By Carla Gerryts — Registered Dietitian (RD SA)
Eating well is often presented as a matter of choice. All you need to do, is to choose more vegetables, buy lean protein, eat whole grains, and limit highly processed foods. While these recommendations are valuable, they can overlook an important reality for many South African households: healthy eating takes place within a budget.
With National Nutrition Week and World Food Day observed in October, it is important for us to consider not only what we eat but whether nutritious food is affordable, accessible, and practical.
When affordability influences the plate
Food security means having reliable access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that supports an active and healthy life. However, for many South Africans, this remains a daily challenge.
According to the Statistics South Africa 2025 General Household Survey, 22% of South African households considered their access to food inadequate or severely inadequate. This is more than one in every five households. This figure has increased since 2019, highlighting the growing pressure many families face when trying to put food on the table. When household budgets are under pressure, food choices naturally change. Families often prioritise foods that are filling, familiar, affordable, and less likely to go to waste.
Simply put: there is less margin for error.
Budget-friendly eating can be nutritious. Nutrition advice should be realistic and practical. Telling someone simply to ‘eat more salmon, berries and nuts’ is not particularly helpful when trying to feed a household on a limited income. As I hope we can all agree, healthy eating does not need to revolve only around expensive foods.
Building a nutritious South African plate for less
There are many traditional and readily available South African foods that offer excellent nutritional value at a lower cost. Staples such as maize meal, samp, potatoes, oats, and brown bread can provide the foundation of meals and be combined with affordable sources of protein and vegetables. If that sounds “carb heavy”, remember the impact of portion control as well as choosing a high fiber carbohydrate.
A simple way to build a balanced meal is to think of three components: a staple, a protein, and a vegetable. Pap with beans and spinach, samp with a lentil and vegetable stew, potatoes with pilchards and cabbage, or eggs on brown toast with tomato can all be examples of affordable, nourishing meals.
Beans, lentils, split peas, and soya (our legumes) are particularly useful budget-friendly ingredients. They do not only provide protein and fiber but helps to make more expensive ingredients go further. Adding lentils to mince, for example, can increase both the nutritional value and the number of servings without noticeably changing the meal.
Eggs remain one of the most versatile and cost-effective protein sources, while tinned fish provide protein and beneficial omega-3 fats. Peanut butter, milk, and maas can also contribute valuable nutrients without requiring expensive speciality products.
Basic vegetables can be the bulk of your consumption, no need for all strange and wonderful options. Cabbage, carrots, onions, tomatoes, spinach, marog and other seasonal vegetables can add fibre, vitamins, and minerals to meals. Frozen vegetables can be an equally practical choice, particularly when they help reduce spoilage and food waste. This is an even better tip when you live alone!
Make the food budget work harder
Small habits can make a meaningful difference over time. Before shopping, check what is already available at home and plan meals around those ingredients. Compare prices per kilogram rather than simply looking at the package price and remember that a “special” only saves money if the food is actually consumed.
Reducing food waste is equally important. Slightly soft vegetables can be added to soups or stews, ripe fruit can be stirred into oats or mixed into smoothies, and leftover cooked vegetables can become part of an omelette.
Conversations about nutrition and budgeting should never become conversations about blame. Food insecurity is influenced by income, unemployment, food prices, transport, electricity, cooking facilities, and access to stores, among many other factors. Good meal planning can help households use their resources more effectively, but people cannot simply budget their way out of not having enough money for food.
As a healthcare professional, my aim is to make my nutrition advice evidence-based and compassionate. Instead of asking “What is the healthiest food?”, one should be asking, “What is accessible, affordable, culturally appropriate, and sustainable for this household at this moment in time?”
There is considerable nutritional value in getting the basics right. And it all starts with a budget and grocery list.