It is all too common that dietitians often hear that it is too expensive to eat healthy. However, what tends to actually happen is that healthy fruits and vegetables go to waste or are not utilized properly. Strategic grocery shopping can help save time, money and can contribute to a balanced diet. Here are some tips:
- Plan out meals for the week. Don’t go to the store blind! Have a list of meals and ingredients and stick to it.
- Avoid isles you don’t need products from. This can help prevent the temptation of impulse buying.
- Take advantage of coupons and sales for you favorite products via newspapers and online.
- Consider switching to store brand products. These products are often very similar in taste and nutrition as the name brand variety, but for a fraction of the price.
- Invest in herbs and spices and avoid pre-seasoned products. For example, instead of $1 instant flavored rice, buy plain brown rice and season to your taste to cut cost and sodium.
- Save money buy portioning or cutting items yourself. Sometimes it’s cheaper to shred your own cheese and make your own individual bags of snacks.
- Stick to recipes that re-use ingredients you’ve already purchased. This can help prevent food waste. Carrots are a versatile vegetable that can be added to salads, a snack with dip, and roasted for dinner.
- Buy frozen fruits and vegetables. Fresh is best, but frozen is a close second! Also save big with canned veggies (remember, no salt added!) and fruit (packed in juice or water, not syrup!).
- Have a plan for your produce. Products like avocados and bananas have a short life, so be use to buy only what you plan to use. If bananas start to brown, you can freeze them and make banana bread later.
- Remember to shop seasonally for the lowest prices. Also check out your local farmer’s market for the freshest selection.
- Check the unit prices for the best deal. Unit pricing is the cost of the product per ounce. Usually, the price per unit is cheaper when the product is larger. This is a great value when you are going to be using a large amount of product.
For more tips, click here.