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Three square meals a day used to be the rule. For a growing number of us, it isn't any more. Research by Levercliff, reported in Food Manufacture, found that 48% of UK consumers replace at least one meal with a snack or a smaller meal, and 14% do so regularly. Among 18 to 34-year-olds, 21% do it regularly. Waitrose has reported a similar shift, with 57% of people saying they sometimes skip dinner and have snacks instead. If that sounds like you, the question isn't whether to eat little and often, but how to do it well. Why are we eating this way? According to Levercliff, the most common reasons are smaller appetites, given by 37% of people, and lack of time, given by 25%. Busy schedules, working from home and rising food prices all play a part. Some of the shift is also linked to weight-loss medication, which tends to reduce appetite. Some supermarkets have started selling smaller meals with these shoppers in mind. If you're taking any medication that affects your appetite, your GP or pharmacist is the best person to talk to about what and how much to eat. The problem with grazing Eating smaller amounts isn't a problem in itself. The trouble is that when a meal turns into a snack, it's easy to reach for whatever's in the cupboard: a packet of crisps, a few biscuits, a bar of chocolate. Do that a few times a day and you can end up with plenty of food but not much variety. The answer is to treat a smaller meal as a meal, just a smaller one. How to build a balanced snack plate Think of a snack plate as a small version of a proper meal. Try to include something from each of these groups. Something with pulses. Pulses bring protein and fibre, which help a small plate feel more satisfying. A spoonful of hummus is the easiest option. Blend cooked chickpeas with tahini, lemon juice, garlic and a splash of water, and you'll have enough for several days. Roasted chickpeas or a handful of roasted broad beans work too. Something crunchy. Raw vegetable sticks such as carrot, celery, cucumber and pepper are ideal for dipping. Oatcakes or wholegrain crackers are good too. A few nuts or seeds. A small handful of unsalted peanuts or pumpkin seeds adds crunch and keeps you going. Some fruit. Fresh fruit is best, but a few pieces of dried pear or dried peach work well when the fruit bowl is empty. Something you enjoy. A small treat makes the plate feel like a meal rather than a compromise. Our Peach, Peanut & Cacao Bites are a good one to keep in the fridge. Three snack plates to try The quick lunch. Hummus, carrot and cucumber sticks, two oatcakes, a handful of pumpkin seeds and an apple. The afternoon pick-me-up. Roasted broad beans, a few slices of dried pear and a cup of tea. The light supper. A small bowl of our Red Lentil & Coconut Curry Soup with crackers, followed by a cacao bite. Make it easy for yourself The secret to eating well in smaller amounts is preparation. If the good options are ready to go, you'll reach for them. make a batch of hummus at the start of the week cut vegetable sticks and keep them in a container of water in the fridge keep a jar of mixed nuts and seeds on the counter portion out leftovers from dinner into small containers for the next day Eating little and often can work perfectly well. It just helps to think of each small plate as a meal in miniature.

Food prices are the biggest food worry in the UK right now. In the Food Standards Agency's latest consumer tracker, 91% of people said they were concerned about them, and around a quarter were worried about being able to afford food in the month ahead. It's no surprise that many of us are looking for ways to make the weekly shop go further. A cupboard stocked with dried beans and lentils is one of the simplest. They're filling, they keep well, and a single bag can turn into a week of meals. Here's how to get started. Why dried? Tins are convenient, and there's nothing wrong with them. But dried pulses have a few advantages. A little goes a long way. Pulses swell as they soak and cook, so a bag of dried beans makes far more than its weight in food. They take up less room. A bag of dried lentils fits in the space of a couple of tins and makes many more meals. You control what goes in. Dried pulses are just pulses, with nothing added. You decide how much salt goes in, and what herbs and spices to cook them with. If you want to stock up properly, our 1.5kg Stock & Prep bags are designed for exactly this. Lentils or beans? The main difference is time. Lentils and split peas are the quickest. Lentils don't need soaking: just rinse them well and simmer. Red split lentils soften into a creamy base for soups and dhals, while green lentils keep their shape in salads and stews. Green split peas make a thick, comforting soup. Beans and chickpeas need a little planning. Most need soaking before cooking, often overnight. Always follow the soaking and cooking instructions on the pack, as times vary from one variety to another. Five to start with If you're building a storecupboard from scratch, these five cover most autumn cooking. Organic Red Split Lentils, for soups, dhals and thickening stews Green Lentils, for warm salads, sides and hearty broths Black Beans, for chilli, burritos and smoky stews Butter Beans, for creamy braises and curries Chickpeas, for hummus, curries and roasting Once you've got the hang of those, branch out with aduki beans, black-eyed beans or red football lentils. How to store them Keep dried pulses in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight, heat and damp. Once a bag is open, reseal it or tip the pulses into an airtight container. Check the best before date on the pack, and as a rule, use up your oldest bags first. Cook once, eat all week The easiest way to make dried pulses fit a busy week is to cook a big batch at the weekend and use it in different meals. Soak and cook a large pot of beans or chickpeas, then split them into portions. Some can go into a chilli, some into a curry, and some into a pot of hummus or a salad. The Food Standards Agency's advice on leftovers applies here: cool cooked food and get it into the fridge within one to two hours split large batches into smaller portions so they cool more quickly eat refrigerated leftovers within 48 hours, or freeze them if you won't get to them in time defrost frozen portions in the fridge and use them within 24 hours Three autumn meals from one shop To give you an idea of what a storecupboard can do, here are three recipes from our blog that use pulses you'll already have: Red Lentil & Coconut Curry Soup, ready without any soaking Black Bean & Coconut Chilli, perfect for Bonfire Night Creamy Butter Beans in Green Curry Coconut Milk, a one-pan dinner A few bags of pulses in the cupboard won't solve rising prices on their own. But they make it much easier to put a filling, home-cooked meal on the table, even at the end of the month.