Budget Eating Plan | Health Hacks when Working from Home

Written by guest writer dietitian, co-founder and director of H&P Collective, Jess Spendlove. Have a listen to our episode with Jess, and download Jess’s meal planner and recipes below.

The month was June and the year was 2020 – the world is a very different place to even a few weeks ago! Working from home is the new norm, and just because we have been forced into this, doesn’t mean we have adapted or implemented routines to maximise our efficiencies let alone our health.

Here are five strategies which will help fast track you to living your best WFH life when it comes to all things food, which will help you ace your nutrition without breaking the budget.

Plan your week in advance

One of the best ways to eat well in #WFHlife is to plan your meals and snacks for the week.

Step one involves mapping out what you would like to have for meals and snacks – really important you don’t forget the healthy snacks! This isn’t about having something so rigid it forces you to feel constrained, this is about making your nutrition, and therefore your health, a priority. By spending even just a little bit of time thinking about what you will eat, it will help you create a plan, and when you have a plan, it will give you the best chance of executing it well.
The other thing about planning your meals beforehand is you know exactly what you are going to cook and what you need to buy. This can help alleviate the potential stress of deciding what to put on the table when it comes to dinner time. It can also save you from just ordering some takeaway because it's the easiest option. Planning allows you to tailor your meals towards your nutrition goals and budget.
Now, don't forget to check your pantry, fridge and freezer to see what you have, what you need to use, and what you need to buy. This is as much about making sure there is no wastage, as it is about not wasting money on things you already have.

Similar to nailing your budgeting or your spending plan, you need to dedicate time and energy to ensure you execute it well. Your nutrition is exactly the same!

Download Jess's meal planner here

Stick to your guns with your grocery list

A great way to ace your nutrition when working from home is to make a list of the groceries that you need. This can be a piece of paper, a fancy meal planner (if that’s your jam) or you can make a list in your phone – whatever works best for you.

A grocery list will help you to fill up your trolley, and then your pantry, with nutritious foods. Plus, it will save you time when walking through the aisles and spending money you don’t need too, or prevent you from being tempted. A good tip is to try and do most of your shopping around the perimeter of the store which is where the majority of the ingredients you need (for best health) will be.

By sticking to your list, it will also prevent you from being tempted to purchase unnecessary ingredients while at the supermarket. Stocking up on healthy, nutritious foods makes it easier to stick to your nutrition goals while working from home.

Going shopping with a list will also help limit your time at the supermarket. With everything going on at the moment, that is best for everyone!

Buy meals AND snacks (to prevent sccchnacckks)

Trust me when I say this, you are not the only person whose cupboard is talking to them all day at home. This is a struggle too many of us face. The good news, with a few nutrition strategies you can get this under control.

To keep your nutrition on track, make sure you have some healthy snacks available to keep you satisfied between meals. Snack time is where most people fall down with their nutrition but with a little bit of thought and planning this can be where you have the biggest nutritional wins!

Step one is knowing what makes up a healthy snack.
Step two is making sure you factor healthy snacks into your weekly plan and buy some when you are at the shops.
Step three is making sure you enjoy the snack! It needs to be both delicious and nutritious – that’s the rule.

What makes up a good snack? It needs to contain:

Quality protein – to keep our appetite satisfied
Colour (aka fruits and veg) – for all the micronutrients, the fibre and because 95% of Australians don't eat enough
Whole grains – for more fibre and to manage our energy levels
Small amount of healthy fat – to also keep us satisfied and our blood sugar levels balanced.

What does that look like? Here are a few favourites:

Mezze plate – boiled egg, cheese, veggie sticks, hummus and a few nuts
Greek yoghurt with fruit and mixed nuts
Wholegrain crackers with ham, cheese, tomato and avocado
Rice cakes with ricotta, berries and cinnamon

It is a really good habit to prepare some snacks (as well as meals) at the start of the day or week. This doesn’t have to be anything extreme, it can simply be portioning out some nuts, roasting some veggies, chopping some fresh fruit and vegetables so they are more inviting and enticing.

Most people go wrong at snack time because they don’t prepare and plan – they wing it. A nutritious snack is as much about sustaining your energy levels and mental concentration, as it is your appetite. If you have a well-balanced (and tasty – equally as important) you are more likely to consume it.

What is that saying – failing to prepare, is preparing to fail? Well, that couldn’t be any more true when it comes to nailing or failing at snack time.

Diversify

There has never been a better time to get a little more creative and make some small tweaks to your eating. One positive nutritional change you might like to experiment with for your health, and the sustainability of the planet, is eating more plant-based proteins. It will also have a positive impact on your wallet – what’s that a win-win-win?

Now, I am definitely not talking about watching a certain documentary and changing the whole way you eat overnight (eek! Please don’t do that!). I am simply referring to finding ways you might be able to add more plant-based meals or protein in your diet.

This doesn’t necessarily mean instead of, it can mean in addition to, or in place of some animal protein. Some examples include the next time you are making a spaghetti bolognaise try a mixture of minced meat and lentils, or when making a burrito bowl try half mince-meat and half five-bean mix. By doing so you will increase the amount of fibre, and reduce the cost per serve, without compromising on the flavour – promise!

When thinking about incorporating more vegetarian or plant-based protein in your diet, think of things such as chickpeas, lentils, black beans; free-range eggs; tofu; unsweetened yoghurt or milk. By adding more of these, and cutting back on meat it will be friendly on the wallet, and great for the planet as well.

The other thing you can focus on is buying fresh seasonal produce. Right now, everyone is going bananas (no pun intended) over the frozen food. It is so important we don’t let the fresh produce go to waste!

Stop telling yourself that healthy is more expensive (it’s a bit of a fib!)

Fresh isn’t necessarily more expensive. Consider the following:

Bananas are often approximately $3/kg, whereas that slice of banana bread comes in at $12/kg.
150g of potatoes is 60c, where the same amount of potato crisps is $2.90.
30g of rolled oats is only 15c, whereas the same quantity of a breakfast bar is 60c.
100g fresh chicken is 40c, whilst 100g of BBQ chicken is 55c, or 100g pre-made kebabs is $1.40.
100g apples is 60c, 100g of sultanas is $1.25, whilst a 100g fruit bar is $1.90, or a 100g chocolate bar is $2.25.

Buy all the basic foods you need (those on that list you wrote), such as bread, milk, yoghurt, fruit, vegetables, cereals and meat before considering other extra foods, and if they fit into your budget or not.

Lastly, if you are eating more in the home, compared to your regular lifestyle of cafes, restaurants and takeaway you will inadvertently be saving money in the process as well.