Best Cheap Foods for Brain & Heart: Sam Rice, Daily Telegraph....

This report from the The Telegraph’s nutrition expert Sam Rice is so useful for budget-conscious shoppers, 67goingon50 has reprinted it in a shorter, lightly edited version.    

16th October 2025

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"The best cheap foods to boost brain and heart health, including a 49p tin of beans   

This week, my breakfast blueberries set me back just under £5; a dozen free-range eggs cost an eye-watering £4.40; a miniscule pair of cod fillets £5.75. That’s the best part of 15 quid before I’d even made it to the meat or dairy aisle.

Yes, food prices are on the rise again. According to the Which food inflation tracker, they were up 5.4 per cent in the three months to end  August 2025. The overall annual rate of inflation currently stands at 3.8 per cent -- unless you’ve an arm or a leg to spare, fresh food is increasingly becoming a treat.

I am often asked, as a nutritionist, how are we to keep healthy when all the healthiest food is so expensive? Luckily, there are plenty of affordable foods which savvy shoppers can find in the frozen section, and many more in tins and packets on the shelves to mix in with the fresher fodder. As a nutritionist, I scout these out on a regular basis.

These are my pick of the most affordable brain and heart-health-boosting foods to eat more of, along with ideas on how to enjoy them. 

• Tinned sardines 65p per 120g tin

Sardines on toast was Sunday night supper in my youth, and they are still one of my favourite ways to get a cheap brain-health boost. There’s a huge body of evidence that the omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish have neuroprotective benefits, reducing inflammation and increasing blood flow to the brain. I also like to use them in pasta dishes, swapping out the meat in a bolognaise and the pancetta in a carbonara for a fishier, healthier kick.

• Tinned black beans 49p per 400g can (235g drained weight)

It can be challenging to fit enough fibre into your daily diet, but it’s one of the best things you can do for your heart health. According to Harvard Health, long-term observational trials suggest fibre-rich diets reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by as much as 30 per cent. My favourite way to eat them is in a veggie chilli.

• Tinned tomatoes 47p per 400g can

Not only are tinned tomatoes cheaper than fresh, they also contain more heart-healthy antioxidant lycopene. High temperatures used during canning help release more lycopene, high blood levels of which have been associated with a 31 per cent lower risk of stroke. 

• Frozen berries £4.75 per 1kg

According to The Grocer, berries had a spectacular summer season, up 24% year-on-year. This is great news for our brains (plant chemicals provide antioxidants that protect against cell damage which contributes to age-related cognitive decline), but not so good for our pockets.  With fresh berries over £10 per kg, frozen berries are less than half the price, but out of season, are also richer in micronutrients because the vitamins and minerals are “frozen in” shortly after picking. 

• Frozen spinach £1.70 per 900g

I love fresh spinach, but it wilts down to nothing when cooked, so unless you’re using it in a salad, stock up on the frozen kind. Spinach is quick-frozen, locking in more nutrients that can otherwise be lost during transportation and storage.
Spinach is rich in potassium, which helps relax blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. One study found that participants who drank a spinach smoothie had lower blood pressure for up to five hours afterwards.  You can substitute 100g frozen spinach for fresh.

• Frozen edamame. £2.95 per 500g

I get through nearly as many edamame beans as frozen peas, which is welcome news for my brain. They are particularly healthy due to the soy isoflavones they contain.  A recent scientific review found that a 1g per day increase in soy consumption correlated with an 8 per cent decrease in the likelihood of developing major neurocognitive disorder.

• Oats £1.25 per 1kg

These really are one of the cheapest, healthy foods you can have in the cupboard. According to Heart UK, the cholesterol charity, oats are rich in the fibre beta-glucan. Consuming 3g of beta-glucan daily significantly lowers cholesterol by binding to cholesterol-rich bile and preventing it from entering the bloodstream.
The amount of fibre in oats depends on the level of processing, so steel-cut oats have the most fibre, followed by rolled oats,and then instant oats. I eat porridge regularly or use them to give a healthy kick to pancakes.

• Pumpkin seeds. £2.85 per 250g

Pumpkin seeds have a list of health benefits as long as your arm. Recent research around Alzheimer’s and dementia prevention has shown that pumpkin seeds contain antioxidant compounds, which help to reduce what is known as oxidative stress, a key driver of neuroinflammation.  They are also a good plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acids (although aren’t as readily available to the body as fish-based omega-3s) and essential minerals like magnesium, zinc, iron, and manganese. The British Dietetic Association recommends having 1tbsp of pumpkin seeds a day. I like them toasted and sprinkled over salad.

Sam Rice's weekly shopping advice:

1. Before you shop, plan.  The best way to cut your supermarket bill is to make a meal plan, write a list and stick to it.

2. Avoid chopped or grated ingredients; they tend to have a shorter use-by date, and extra processing costs  money.  In my local supermarket, loose carrots cost 70p per kg; prepared carrot batons cost£3.38 per kg.

3. Make the most of food waste schemes; Sainsbury's £2 fresh produce "taste me don't waste me" boxes, and discounted grocery bags from various retailers are also offered via the Too Good to Go app.

4. Buy long-shelf-life foods in bulk:  rice, dried pasta, coffee, tea, olive oil, honey, dried fruit and peanut butter.