Simple fact-based nutrition.
Discover the real health benefits
of affordable supermarket foods.
You want to base your food purchasing decisions on what current scientific evidence understands about nutritious food and how it benefits our health and longevity.
The nutrition you consume has a significant impact on your appearance and health. The food you eat needs to both fuel your body and provide all the essential nutrients you need to be at your best.
The decisions you make can have a massive impact on you. I know this because I have seen the impact it has on my own health, and I spend many hours every week studying how nutrition can not only make you feel better but also help maintain a healthy weight, manage blood sugar and cholesterol, and fuel your brain and body.
I have researched nutrition for many years and continue to do so. As more scientific studies are conducted, new information and usually a better understanding of the impact food has on us emerge.
Most people don't have the time, and even if they do, there is a lot of contradicting information. The classic example being that red wine is good for you, much like how we used to think smoking was good for us.
You don't want to waste your time and money consuming foods and drinks that you thought were doing you good, only to much later realise it was a waste of money you could have spent elsewhere, or worse still, was actually doing you harm.
Nutrition is also a contentious and tribal subject. People (and even some doctors) will evangelise a certain diet or supplement. It is very difficult to convince someone that the extreme diet they are on is harming them.
People get invested in their health, and their online community often advocates this lifestyle, meaning they never see the counter arguments or scientific evidence. If every social media or forum post you see online is telling you that you're doing the right thing, why would you even think to question it?
Key Tenets
Increase your nutrient intake from the food you eat (more vitamins/minerals) to increase energy levels, a stronger immune system, better mood regulation, and a reduced risk of chronic diseases.
Maintain a healthy weight through better nutrntition rather than through an unsustainable diet.
Help support muscle mass and bone density through a nutrient rich diet and sufficient protein intake. (Exercise is even more important for this but we focus on nutrition here)
NutriSavvy was created to share current scientific understanding on food and drink.
I felt that a website focused on UK foods and food available in the places where most people do their shopping – the big UK supermarkets – was needed. NutriSavvy shares complex information in an easy-to-understand way.
Calorie Calculator
Try out NutriSavvy's calorie calculator to find out how many calories you actually need to maintain your current weight.
With a few measurements you can calculate your Body Mass Index, your ideal weight range and a relatively accurate measure of your current body fat percentage.
All calculations are based on existing scientific and data driven principles but should be relied upon as medical or health advice.
Your body needs fuel to function. Most of your energy comes from carbohydrates, but you can also burn fat for energy. In certain situations, protein may be used as fuel, particularly when carbohydrate and fat reserves run low.
Food is more than just fuel—it’s also your main source of essential nutrients. The amino acids in protein are vital for growth, repair, and maintenance. Every cell in your body needs fat, and some vitamins can only be absorbed when fat is present.
To keep your brain and body working well, you need a steady supply of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fibre. Ideally, these should come from a varied diet. In the UK, doctors generally recommend supplements only in specific circumstances.
Many ultraprocessed foods are high in calories but low in nutrients. Much of what fills supermarket shelves contains excessive amounts of sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats. Compared with whole foods, you often get far more calories for the same portion size, with much less fibre and fewer vitamins or minerals.
Products made for long shelf life and visual appeal often contain numerous additives—emulsifiers, preservatives, sweeteners, artificial colours, and flavour enhancers like MSG. Some of these have been linked to potential health risks.
Processing often strips food of its natural nutrients and fibre. To make up for the loss of flavour, manufacturers add cheap fats, sugar, sweeteners, salt, and artificial flavourings, making the food more appealing but less healthy.
The result is food that encourages weight gain. Once your glycogen stores are full, any excess sugar is converted into fat for storage. Because many people eat more calories than they burn, those fat stores just keep building.
Whole foods—real, minimally processed foods—tend to be less energy-dense than processed options while offering far more vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial nutrients. Eating more nutrient-dense foods makes it easier to stay healthy, avoid overeating, and maintain a stable weight.
A balanced diet rich in whole foods can lower your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and even cognitive decline.
In the UK, many everyday diets now feature foods that used to be occasional indulgences. Treats are fine—just enjoy them in moderation and make sure most of what you eat is real, varied, and nourishing.
It’s possible to balance cost, convenience, and nutrition, even on a tight budget. That’s one of the main reasons I created NutriSavvy.
Here, you’ll find which foods offer proven health benefits and which supermarket products give you the best nutritional value for the lowest price.
“Just tell me if this food is good or bad and what benefits I will get from eating it?”
Obviously, it is a little more nuanced than that. Everyone is an individual with a different make-up, which means you may react differently to different foods. Extreme examples are allergic reactions: most people can eat peanuts, but a significant minority cannot.
Even the nutrition labels in the UK are just illustrative, although they provide the best information we have. Foods naturally vary in the nutrients they contain; nature isn't homogeneous. Take Brazil nuts as an example: the levels of selenium can vary not only between regions but also between individual trees and can differ between the nuts on the same tree.
I picked Brazil nuts as an example because you can overdose on the selenium in the nuts, causing selenosis, where a mild form can lead to hair and nail loss. Brazil nuts are a good nutritious food source for most people.
Some people may, however, read a social media headline and decide to avoid them and miss out on otherwise healthy food. Whereas eating up to the 350 micrograms of selenium per day, recommended by the UK Department of Health and Social Care as being unlikely to cause any harm, is generally safe.
The simple takeaway from this is that you will likely reach your daily recommended amount of selenium (60-75 micrograms based on NHS guidelines for the 19-64 age group) by eating just one Brazil nut. You should be getting all your selenium from your diet.