Here is something to think about. We all have different ideas as to what constitutes a good food budget. It, of course is dependent on the type and amount of food we buy.
While browsing the net for nutrition guidelines, I came cross the Australian Government’s ” Eat for Health” website. The site has the (current) official dietary guidelines. It lists some sample menu plans for Men, Women and Children, as well as a really good guide to what makes a “serve” of various foods.
As an exercise, I decided to take the sample meal plan for women and price it up to see what the Government suggest we spend on a healthy diet. Here is what I came up with… ( to download a pdf of this table click here )
| This sample meal plan is for women aged 19-50 years of average height, healthy weight and light activity. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meal / Food | Weight / portion size | Food group and number of serves | Costing | Explanation of costs |
| Breakfast | ||||
| Wholegrain breakfast cereal, with reduced fat milk | 60g cereal | 2 grain serves | $0.09 | Home Brand Oats (900g pkt @$1.39) |
| 1 cup (250ml) reduced fat milk | 1 milk/yoghurt/cheese serve | $0.25 | $1 per litre milk | |
| Reduced fat yoghurt | 100g yoghurt | ½ milk/yoghurt/cheese serve | $0.36 | Coles Brand Yoghurt (1 kg@ $3.60) |
| Morning break | ||||
| Coffee with milk | 200ml (small coffee) | ¼ milk/yoghurt/cheese serve | $0.10 | Home Brand powdered coffee + milk |
| Lunch | ||||
| Sandwich with salad and chicken | 2 slices bread | 2 grain serves | $0.15 | Home Brand Whoelmeal Bread @ $1.50 |
| 40g chicken | ½ meat and/or alternatives serve | $0.40 | Chicken fillet meat @$10.00/kg | |
| 1 teaspoon margarine | 5g unsaturated spread (½ serve) | $0.01 | Home Brand Spread @$1.60/kg | |
| 1 cup salad vegetables | 1 vegetable serve | $0.30 | Based on an iceberg lettuce @ 2.00 each | |
| Apple | 1 medium | 1 fruit serve | $0.30 | Banana @36c or 1/2 Orange @ 53c |
| Afternoon break | ||||
| Unsalted nuts | 30g | 1 meat and/or alternatives serve | $0.80 | scoop’n’pack Almonds @$23.75/kg |
| Coffee with milk | 200ml (small coffee) | ¼ milk/yoghurt/cheese serve | $0.10 | as above |
| Evening meal | ||||
| Pasta with beef mince and red kidney beans, tomato and green salad with olive oil and vinegar dressing | 1 cup of cooked pasta | 2 grain serves | $0.15 | Home Brand Pasta (1kg pkt @$0.72) |
| 65g cooked mince | 1 meat and/or alternative serve | $0.60 | Mince @ $8.00/kg | |
| ¼ cup kidney beans | ½ vegetable serve | $0.19 | 1/4 can Coles Kidney Beans @ 75c | |
| 1½ medium tomato | 1½ vegetable serve | $0.50 | Tomatos @ 35c each | |
| ½ onion | ½ vegetable serve | $0.25 | Onions @ 50c each | |
| 2 cups green leafy salad | 2 vegetable serves | $0.60 | as above | |
| 2 teaspoon unsaturated oil | 14g unsaturated oil (2 serves) | $0.03 | Home Brand Vegetable Oil 2L @$4.80 | |
| Evening snack | ||||
| Plums and reduced fat yoghurt | 1 cup stewed plums | 1 fruit serve | $0.80 | Plums @ 38c each |
| 100g yoghurt | ½ milk/yogurt/cheese serve | $0.36 | as above | |
| TOTAL $$ | $6.34 | |||
| x7 days | ||||
| WEEKLY TOTAL | $44.38 | |||
What in interesting take on the food budget. makes me wonder how I spend so much at the grocery store.