Eating smart: a triple challenge for your wallet, your health and the planet

Eating is vital. But eating well is also a matter of budget and a challenge for health and the environment. Our food choices have a direct impact on our finances, our well-being and the ecosystem. The good news: solutions exist to bring together cost-saving with nutritional balance and respect for the planet!

Eating: a fundamental need… and a real choice

Humans, omnivorous by nature, are fortunate to be able to diversify their food sources: plant, animal and mineral. But every choice has a cost, in financial, environmental and health terms. With a little planning, you can cut the bill without sacrificing quality.

Fun fact : The first known cookbook, Apicius, written during the Roman Empire, already contained tips on how to make the most of resources in the kitchen!

Budget, health and the environment: the winning formula?

In 2021, the average food budget of a French household, including out-of-home catering, represented 21% of total expenditure. The cost of food shopping is estimated at 250 euros a month for a single person (or just over 8 euros a day) and 600 euros a month for a family of four. A balanced diet can be affordable for as little as 4.50 to 5 euros a day per person, according to a French study, and more generally, a flexitarian diet would cost around 6 dollars a day per person in industrialised countries, according to an international study.

This Oxford University study reveals that a diet based on legumes and wholegrain cereals can reduce the food budget by 12% to 14%, and by up to 20% if meat is reduced. According to INRAE, this optimisation, combined with a reduction in ready meals, salty snacks and sweet products, also benefits the environment, with a 35% reduction in the carbon footprint.

Key scientific fact : In Europe, fibre consumption is around 20 g per day, compared to a recommended intake of 30 g. A diet rich in cooked vegetables provides easily digestible fibre and promotes digestive health.

How can you reduce your price range?

1. Eating seasonal and local foods

Seasonal fruit and vegetables are not only tastier but also cheaper and more environmentally friendly. In winter, go for cabbage, squash, carrots and apples; in summer, opt for tomatoes, courgettes and peaches.

Did you know? A tomato grown out of season in a heated greenhouse in winter has a carbon footprint six times higher than a field-grown tomato in summer!

2. Making room for plants

In a couscous or chilli, increasing the proportion of pulses (chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans) while reducing the meat allows you to optimise the budget without losing protein. Moreover, 200 g of cooked lentils contain as much protein as 100 g of meat.

3. Reducing energy consumption in the kitchen

Adapting the size of your utensils, using a lid when cooking, choosing energy-saving appliances and optimising fridge storage (not overloading the fridge to improve air circulation) all help to reduce your electricity bill.

4. Say no to food waste

Planning your menus and making a precise shopping list avoids unnecessary purchases and forgotten products that end up in the bin.

Shocking statistic: In Europe, an average of 78 kg of food is thrown away each year for each inhabitant. In the United States, a household wastes around 160 kg of food a year, the equivalent of $1,500.

Conclusion: changing your habits is a winning bet!

Optimising food costs is above all a matter of habit. By adjusting our choices and our behaviour, we can lower our bills while promoting our health and that of the planet. Ready for the challenge?

Sources :

Caroline Rio, « Le défi de se nourrir, entre plaisir, budget et santé », CERIN, 2023

(https://coursesplanner.app/blog/budget_alimentaire_2024#:~:text=D’apr%C3%A8s%20le%20barom%C3%A8tre%20des,%2C4%20%25%20sur%20un%20an.)

Adam Drewnowski, « Pour des recommandations nutritionnelles réalistes : intégrer la densité nutritionnelle et le prix des aliments », Center for Public Health Nutrition, University of Washington, Seattle, États-Unis.

Marlène Perignon, Florent Vieux, Eric O. Verger, Nicolas Bricas, Nicole Darmon. « Dietary environmental impacts of French adults are poorly related to their income levels or food insecurity status”. European Journal of Nutrition, 2023, 62 (6), pp.2541-2553.

Marco Springmann, Michael A Clark, Mike Rayner, Peter Scarborough, Patrick Webb, “The global and regional costs of healthy and sustainable dietary patterns: a modelling study”, Lancet Planet Health 2021; 5: e797–807, 2021

Matthieu Maillot, Florent Vieux, Fabien Delaere, Anne Lluch, Nicole Darmon, « Dietary changes needed to reach nutritional adequacy without increasing diet cost according to income: An analysis among French adults », PLoS ONE 12(3): e0174679, 2017

Elodie Regnier, Nicole Ladet, « Plus de protéines végétales, chiche ? », INRAE, oct. 2021, https://www.inrae.fr/alimentation-sante-globale/proteines-vegetales

https://agriculture.gouv.fr/infographie-le-gaspillage-alimentaire#:~:text=Chaque%20année%2C%20un%20Français%20jette,€%20par%20habitant%20par%20an

Stephen AM, Champ MM, Cloran SJ, Fleith M, van Lieshout L, Mejborn H, Burley VJ. Dietary fibre in Europe: current state of knowledge on definitions, sources, recommendations, intakes and relationships to health. Nutr Res Rev. 2017 Dec;30(2):149-190