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Eating well with pulmonary fibrosis: budget-friendly tips

Eating well with pulmonary fibrosis doesn’t have to be expensive. With the right planning, you can enjoy nourishing, affordable meals that support your lung health and overall wellbeing. These budget-friendly tips will help you shop smart, make the most of your ingredients, and keep a healthy, balanced diet without overspending.

Woman in red cardigan advising in kitchen

‍Use affordable, nutrient-rich staples

Choose inexpensive ingredients like beans, lentils, eggs, and tinned or frozen fish. These are a source of protein and essential nutrients. Try adding them to soups, stews or simple rice dishes. This can boost nutritional value without breaking the budget.
Tinned, frozen or dried fruits and vegetables can be as nutritious as fresh ingredients. They often last longer and are cheaper to buy. Look for tinned varieties in water or juice rather than with added salt or sugar.
Try finding 'wonky' or value fruits and vegetables in the supermarkets. These may not look perfect but can be as tasty and nutritious. They're often cheaper too.
Use own-brand supermarket products instead of branded foods. These can taste just as good and are often cheaper.
Look out for reduced-price foods. These are often approaching their sell-by or best-before date. It's important to understand the difference between use-by and best-before dates:

Use-by: It’s advised not to eat food past its use-by date because it's unsafe. Make sure you eat, cook or freeze (if suitable) these foods before this date.

Best-before: You might be able to use food beyond its best-before date after checking it. It may have lost some of its quality.

Add extras to your staples

Consider stirring in a spoonful of vegetable oil, butter or adding beans and pulses to dishes. These increase calories and protein content, making meals more filling and nutritious.

For example, you could try making a cottage pie with half tinned lentils and half mince. This is more cost-efficient and also has health and environmental benefits.

Use fortified foods when available

Look for low-cost fortified foods, such as cereals, flour or milk powders. Fortification provides extra vitamins and minerals. Many supermarkets and community programmes offer these options at reduced prices. Read more about community programmes below.

Try one-pot meals or other easy options

One-pot dishes can include casseroles, stews or porridges. They can be a quick and easy way to cook nutritious and cost-effective meals. You can use almost any combination of what you have in your kitchen, and there are only a few steps involved.
Other simple options include baked beans or microwaved scrambled egg on toast. These can be nutritious and easy-to-prepare.
Take a look at the NHS Healthy Recipes page for more ideas.

Save on your utilities

Keep lids on your pans to stop heat escaping.
Use the oven for multiple things at once.
Plan and batch-cook your meals for the week in one cooking session. You can then refrigerate or freeze meals for later in the week.
Try using an air fryer, as they can be cheaper to run than a conventional oven. Look for offers or sales on air fryers.

Shopping on a budget

Write a shopping list to help you avoid buying unnecessary extras. Avoiding shopping when you're hungry may help with this too.
Remember that supermarkets often place their most expensive products at eye level. Look at the top and bottom shelves for cheaper alternatives.
Read labels carefully. They often show not only the total cost, but the price per weight or per unit. You'll sometimes find that 'special offers' aren't actually the cheapest option.

Adapt your recipes

Change the ingredients to suit the contents of your fridge. If you don't have the meat or vegetable a recipe suggests, try substituting for what you have at home.
Make good use of leftovers by freezing them to use later. Or try using spare vegetables to make a soup. Love Food Hate Waste have recipes to help use up leftovers.

Resources for reduced cost food

Find a food bank on the Trussel Trust website. You can learn more about food banks on the Citizens Advice website. You'll usually need a referral to access one.
Find community fridges or larders. These programmes provide surplus food at reduced prices.
Find a community garden. Community gardens are shared green spaces that may be used to grow fruit and vegetables.
In England and Wales, you may be able to access reduced-cost meals delivered to your home (sometimes known as ‘meals on wheels’). Find out more on the gov.uk website.

Further information and support

The APF Support Line is here for anyone affected by pulmonary fibrosis, whether you have the condition yourself, or you're a carer, friend or family member. If you need support or have questions, call us on 01223 785725. You're not alone with pulmonary fibrosis.

Finances and budgeting

See our benefits booklet for information on social security benefits for people affected by PF.
If you're over 50, Age UK can help with advice on welfare benefits and other financial support. You can call them on 0800 678 1602.
Citizens Advice can offer guidance on benefits and financial support.
You can use Turn2us's benefit calculator to see what benefits you might be entitled to.

Eating well

Our website and resources provide general information only. We cannot provide medical advice, treatment or prescriptions, nor can we assess/decide what services or clinicians you should be referred to. Support with these matters will need to be provided by your existing healthcare professional teams.

APF is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for any loss or damage suffered by users resulting from the information published on our website or in our resources.

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