It just feels like everything is so expensive….
Food prices across the UK continue to rise, as do energy costs placing increasing pressure on household spending. According to the latest Consumer Price Inflation report from the Office for National Statistics, food and non-alcoholic beverage prices rose by 4.5% in September 2025, compared with the previous year (ONS, 2025). Forecasts from IGD suggest that retail food inflation could peak at around 5.1% in 2025, outpacing overall inflation (IGD, 2025a). These increases are influenced by weather-related disruptions, global supply chain pressures, regulatory changes, and rising production costs (BSAS, 2025).
As a result, the cost of everyday food items has increased. For example, in the last year alone, an average box of breakfast cereal has risen by 3%, from £2.26 to £2,33, apples have increased by 8% from 0.35p to 0.38p, whilst the price of a cauliflower has increased by a whopping 20% from £1.07 to £1.28! As a result, estimates suggest that over the past two years, the average weekly food shop has increased by 37% (Money Wellness 2023).! – No wonder that eating well on a budget is harder than ever!
Living with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), often requires the adoption of different dietary habits and shopping patterns to try and manage symptoms. From ensuring food is as fresh as possible, perhaps hasn’t been exposed to different chemicals or limiting or excluding certain foods / food groups, additives or emulsifiers. These adaptions mean that, for many living with MCAS, a more restrictive dietary pattern ensues. As a result of these restrictions, popular ‘money saving’ tips such as local food banks, shopping from reduced food aisles or utilising surplus food sales such as ‘too good to go bags’, are not avenues individuals with MCAS can often pursue. As a result, eating a diet that is not only friendly to your MCAS, but also on your budget can be a real minefield!
That’s why we created this blog, to offer some simple tips and tricks on how to eat Low histamine on a Budget…
Tip 1 — Visit the Freezer Aisle
Frozen fruit and vegetables are often significantly cheaper per kilogram than fresh alternatives, while still delivering excellent nutritional value.
For example, 1kg of frozen broccoli florets costs £1.19, whilst 1kg of fresh broccoli will set you back £2.19 (Prices correct as of 30.08.2024 Sainsburys.com).
Also, did you know…? Research shows that frozen produce often retains higher levels of vitamins C, E and folate, thanks to rapid freezing after harvest (Li et al., 2017). Meanwhile, fresh produce can lose nutrients during storage, transportation, and light exposure. Therefore, by the time the fresh foods end up on your plate, they may have lost some of their goodness – so choosing frozen can not only help your wallet, but your health too!
Similarly, frozen fish and meat may present a superior alternative to those with MCAS and Histamine Intolerance (HI). Histamine is formed in foods when bacteria break down certain amino acids within the food. The longer the bacteria have to digest the food, the more histamine is formed – This is why, when high protein foods, such as meat and fish are ‘aged’ or left for long periods of time, lots of histamine can be formed. Freezing fish and meat can present a solution. The freezing process slows the histamine forming bacteria, therefore inhibiting histamine production, as such frozen white fish and meat only contain the histamine that was within them at the time of freezing, and therefore may present a more cost effective, and low histamine option!
NOTE: There are companies who freeze fish whilst still on the boat, therefore further reducing the histamine produced, although these specialist companies may not be so budget friendly! Additionally, due to the tight health and safety controls exerted on minced beef, it also tends to have a lower histamine content than less processed versions, such as steak.
Tip 2 — Experiment with Beans and Pulses
Did you know that it takes roughly 400g of Chicken to give you 100g of protein, whilst you would need 500g of chickpeas to get the same amount? However, 400g of chicken would set you back over £4, whilst 500g of chickpeas would only cost £1. Therefore, why not try reducing the amount of chicken in your curry and replacing it with chickpeas? Or how about adding a tin of green lentils to your next Bolognese? Add a tin of red kidney beans to your chilli con carne? Not only will it make the meal go further, but it will also be cheaper too!
Additionally, 400g of Chicken would provide you with 0g of fibre, whilst 500g chickpeas would give your body over 85g of fibre. The extra fibre content incurred by adding beans and pulses to your meals could also be beneficial for MCAS, as fibre has been shown in studies to exert mast cells stabilising effects Folkerts et al 2018).
Tip 3 — Plan, Prep, and Freeze
Another common symptom reported by individuals with MCAS are neurological ones, ranging from brain fog to fatigue. These symptoms can add another layer of difficulty when it comes to deciding what to purchase, let alone preparing and eating it. That’s why it’s important to maximise the good moments!
During time where symptoms are less debilitating, take time to plan…
Step 1: Select 2 to 3 breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack options for the week and write them down on a piece of paper – See below for an example
Step 2: Check the cupboards – Do you have the ingredients for these?
Step 3: Make a list of the missing ingredients
Step 4: Order or visit the supermarket to purchase the missing items
Here’s a example…
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snacks | |
| Monday / Tuesday | Baked oats | Soup and crackers (Blend leftover veg from Roast dinner on Sunday to make soup) | Jacket potato with hummus and roasted vegetables | Apple and Nuts |
| Wednesday / Thursday | Cereal with milk | Cous Cous salad with hummus (Can use roasted vegetables from diner if some left) | Chicken pasta with ‘no-mato sauce’ with salad (Can use leftover salad from lunch) | Cheese and Pear |
| Friday / Saturday | Eggs on Toast | Cream cheese and salad bagel | Chilli con carne (with no-mato sauce) with microwave rice and salad (Can use leftover salad from lunch) | Oat Cakes and Hummus |
| Sunday / Monday | Overnight Oats | Rice and bean salad with cream cheese | Chicken or Tofu Fajita Tray bake (See recipe below) | Berries and Flapjack |
Now you’ve got your plan of action, you’re ready to utilise this road map during the next time your symptoms have abetted.
When you’re feeling up for it, its time to start prepping….
If you were following the meal plan above here’s what we would recommend…
- Make the Baked oats. Once cooked, cut them into portions and place in freezer – you can remove them the night before. Then they’re ready for you to just add toppings and enjoy in the morning.
- Make the Overnight oats – Separate these into portions sizes and place each into an these in an airtight container in the fridge. Now they’re ready for whenever you need them
- Make your ‘no-mato’ sauce (We love one made out of 6 x sweet red peppers and ½ bulb of garlic, roasted in the oven for 20 – 30 minutes. Once cooked blend these together and you’re all set!) – Once made, separate the sauce into freezer bags and place in the freezer.
- Chop up any salad and vegetables and place in airtight Tupperware
Whilst planning meals can feel like a waste of time, like you’re using energy you don’t have, or you simply don’t know whether you will fancy the scheduled meal… Studies have shown that meal planning is associated with the consumption of, not only a healthier diet (Ducrot et al 2017), but also a reduction in food waste (Roijen et al 2024). Therefore, planning out your meals for the upcoming week may be good for your health, your wallet and the planet too!
As a bonus, see below for our Low histamine Chicken or Tofu Fajita tray bake recipe – which only costs £2.35 – £2.44 per person, whilst also providing 3 of your 5 a day! (Prices correct as of 28.08.2024 via Sainsburys)
Low-Histamine Chicken or Tofu Fajita Tray Bake
Serves 4 | £2.35–£2.44 per person (Sainsbury’s prices, Aug 2024)
Ingredients
- 1 pack of fajita spice mix
- 2 red onions, sliced
- 3 peppers, sliced
- 410 g diced chicken or 450 g tofu
- 1 tin of black or mixed beans
- 2 packs microwave brown rice
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C and place a roasting tin on the middle tray in the oven
- In a separate bowl, toss the onions, peppers and chicken of tofu in the spice mix to coat.
- Once everything is well coated, spoon the mixture into the roasting tin and place back into the middle of the oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove the tin from the oven and give everything a good stir.
- Return the tin to the middle of the oven and cook for another 5 minutes
- Finally, remove the tin from the oven and mix in the black beans and rice
- Return to tin to the middle of the oven to heat through for a final 5 minutes.
- Divide between 4 bowls and enjoy with toppings – My personal favourites include a dollop of cream cheese and some coriander!
This tray bake offers a balanced, nutrient-rich meal providing three of your five-a-day.
If you give this recipe a go, make sure to tag us on Instagram @potsdietitan
References (APA–Harvard Style)
BSAS. (2025). Viewpoint: UK food inflation forecasts 2025–27. British Society of Animal Science. Available at: https://www.bsas.org.uk/assets/files/viewpoint-uk-food-inflation-forecasts-2025-27.pdf
Ducrot, P., Méjean, C., Bellisle, F., Allès, B., Druesne-Pecollo, N., Hercberg, S., & Péneau, S. (2017). Meal planning is associated with food variety, diet quality and body weight status in a large sample of French adults. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 14(1), 12.
Folkerts, J., Stadhouders, R., Redegeld, F. A., Tam, S. Y., Klok, P. A., Hendriks, R. W., & Galli, S. J. (2018). Effect of dietary fibre on mast cell activation and allergic responses. Frontiers in Immunology, 9, 1–12.
IGD. (2025a). UK food inflation to peak at 5.1% in 2025, warns IGD. Available at: https://www.igd.com/about-us/press-centre/articles/uk-food-inflation-to-peak-at-51-in-2025-warns-igd/71466
IGD. (2025b). Bulletin: Higher food inflation, interest rates and pay growth. Available at: https://www.igd.com/articles/bulletin-higher-food-inflation-interest-rates-pay-growth/54171
Li, B., et al. (2017). A comparison of vitamin content in fresh vs frozen fruits and vegetables. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 59, 1–7.
ONS. (2025). Consumer price inflation, UK: September 2025. Office for National Statistics. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/bulletins/consumerpriceinflation
Roijen, L., et al. (2024). Meal planning and food waste reduction in UK households. Sustainability, 16(2), 884.