Gluten-free diet on a budget

Eating healthily on a budget

Following a gluten-free diet can bump up the cost of the average household shop with specialist gluten-free foods like gluten-free bread being three to four times more costly than comparable gluten-containing products.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet doesn’t need to be expensive. Shop bought, processed foods may save time but can make a huge dent in your wallet and may not always be the healthiest option. Making some small changes to the foods you choose on your diet can make a difference in looking after the pennies and also in the nutritional balance.

The key to eating on a budget is planning; plan your meals for the week to cut down on waste. Foods like rice, potatoes and lentils are naturally gluten-free and often cheaper to buy in bulk. Lentils, pulses and vegetables can be added to meals based on meat to make meals go further and make them healthier options, and if you do like meat, choose cheaper cuts. They may need slower cooking but they can be used to make tasty dishes.

Top tips

We have plenty more tips on our leaflet with some top tips of how to cut costs for your weekly shop. Download our Gluten-free diet on a budget leaflet now.

Gluten-free foods on prescription

To help with the cost of gluten-free foods you should be able to get staple items such as gluten-free bread, gluten-free pasta and gluten-free flour on prescription. More information on gluten-free foods on prescription can be found on the Food on prescription page or you can contact the Helpline on 0845 305 2060, open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10am to 4pm and Thursday 11am to 4pm.