Ready meals, jars of sauce or packets
Many pre-packaged foods have suggested recipes and portion sizes. However, you can add other ingredients too, making your meal go further.
- It is a good idea to keep passata, tomato puree or some tinned tomatoes in the cupboard
- These are cheap, keep for a long time and can be used to make sauces and stews go further
- Adding extra vegetables or pulses such as lentils will make meals healthier
- Frozen vegetables can be added straight from the freezer
- Look for low fat/salt/sugar varieties of pre-packaged foods for healthier options
Crisps, biscuits, sweets, chocolate, pastries and sugary drinks
A healthy balanced diet does not include much of these foods. However these foods are eaten for lots of different reasons, so most of us have them on our shopping lists and in the cupboard at home.
- Once these foods are in the house, they are difficult to avoid
- It is especially hard for parents when kids see adverts for their favourite ‘treats’ and see their friends eating them
- If you are trying to make healthy changes to your family’s diet, buying fewer of these foods is a good idea
- Cutting them out completely might work for a few days or weeks, but it is difficult to keep up
- Instead, try choosing smaller portions or still having them, but less often
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