Real talk: cost-of-living pressures have most Aussies feeling the pinch (and seeing the result of that on their plates). But with these easy, expert-backed hacks, it’s possible to supercharge your nutrition while slaying your supermarket bills at the same time. Ready?

Glowy skin, stronger muscles, more energy – who doesn’t want the straight-up life-changing (and life-lengthening) benefits of good nutrition? In its simplest form, food is fuel for hardworking bodies. It can also be one of the simplest and most powerful ways to support your health. But here’s the thing: the barriers to better eating can seem insurmountable for some Aussies, and right now there’s one major roadblock for so many of us: budget. Our Body+Soul 2025 Health of the Nation survey quizzed over 3000 Australians from across the country to find out their feels on wellbeing, and the results were a little tough to digest.

More than one in 10 of those surveyed reveal the rising cost of living has impacted their ability to maintain their wellbeing, and healthy eating is the biggest area of compromise with nearly half of respondents cutting back on nutritious choices to save cash – something we definitely don’t love to hear.

“It’s incredibly tough and everyone is feeling it,” says nutritionist Lyndi Cohen. “I’ve needed to change how I shop, the types of food I buy, how I cook for my family and try to balance that with two kids who are fussy eaters and a full workload. It feels like one more thing for the mental load.”

But in great news for food lovers, turns out there are plenty of simple strategies that can make a major difference when it comes to helping your dollar stretch further. And, just as importantly, make whipping up tasty, nutritious meals less time-consuming.

“One of the biggest misconceptions about healthy eating is that it has to be expensive or complicated,” says Woolworths innovation chef, Tiffany Crouch. “You don’t need fancy equipment or ingredients to have delicious, healthy, home-cooked food,” adds accredited practising dietitian, Dr Roberta Asher – one of the brains behind No Money No Time, a clever online platform that shares recipes (with cost included), tools and credible information to make eating healthy easy.

From dietitians to finance pros, chefs to sustainability buffs, we spoke to leading experts and asked them to share their insider tips – plus a few tried-and-tested habits – on how to nail your nutrition while slashing your shopping bill at the same time.

#1. FIRST UP, REFINE YOUR FOCUS

If you want to know how to eat healthy on a budget, it’s essential to understand what healthy eating is. “What food to eat for good health has become unnecessarily confusing,” says Dr Libby Weaver, a nutritional biochemist and bestselling author of books including The Calorie Fallacy. 

Our Health of the Nation survey found 50 per cent of people find it hard to keep up with information about what’s healthy and what’s not. Low fat is healthy one day, demonised the next; kale is king, then it’s not. Your best bet for cutting down on nutrition confusion? “Focus your grocery shop around the five food groups,” says accredited practising dietitian, Rebecca Gawthorne.

That’s fruit and vegetables (which a whopping 97 per cent of Aussies don’t eat enough of each day), wholegrains (hello, brown rice and seed-packed bread), lean protein (think chicken, fish and lots of legumes) and dairy (yes, you can eat cheese). 

Making these groups the main stars of your meal can crowd out unhealthier additions. “Then limit unnecessary, expensive packaged foods – even when they’re marketed as healthy – and discretionary foods (those that are high in saturated fats, added sugars, salt and alcohol),” Gawthorne very wisely advises.

#2. MAKE A LIST, CHECK IT TWICE

Less decision-making stress come dinner time, less wilted spinach creating its own ecosystem in the back of the fridge and less spontaneous spending. Yep, planning a few meals each week and writing a solid shopping list ticks plenty of wallet-savvy boxes.

“Having the decision made about what’s for dinner and the ingredients on hand can make all the difference between reaching for takeaway or a budget-friendly home-cooked meal at the end of a busy day,” says Dr Asher. 

The proof in the proverbial (sugar-free) pudding? A study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behaviour found that people who shop with a list had better diet quality and a lower BMI.

“There are some great apps out there, like Half Price, ShopFully and Frugl Grocery, that can help you sniff out savings and stay on track,” says Jess Irvine, CommBank personal finance expert and the author of Money with Jess, which features 300-plus hacks to save cash.

#3. SWERVE THE SUPERFOODS

Making a beeline to the health-food aisle to boost your wellbeing? Ignore the marketing hype around often-kooky superfoods and skip that section of the supermarket, and your budget will likely be more buoyant for it. “Prices of foods that garner immense popularity tend to skyrocket, and it can lead us to feel like eating nutritiously is out of reach,” says Dr Weaver.

“All whole, real food is super.” So put down the sea moss and serve up some nutrient-packed ol’ faithfuls. “While they may not be trending like other foods, more affordable, fresh produce, like potatoes, onions and carrots, are extremely healthy and shouldn’t be forgotten,” says Gawthorne. 

“The brassica family of vegetables contain a host of phytochemicals, like glucoraphanin and indoles, which are highly beneficial for healthy sex hormone metabolism,” adds Dr Weaver. “Yet we don’t tend to hear about how amazing cabbage is as it hasn’t been granted superfood status.”

#4. DON’T BE AFRAID TO BUY IN BULK

“Keep an eye out for half-price specials and buy in bulk for future use,” suggests Irvine. “It may require a slightly larger upfront cost, but your future self will thank you for it.” And your mates might, too – collective shopping is a growing trend to cut down on costs.

“We do a bulk shop with eight other families and it halves my grocery bill, with enough fruit and veg to last a fortnight,” says Lottie Dalziel, sustainability expert and author of 365+ Ways to Save the Planet and Your Money at the Same Time. “Buying seasonal produce is cheaper, better for the planet and has encouraged me to get a bit more creative in the kitchen to use up ingredients.”

#5. MAKE FRIENDS WITH CANS

Our Health of the Nation survey revealed over 60 per cent of Aussies say the cost of living impacts their ability to buy fresh produce, which can often feel out of reach on a tight budget. But canned foods are a convenient, affordable and equally nutritious way to serve them up and save. 

While heat-sensitive vitamin C can be affected by the preservation process, other nutrients stay solid or even increase. A 2013 study found tomatoes become richer in the heart health-helping antioxidant, lycopene, when tinned. “One of the cheapest sources of protein and fibre is a can of beans, which is around a dollar to two dollars, and when it comes in tinned form it’s actually a bit easier for your gut to digest,” says Cohen. 

“They can replace meat or be used to make a meal go further, and are packed with plant protein, energy-sustaining carbs, vitamins and minerals,” adds Gawthorne. Sold.

#6. GIVE THE FREEZER A WORKOUT

“The ‘fresh is best’ concept is quite outdated,” says Cohen. Snap-frozen fruit and vegetables retain their nutrients and, as a Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry study points out, can even be higher than their ‘fresh’ counterparts. “Frozen berries are a mainstay in my freezer, also because they’re particularly expensive if you buy them fresh,” adds Cohen.

Keep the cool savings coming by freezing your own ingredients before they go to waste and keeping a stash of meals on hand to defrost.

“Cooking in bulk and then freezing meals to have later can help to take advantage of foods when they are on special or in season, or when they cost less money to buy in a larger quantity,” says Dr Asher. “Fruits can be stewed then frozen and added to smoothies or warmed and added to muesli, vegetable scraps can be saved and used to make stock or broth,” says Dr Weaver.

#7. FIND INSPO FOR YOUR FOOD WASTE

Got three half-full bottles of oyster sauce tucked away? A couple of rogue carrots hiding in the depths of your veggie drawer? The average Aussie wastes around 312 kilograms of food each year, adding up to around $2500 binned per household. Solution: audit your fridge and pantry before making more purchases and find recipes to recycle the stragglers. 

“Pizzas are a great way to use up leftover vegetables or cooked meat, chicken or fish – keep pre-made bases in the freezer, pizza sauce or tomato paste in the cupboard and a block of cheese that can be grated in the fridge,” says Dr Asher. “Little things like using the whole vegetable (including broccoli stems) and refreshing wilted greens in ice water can help you save money and reduce food waste,” adds Crouch. 

“Even bread crusts can be frozen and turned into breadcrumbs later,” says Felicity Curtain, Woolworths accredited practising dietitian and nutritionist. It can help to read the fine print on food, too. “So many of us are guilty of throwing away food as soon as it hits its ‘best before’ date, without realising that it’s potentially still totally safe to eat,” advises Irvine.

“‘Use by’ dates are serious – if food is past that date, it’s best to err on the side of caution and toss it away, but ‘best before’ dates are more about the quality of the food, not its safety.” Very helpful intel.

How to eat right when the budget’s tight:

Savvy storage 

Get more out of your fresh food by investing in a produce bag like The Swag (theswag.com.au). “These Aussie-created, science-backed produce bags can extend the life of your fruit and veg by two weeks,” says Dalziel. “My herbs last so long instead of rotting.”

Meal prep

Planning meals out in advance is a great way to save time and money, but it does require organisation. For time-poor people new to meal prep, a slow cooker can make weeknights a cinch. Just dump in the ingredients, set for the day and you’re drooling come dinnertime.

Solid staples

Ensure your pantry is stocked with canned legumes, like chickpeas, butter beans, kidney beans and lentils, for an affordable plant-based protein hit. “[They’re] incredibly cheap and versatile,” confirms Gawthorne. “They can replace meat altogether or be used to make a meal go further.”

Shop smart

A block of cheese is cheaper than a bag of the shredded stuff and plain oats are far more affordable than the quick-cook sachets. “The ultimate supermarket hack is to shop the shelves according to ‘per unit’ pricing – the cost per kilogram or 100 grams – to find the lowest price,” says Irvine.

Leftover love

Constantly searching for that MIA lid? Lunch leaking through your bag on the bus? Invest in quality containers to make leftovers last. “I like clear glass boxes and jars so you can actually see what’s in the fridge, instead of forgetting already opened ingredients and meals,” says Dalziel.