"I can't afford to go on a diet and lose weight" is a poor excuse when you shop around for great seasonal deals and make the most of well priced healthy produce.
Here are our top ten favourites that won't break the bank but will, if included in a reduced-energy eating plan, help you achieve your weight loss goals.

1. Eggs
Even free-range eggs are impossibly good value. At around $6.80 a dozen you can afford to eat well and look after the welfare of the chicken.
Two eggs a day provides 12 grams of protein, and around 600kj of sustainable energy that will tide you through the morning and prevent you from snacking. Make sure you boil or poach them and don't add to the energy load by adding fat in the cooking.
For $1.10 per serve it's super food at a super price.

2. Turkey
It's cheaper than chicken and is another terrific source of protein with very little fat on it. These days you don't have to buy the whole hefty bird and hope it fits into the oven. There are some great cuts of turkey available that are not only economical but meet the weight loss criteria. It tastes good, it provides satiety, and at just over 1000kj (242cal) for 150g, a roasted turkey leg with the skin removed can feed a family of four for less than $12. What a bargain.

3. Oats
The key to enjoying guilt free carbs is to make them low GI. One low GI carbohydrate food that will neither break the bank or the waistband is oats.
A kilo bag of whole rolled oats (not instant oats) are around $3.70 which when you break it down to a serve is only about 28 cents. It's little wonder the canny Scots love their porridge!

4. Canned kidney beans
On the face of it dried beans look much cheaper; however when you factor in the energy costs to cook them there's very little difference in buying canned. At just over $1.50 a can you can upgrade a casserole or salad with an extremely low GI carbohydrate food - an extra 12 grams of fibre for only 822kj of energy. And they contain antioxidants too.

5. Octopus
Another sustaining protein is octopus. It's the red meat nutrient source for people who don't eat red meat - at a fraction of the price. Octopus is an excellent source of iron and zinc, two nutrients necessary for energy. When we're tired we are much more likely to eat more to compensate for lost energy, therefore busy women must find adequate iron in the diet. Compared with red meat at approximately $13 a kilo, octopus is a terrifically economical way to find protein, iron and zinc.

6. Apples
The cost per antioxidant content is less in apples than it is for blueberries. According to the 2009 Apple Review, an apple has more antioxidants than half a punnet of blueberries, or a cup of strawberries, or two oranges or two cups of tea! They are also a great source of dietary fibre, containing more than many leading breakfast cereals without the added salt and sugar.
During Autumn and Winter when apples cost as little as 50 cents each they are a fabulous alternative to out of season berries at a fraction of the price.

7. Asian greens
It's easy to eat your greens when they are as inexpensive as Asian greens are. For as little as $1.50 a bunch, Asian greens including Bok Choy, baby bok choy, choy sum, gai lan and Chinese cabbage are a low energy nutrient dense food everyone can afford.

8. Red lentils
You can't complain when, at just under $2.00 you can buy 375 grams of red lentils to use in a hearty and very sustaining pot of soup. Lentils are incredibly low in energy and high in fibre and one of the cheapest foods you can buy. Add and onions, garlic, spices and canned tomatoes and you've got lunch for the week.

9. Pumpkin
It's low in energy - 1 cup has only 7.7 g of carbs compared to potato with more than double the carbs for the same amount. At around 25 cents per cup of diced pumpkin it's a great bargain. Look for pumpkin when it's in season around Autumn and try to buy Australian grown which will not only be less expensive but better for the environment in terms of food miles.

10. Raw walnuts
At $6.25 for nearly 250g walnuts are no bargain, but when you consider how much you eat, they work out cheaper than potato chips. At an average of $1.60 a serve it's easy to eat the entire bag of potato chips, whereas the recommended serving size of 30g of walnuts is enough. Walnuts therefore work out at an average of 76 cents a serve with the added bonus of being rich in plant Omega 3 fat. As a snack they satisfy cravings and satiate the appetite.