IT'S a fallacy that healthy food needs to cost the earth, says community dietician Jenny Davies.

For as little as £50 a week a family of four can eat healthy food - and food that's good for you doesn't have to mean boring.

She said: "It's all a question of changing some of the emphasis of what you eat and budgeting differently.

"The most expensive things we buy are dairy, meat and fish. But if you moderate the amounts you have of those and spend a little more on fruit and veg, you will feel the benefits.

"It doesn't have to be fresh fruit and veg - it can be tinned, frozen or dried."

At the Food For All conference held at the Civic Centre on Tuesday, delegates discussed how to help families get the best possible meals - and ward off illness by eating wisely.

"Eating good food doesn't have to mean eating boring food. By changing your diet to better quality food you will protect yourself against ill health such as certain cancers, heart disease and diabetes," Jenny said.

"By making the change your food will hopefully become more appetising and tasty.

"Try buying food that is in season - and try to buy local produce - they will taste much better," she said.

Everyone is now being encouraged to eat five pieces of fruit or vegetable a day and Jenny explained the benefits.

"During the day your sugar level has peaks and troughs and while eating chocolate will give you a sugar rush - a banana or dried fruit builds the sugar rise more slowly and sustains it," she added.

Mother-of-five Sarnjit Lakhpuri from Shirley has adopted a new healthy eating policy for her family - and she is pleased with the results so far.

She said: "Instead of using margarine to fry foods, I've changed to olive oil. We've cut out chocolate and biscuits will be next to go.

"The children are eating more fruit and I am cooking more meals from scratch."

Sarnjit, 38, said the change had been relatively easy to implement and her children did not seem to mind too much.

"They don't have crisps in their lunchboxes any more and I am encouraging them to drink a lot more water," she said.

By introducing new more healthy ways of eating while her children are still young, she hopes it will become second nature to them.

"When we go out they have hot chocolate and fizzy drinks as a treat but they don't have those kind of things at home.

"I don't feel like I am depriving them. I am just getting them into good habits," she said.

If you want more information about healthy eating and our Let's Commit to Get Fit campaign, contact Kate Thompson, Daily Echo, Newspaper House, Test Lane, Southampton, SO16 9JX.