We understand that if you have PH, it’s not just cost you need to consider when it comes to cooking and eating. Managing fatigue and other symptoms can be just as prohibitive, so the content we’ve compiled on this page aims to take these additional challenges into account too.
The British Heart Foundation has these top tips for eating well on a budget, compiled by senior dietician Victoria Taylor.
Eating out is one of life’s simple pleasures, but it comes at a cost. Moneysavingexpert.com has these tips for free or cheap food on-the-go, as well as other advice for free or low-cost eating.
TOP TIP: The Rainbow Trust, a charity which supports families with a seriously ill child, have launched a campaign to help families create meals for under £5. By signing up for free here, you can receive nutritious weekly recipes designed to keep both your wallet and your tummy full.
Shaun Clayton, a certified nutritionist and the PHA UK’s director of membership support, has this advice:
“When it comes to good nutrition, and particularly good nutrition on a budget, planning is everything. The nature of PH means that you can have your good and bad days, and whilst you cannot prepare for when the bad days occur, you can plan with the knowledge that they will happen. That’s why one of my go-to pieces of advice is crock pot batch cooking. These meals needn’t be expensive and can be so nutritious and filling. Importantly, you can get a high number of meals for a lower amount of exertion (compared to making a meal each night).
Choosing a recipe that can be frozen too means your meals will keep for even longer. So if you made something like a sausage casserole or bean stew, you can produce 6 or 7 meals that can be happily frozen for up to 6 months. That way if you were to be having a tough day with your PH, then you know that there is a tasty, nutritious meal already there, just waiting to de frost! Little things like knowing you have a meal already prepared can lessen the burden of your PH on that day, just because it’s one less thing to concern yourself with.
Making a big batch of soup in the same way is a good idea too. Chop you veg, peel your spuds, pop it all in a pan and let it do it’s thing. Once the soup is made, you can freeze it in portions and relax knowing there are meals there when you need them.”
