Eating Healthy on a Budget
Eat Healthy on a Budget
By Karen Asp
You're trying to eat healthy, but with the rising cost of groceries, that's not always easy. Fortunately, though, with some smart shopping strategies, you can avoid breaking the bank when buying healthy foods. Just follow these tips from Sissy Osteen, Ph.D., associate professor at Oklahoma State University and Katherine Tallmadge, R.D., national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and author of 'Diet Simple.'
Skip most organic products. No matter how much buzz you hear about buying organic products, they're still a more expensive option than non-organic products. If you are concerned about your health, though, choose organic when buying these 12 products, which have the highest pesticide levels, according to the Environmental Working Group: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes.
Avoid pre-cut, pre-packaged meals and foods. Sure, pre-cut, pre-packaged food items are convenient and can save you prep time. Yet they often cost more than made-from-scratch meals or produce that you cut. Plus, pre-packaged meals are often high in fat, calories, sodium or sugar.
Expand your protein options. Try new sources of protein like beans and tofu, which are less costly than meat. Besides, eating less meat (and more beans) is better for your health. Even when you're cooking meat-based dishes, decrease the meat and add more beans and vegetables.
Be a savvy produce shopper. You can often find deals on produce that's in season. Or head to a local farmer's market which often has amazing bargains on produce. You should also compare prices between a bag of produce rather than individual items (i.e. a bag of apples versus four individual apples). If you can use the produce before it spoils, a bag may be a better bet.
Substitute peanut butter for lunch meat. Kudos for brown bagging it, an easy way to save money. Yet rather than choosing lunch meat, which adds up, switch to peanut butter. Not only will it save you money, peanut butter is also a nutritious source of protein.
Choose generic over name brand items. In general, generic brands, which you can find for everything from frozen vegetables to whole-wheat bread, are cheaper than name brands. Of course, compare prices to be sure.
Buy frozen versus fresh produce. Frozen produce can often be a better buy than fresh produce, but as always, check those prices. After all, if produce is in season, it may be cheaper than frozen. Other benefits to frozen? It can live for months in the freezer and is just as nutritious, if not more, than fresh produce. Just avoid frozen produce with sauces, which can add calories, fat and sodium.
Make a list. Grocery stores need to make money, which is why they employ sneaky tricks to entice you to buy more (i.e. bakeries by the entrance, milk at the back of the store, more expensive foods shelved at eye level). Yet if you have a list, you'll be less tempted by these marketing ploys to buy on impulse. Also, leave your kids at home when you shop; otherwise, you'll be pressured into buying items not on your list, including not-so-healthy foods.
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