDonalds recently reported its ‘strongest ever’ sales in the UK, with worldwide profits rising by 80 percent. Business at Domino's Pizza is also booming, as the UK population turns their back on treating themselves for a night out at an expensive restaurant and opts for a takeaway at home instead. This is great news for these companies, but not for our health as fast foods and ‘take aways’ are often high in fat, saturated fat and salt and low in fruit and vegetables.

For example, a personal size (4 slices) ‘Pepperoni Passion’ from Domino’s has 830 calories, 34g fat and 16.6g saturated fat, which means that a woman can consume in one meal almost 83 per cent of her recommended intake of saturated fat. It also contains 4g of salt – two thirds of the amount an adult should eat in a whole day.

Saturated Fat

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is so concerned about the current UK intakes of saturated fat, that it has just launched a public health campaign to raise awareness of the health risks of eating too much saturated fat. The UK is currently eating 20% more saturated fat than UK Government recommendations of 20g per day for women and 30g per day for men. The scientific evidence is clear – long term, a diet high in saturated fat can raise cholesterol levels in the blood, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is the most common cause of death in the UK .

Health Implications of Unhealthy Food Choices

The adverse impact of inappropriate diets is cumulative and has hidden health effects long before an individual becomes overweight or obese, namely an increased in type 2 diabetes (with treatment requirements for kidney dialysis, eyesight problems, amputation etc), an increased risk of several cancers including breast cancer and a sharp rise in heart disease and stroke .

And if a ‘recessionary diet’ doesn't get us, declining fitness might. Consumer trends expert Jeremy Baker of London Metropolitan University is forecasting a 20% drop-off rate in gym memberships over the coming months.

Look to the Future - Are We Eating Our Way Into A Health Time Bomb?

It is well established that a healthy diet and lifestyle is fundamental to the maintenance of good health and wellbeing, and should be considered one of the most important investments we make for our future. Even though budgetary constraints and hectic lifestyles can make healthy eating a difficult goal to achieve, it is essential to make an effort to eat the healthiest food we can.

Eating a healthy balanced diet doesn't have to break the bank.

It’s a common misconception that cutting back on food expenses means sacrificing good nutrition. Whilst it is more tempting to allow low cost ‘junk foods’ (which contain little or no nutritional value) into your shopping trolley, there are people all over the country on small incomes who through clever cooking and smart shopping feed themselves very well indeed. You can be healthier and wealthier by simply making a few adjustments to your everyday routines and getting wiser about planning meals and shopping.

Don’t be discouraged. Here are some tips on how to eat a healthy diet without exceeding your weekly budget:
 

• Cook from scratch. Rather than paying out on expensive ready meals, stock up your store cupboard and cook meals from fresh ingredients. With hundreds of recipe books to choose from these days, it is easy and far cheaper to make delicious meals or bake homemade cakes for all the family.
• Plan meals and snacks several days in advance. Then write out a shopping list, and stick to it. Moreover don’t shop when you’re hungry or you’ll be tempted to buy more! Knowing what you are going to eat during the next couple of days will limit the amount of food wasted because it’s gone off.
• Take control of your cholesterol the economical way. There is clearly a wealth of evidence to show that foods with the added health benefits of plant stanols, plant sterols, soya and/or oats can play an important role in maintaining heart health and should certainly be included in your weekly shopping trolley. However, when you look at the cost of buying these cholesterol lowering foods a recent pricing survey found that plant stanol and sterol containing spreads and oatmeal are particularly good value – though it is worth noting that gram for gram no other food is more effective than these spreads at lowering cholesterol. You must eat the equivalent of about 3 to 4 (30g) bowls of oats each day to achieve the optimum cholesterol lowering benefits of oats (about a 5% reduction in ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol. However a reduction in LDL cholesterol by up to 14% is achievable when 2g/day of plant stanols is included as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle.
• Have a stock of basic ingredients at home. Foods such as canned tomatoes, peas, beans, lentils and other dried pulses last a long time and are perfect for keeping in stock. They can also add bulk to casseroles, soups, curries etc and are filling and cheap.
• Grow your own fruit and vegetables. You can harvest plentiful crops from a few packets of seeds, and produce tasty organic food at a fraction of the supermarket price. Plus you will get plenty of fresh air and exercise too!
• Keep a supply of frozen fruit and vegetables in the freezer. They tend to be cheaper than fresh fruit and vegetables but still count towards your 5-a-day. Plus you can use them when you want, which cuts down on wastage. Why not try adding more vegetables to your meat based meals? The meat will go further saving you money and it’ll help cut down on the saturated fat too.

 

References

1. Christians Against Poverty. All figures were conducted by YouGov 12th -15th September 2008. 2057 respondents.  Results are weighted to be representative of the GB population aged (18+). Survey was carried out online.

2. Steven Allender, Viv Peto, Peter Scarborough, Anna Boxer and Mike Rayner (2007). Coronary heart disease statistics. BHF: London.
3. Waiting for a green light for health' Europe at the cross roads for diet and disease. IOTF Position Paper. September 2003
4. Jeremy Baker - London Metropolitan University (The Guardian, 18/02/09)

5. Data survey of grocery shopping websites 28/01/2008 London
6. Cheap eats - How to recession proof your diet. British Heart Foundation

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