Spend Less; Eat More (Nutrients)

The cost of living crisis affects us all. 

To combat soaring food prices, we’ve put an overview of foods that have the best nutritional profile at the most affordable cost - to help you optimise both your diet and your wallet. 

To help you combat the cost of living, we’ve analysed the price and nutritional density of over 100 foods from five of the largest supermarkets to identify the optimal vegan and non-vegan food groups that deliver the highest nutritional ‘bang for your buck’ ratio. 

With the insights in this article, you can continue optimising your diet and save money throughout the cost of living crisis - so you can keep on achieving your goals without compromising your nutrition. 

Here are our findings and top tips:

Your Optimal Sources of Protein

To identify your optimal protein sources, we looked at the amount of protein per 100g and compared it with the price per 100g across several top supermarkets.

From our analysis, the highest density protein source per 100g across all food types is NGX BodyFuel, coming in at over double the protein density of turkey and triple that of the highest scoring vegan source, chickpeas.

Chickpeas also rank as the most affordable protein source, coming in at £2 per 100g.

However, you need to eat 300g to achieve the same amount of protein as you would get from 100g of BodyFuel, making it a comparable cost to BodyFuel gram for gram.

Unlike BodyFuel though, chickpeas are not a complete protein*, meaning they do not contain all of the 9 essential amino acids and BCAAs. The next best 'complete' vegan protein source is quinoa, but quinoa does have a lower protein density overall gram for gram.

*Complete proteins contain all nine essential amino acids, whereas incomplete proteins are missing one or more. All animal proteins are complete proteins, whereas most plant-based protein sources are incomplete. They must be combined in order to provide the full amino acid profile (eg. beans with rice).

Your Optimal Sources of Carbs & Fibre

Adults are recommended to consume 30g fibre per day. However, most fall short with an average intake of 20g per day.

A high fibre diet is linked with an increase in health, so it is really important to boost fibre at every meal and snack if possible.

We have compared the fibre content of some common carbohydrate food sources including pasta and potatoes.

From our analysis, bran flakes have the highest fibre content at 18g per 100g, and so is an excellent breakfast option to help achieve your fibre goal.

The fibre in BodyFuel is comparable to both black beans and wholegrain pasta at ~7.5g per 100g. 

When taking into account price, bran flakes appear to come up trumps in terms of their nutrient-cost ratio. 

Your Optimal Sources of Omega-3 Fats

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that the body needs from our diet to stay healthy. 

They are polyunsaturated fats that are the healthiest fats you can eat, so we decided to compare sources of omega-3 fats and content per 100g. 

Plant based examples of omega-3 fats include, flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts flaxseed oil.

From our analysis, you can see that BodyFuel comes out on top for omega-3 density at an impressive 9g per 100g. When price is taken into account, walnuts and hemp seeds appear to be a great option for their nutrient-price ratio. 

You may be surprised to see the plant-based sources (eg. flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts) have higher omega-3 content above the oily fish options which are generally well-known for providing a rich source of healthy fats in our diets. 

It should be pointed out, however, that the absorption of plant-based omega-3 (ALA) may not be as optimal when compared with animal derived omega-3 (EPA and DHA). 

Vitamins & Minerals

Everyone has different nutrition needs, based on their age, gender, activity levels and (of course!) genetics. 

Other variables such as your age and activity levels may change, but your DNA stays true for a lifetime. 

That’s why doing a DNA test is a great once-in-a-lifetime investment for your health  - because nutrition is not a one-size-fits-all deal. 

Our In-House Nutritionist, Becca’s, Nutrition Needs

The percentages below show how much our nutritionist, Becca, requires on a daily basis above the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance)*.

To achieve these nutrients from diet alone, she would need to have the following every day to meet her personal nutrition requirements.

Or to demonstrate this visually, the below image shows all the nutrients packed into just two 35g scoops of BodyFuel.

 *Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) are the levels of intake of essential nutrients that, on the basis of scientific knowledge, are judged by the Food and Nutrition Board to be adequate to meet the known nutrient needs of practically all healthy persons.

Best Quality & Value Meals

Now we have looked at the different foods that give you the biggest nutritional bang for your buck, here is an example of what a day of eating could look like based on the top options for protein, carbs and fats.

Breakfast: BodyFuel shake with bran flakes, banana and peanut butter

Lunch: Turkey and black bean chilli bowls