Inflation is causing many alarms, and many are already trying to adjust their shopping carts. In the context of this uncertainty, some of the discussion has moved to the idea of ​​fixed-price shopping carts. These consist of basic and basic products, the prices of which will remain stable for a certain period of time. Now, is it possible to make an affordable and nutritious basket?

Prices were frozen until January.
The Carrefour supermarket chain was the first to create one of these baskets. The proposal by the second supermarket chain in Spain by market share agreed to keep the price of thirty of its private label products until at least January 8, 2023. These products can be purchased together or separately, depending on the company described.

Products in the basket.
Some basic items in the basket, such as pasta, flour, oil (sunflower), bread (sandwiches and hamburgers), salt or vinegar; but also not so simple as cereals and cookies, jam, various preserves (tuna, corn, peppers, mushrooms and peas), chicken stock or juice.

This basket also contains items that are perhaps not considered essential or essential for an occasional treat, such as canned meatballs with gravy, tea, and chocolate soft drink.

The basket also contains hygiene and cleaning products such as toothpaste, toilet paper, compresses, gel, dishwasher, detergent, bleach or glass cleaner.

Nutritional value critique.
This promotion was met with some skepticism by nutritionists, who saw various problems with the basket. These can be summarized as ultra-processed foods being left behind and fresh foods being lacking.

The first point to consider when analyzing the basket is that it does not constitute a complete diet on its own. As nutritionist Edgar Barrionuevo stated in his statements Business ContentThe quality we can give this basket depends on how it is combined: if we supply what is missing with fresh food, it can be part of a balanced diet, but if the gaps are filled with more than the same, the decision would be negative.

But is it possible to build a more complete basket on your own?

What does science say about improving the basket?
If we want to improve this basket to provide more nutritional value, some keys given by nutritionists and experts can guide us. The ideal change would be to introduce fresher products and remove ultra-processed products. Items such as hamburger or sandwich buns, canned meatballs, chocolate, juice or tea can be discarded.

Ultra-processed foods aren’t usually cheap, so removing them from our purchases doesn’t conflict with saving. Something similar happens with products like jam. So the problem is not what to remove, but what to promote. The ideal is to add lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, but that brings us to the exact problem these types of baskets want to solve: price volatility.

There are ways to deal with this volatility. The simplest is to resort to deep freezing. Frozen vegetables (as well as fruits) retain all their nutrients (sometimes even better than their “fresh” versions). Canned fruits and vegetables can be an alternative, but salts or sugars are often added to them for preservation, causing them to lose their nutritional value. Deep-frozen foods are also cheaper options and produce less food waste.

Three macronutrients.
A balanced diet requires carbohydrates, proteins and fats. There are some changes we can offer to optimize these consumptions. As for carbohydrates, the best option is to replace ultra-processed bread with loaf of bread. Bread is still a processed food, but it serves as a substitute for less healthy options.

The protein content of this basket was also questioned by Barrionuevo. Canned tuna and peas are sources of protein, but can be supplemented with more protein, especially plant-based. The best option here would be to introduce dried legumes: easy to store and cook, nutritious and inexpensive.

While not a cheap option, a shopping cart without olive oil may be a better “indulgence” than chocolate, juice, or soft drink.

Other tips for eating better while saving money.
Science gives us other tricks to save money on our purchase. Everyone has heard that going to the supermarket on an empty stomach is a bad idea. The reason is that our hunger tempts us and we turn to less nutritious and more expensive foods. It’s easy to underestimate the weight of hunger in our decisions. Making a plan and sticking to the shopping list can also help.

It can also help you spend time reading both food and price tags. The first is the one causing the most problems and that doesn’t seem to be changing. The key when looking at the price tag is to find the price based on the amount of product we buy.

Planning isn’t just important when we go to the supermarket. Work-life balance is also difficult in the nutrition realm, but spending time thinking ahead about what to eat can save us from resorting to pre-cooked and ultra-processed items.

An alternative with a future?
Discussions about these baskets are still open. Currently, only one supermarket chain has announced this measure, but it is hoped that other chains can respond with similar offers, given the anticipation. If this happens, it will be possible to compare offers, both economically and nutritionally.

Image | nrd