Healthy Eating on a Budget in Ghana

Build meals around affordable staples

Beans, gari, corn dough, cassava, plantain and seasonal vegetables form the backbone of a budget-friendly diet. Beans in particular offer protein and fibre at a fraction of the cost of meat.

Leafy greens such as kontomire, ayoyo and alefu are often cheap and packed with nutrients. Adding them to stews and soups boosts nutrition for very little money.

Choosing these foods more often, and expensive processed snacks and soft drinks less often, frees up money for fruit, eggs and fish. Small changes in the shopping basket can make a real difference across a month.

• Beans and cowpeas
• Eggs
• Smoked fish, herrings and sardines
• Kontomire, ayoyo and other leafy greens
• Seasonal fruit like oranges, mangoes and pawpaw

Shop smart at the market

Buying in season is one of the easiest ways to save. Tomatoes, mangoes and oranges are cheaper and tastier when plentiful. Shopping late in the day can also bring better deals on fresh produce.

Buy staples like rice, beans and gari in larger quantities if you can store them safely, and plan meals before going to the market so you buy only what you need.

Stretch protein further

You do not need a large piece of meat in every meal. A little smoked fish adds both flavour and protein to a whole pot of soup or stew.

Combining beans with grains, as in waakye or gari and beans, gives a good mix of protein. Eggs are another inexpensive, versatile option.

Cook at home and reduce waste

Cooking a big pot of stew or soup and eating it over a few days is usually cheaper than buying every meal. It also gives you more control over oil, salt and stock cubes.

Use leftovers creatively: leftover stew can top boiled yam, and extra beans can become a breakfast with plantain. Store food safely and reheat it thoroughly.

Budget-friendly meal ideas

These simple meals are filling, nutritious and easy on the pocket. Rotate them through the week for variety.

Kitchen in Dunu has recipe ideas you can adapt to what you find at the market.

• Red-red with a small portion of plantain
• Gari and beans with a boiled egg
• Kontomire stew with boiled yam or cocoyam
• Light soup with smoked fish and banku
• Hausa koko with koose for breakfast

Snacks that are kind to your pocket

Snacks do not have to be packaged or expensive. Roasted groundnuts, boiled corn, roasted plantain (kofi brokeman) with groundnuts, and seasonal fruit are affordable and satisfying.

Buying fruit from a trusted market seller and keeping a small stock of groundnuts at home means you are less tempted by costly sweet snacks when hunger strikes. Water from a reusable bottle also saves money compared with buying soft drinks every day.

• Roasted groundnuts in a small handful
• Boiled or roasted corn in season
• Roasted plantain with groundnuts
• Oranges, bananas, mangoes or pawpaw