- The cost of food in Nigeria is always on the rise, making it difficult for Nigerians to eat healthily
- Many people have turned to fasting or eating unhealthy foods
- Here are tips to help you eat affordable and nutritious foods
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), the country's inflation rate is 33.69 per cent, making it difficult for many Nigerians to have healthy and balanced diets.
The rising cost of food and basic commodities has caused many to turn to unhealthy food options like fast food and unbalanced diets, making it harder for Nigerians to prioritise their health.
Some Nigerians have also started fasting till the afternoon or sleeping till the afternoon in order to skip breakfast.
However, eating well doesn’t have to be a luxury. With a little planning, creativity, and smart shopping strategies, it is possible to enjoy a diet that is both healthy and affordable.
Tips for eating healthily on a budget
Here are some tips on how to eat healthily despite the trying times:
- Bulk Buying
Purchasing food items in bulk, especially when they are in season, can help you save money. Seasonal fruits and vegetables can be bought in large quantities and preserved by freezing them. Staple food items like Rice, Beans, Garri and others can also be bought in bulk. Considering the fact that the cost of these foods increases on a daily basis, it would be economically wise to buy in bulk and save money.
- Prep meals in advance
Another way to eat healthily on a tight budget is to cook meals in advance and freeze. This will help you reduce waste and eliminate impulse buying. If you have cooked food for the next three days, you would not have to go out to buy stuff to cook again until you have exhausted what you have stored in your freezer.
- Avoid eating out
Eating out every other day will not help you live on a budget and will certainly not help you eat healthy meals. Knowing what goes into the preparation of your food is important. It is also cheaper to cook your meals at home than to eat out.
- Buy fresh foods, reduce processed food consumption
It is general knowledge that fresh foods are more nutritious than processed foods. Foods like plantain, fresh fish, yams, potatoes, etc, are budget-friendly.
- Eat veggies
If you’re planning to eat well on a budget, you might have to cut down on some of the Pizza and Shawarma. Having a carrot or a salad is more nutritionally beneficial and affordable than indulging in burgers.
- Grow a garden
If you have a small place where you can plant in your home or even buckets with good soil, you could plant small crops like ewedu (Jute leaves), vegetables, okra, peppers and the like. This will help you save some money, and you can leave them out of your shopping list when you grow them yourself.
- Eat your leftovers
It’s normal to have leftovers, however, you can freeze them and eat later or use them to make another kind of meal. For instance, you could use leftover white rice to make fried rice or even native rice.
- Eliminate expensive cooking methods
Cooking methods like frying will make you spend more on cooking oil, baking may also make you spend more on gas, depending on what you are baking. Adopting cheaper and healthier cooking methods, like boiling and steaming, can help you save money while eating healthy.
Food inflation: 5 cheap food items Nigerians used to replace costly ones
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported the strategy that some Nigerians are employing to replace cheap food items with costly ones.
Foods like cucumber stew, plantain moimoi and carrot stew, among others, are some of the foods Nigerians have derived from the use of other food items in their cooking.