Eating healthy can be challenging, especially if you are on a budget. Healthy foods like fresh vegetables, meats and other foods can be expensive at grocery stores. And, many fresh foods do not last as long, where it can seem as if you’re shopping more frequently. However, there can be ways to maintain a nutritious diet on a budget. USAWire connected with Rachel West, RD and Senior Nutrition Editor at eMeals, to share expert guidance.
What are some practical strategies for individuals or families to plan nutritious meals while sticking to a tight budget?
The best strategy for both eating healthy and sticking to a budget is having a plan—and that doesn’t mean planning to go through the drive-through. Cooking at home, in most cases, is much healthier than takeout food, which is often known to have high amounts of saturated fat and sodium. When you plan your meals and create a grocery list, you can create meals around your family’s likes and dislikes as well as any health goals or nutrition needs.
When cooking on a budget, food waste is a primary concern, so it’s even better if you base your weekly meal plan around ingredients that you already have in your pantry, fridge, and freezer to help you shop your own kitchen before buying and bringing in more. You don’t want ingredients going bad before you have time to use them.
Also, convenience comes at a cost, so saving money can often mean taking on a bit more of that work yourself. Avoiding prepared food in the deli. Skipping the precut produce and instead chopping it at home yourself.
Can you provide examples of affordable yet nutrient-rich foods that can form the foundation of a healthy meal plan?
Here are a few of my favorites:For breakfast, oatmeal is an amazing choice, for both health and budget reasons. And it doesn’t have to be boring. You can add toppings that keep it interesting, including nuts or nut butter; dried, seasonal, or frozen fruit; and ground cinnamon or brown sugar. You don’t have to purchase quick oats if you want to be able to quickly microwave in the mornings. Old-fashioned oats work just fine, and they have a less mushy texture.
Substitute whole-grain options for more refined ones where you can. Brown rice and white rice are the same price, although traditional long-grain brown rice does take slightly longer to cook. Whole-grain pastas are readily available in store brands, too, and are only slightly more in cost (usually less than $0.50 more for a 16-ounce package).
Canned beans are another favorite. They are an inexpensive source of protein–much less expensive per pound than meat—and they can last awhile in your pantry, making them an ideal staple to keep on hand when you need to make something quick. Nutritionally, the primary concern about canned beans is their sodium content, but rinsing and draining the beans reduces the sodium by 40%.
How can individuals ensure they’re meeting their nutritional needs when working with limited resources for grocery shopping?
Make sure you are getting enough fruits and vegetables—this is one area where Americans traditionally struggle to get in the recommended servings. It’s important to shop seasonally for fresh produce, when supply is higher and prices are lower. You can also look to frozen mixed vegetables to easily offer you some variety at a lower price than if you purchased all of those vegetables separately. Frozen vegetables are also already trimmed and prepped for you, which makes them a great option for time-crunched weeknight dinners. Frozen fruit can be another option that’s often less expensive than its fresh counterparts, particularly in the off season. (I included some more details about this below.)
Are there specific meal planning techniques or approaches that can help maximize nutritional value without overspending?
Here are a few (in addition to choose whole grains over refined that I mentioned above):
Shift the focus of a meal away from making meat the star of the plate. Meat is often one of the most expensive categories of our grocery bill, so it can help your budget if you can purchase less. One way to do this is to prepare meals that help the meat stretch without you really noticing—make stir-fries and skillet meals, pasta, pizza, or casseroles. In those applications, you can pair less meat with other ingredients like whole-grain rice or pasta, beans, cheese, and sauces to create a meal that is filling and nutritious.
Incorporate as many vegetables and fruits as your budget allows. Eating seasonal and frozen produce can help you get maximum nutrition at a lower cost. Fruits and vegetables are at their lowest price as well as the best flavor and nutrition when they are grown or purchased locally and in season.
Here’s why: From the time the fruit or vegetables are picked, they are exposed to heat and light, which causes some nutrients to deteriorate, especially more delicate vitamins like Vitamin C and thiamine. The longer they take to get to your plate (a journey that can take days to weeks), the more nutrients they lose. It’s not like the fruits and vegetables become worthless—you should definitely still eat them—they just might not be quite as nutrient-dense as the ones that are just picked.
Frozen vegetables are frozen shortly after being picked, when they are at their peak for ripeness, flavor, and nutrients. Freezing also locks in the wonderful, health-promoting vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants and stops them from deteriorating.
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What are some common misconceptions about eating healthily on a budget, and how can they be addressed or debunked?
While healthy foods can be more expensive depending on what they are, there are still many ways to eat healthy on a budget. It just may not look like we think it should.
It may mean using canned or frozen produce over fresh, making simple swaps from refined grains to whole grains, or simply using less meat. The meals may not be Instagram-worthy, but they can still be a nutritious option.
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