June Nutrition Notes

Eating Tips on a Budget

It can be difficult to consume a healthy diet, and even more challenging to do so on a budget, but eating foods high in nutritional value and cutting costs don’t need to be mutually exclusive. Some of the most budget-friendly foods are loaded with nutritional value and can easily help your waist and your wallet.

Limit Meat
Eating less meat is a good tip while trying to adhere to a budget-friendly diet. Replacing meat with beans or soy not only saves money, but also widens nutrition intake. Using less meat than what is called for in a recipe or replacing some of the meat with diced vegetables cuts back on costs while adding vitamins and minerals. It’s also cost-effective to select less expensive cuts of meat, such as stew meat, round steak and flank steak; when purchasing thick cuts of meat, cut them in half or pound them thin to decrease portion sizes.

Cook at Home
Cooking at home not only saves money, but reduces the intake of high-calorie and high-fat content present in most restaurant meals. One of the best strategies to avoid dining out is to plan ahead; pack lunch the night before or have a plan for dinner at the beginning of the week. Preparing home-cooked meals in large batches and freezing them individually saves both time and money. Eat breakfast items such as cereal or eggs for dinner or lunch to save money and add nutrition. To save even more money while cooking at home, use flat-bottomed cookware to optimize heat distribution; use lids on pots to trap heat; don’t preheat the oven too much in advance; and have oven seals checked regularly.

Smart Shopping
It makes sense to shop with a grocery list. According to CNN, for each additional minute you spend in a grocery store past half an hour, you will likely spend between 50 cents and $1. Cut coupons from papers, go online to print out coupons or go to the grocery store’s website and load coupons onto a membership card to save even more money. Buying in bulk can be economical, but always check the unit price. Sometimes it’s not always the best deal, especially when using multiple coupons for smaller-sized packages. The best foods for your buck include eggs, milk, beans, pasta, oatmeal, potatoes, in-season fruit, peanut butter and whole chicken, so stock up on these nutritional bargains when they go on sale.

Julie Holbrook, MS, RD, LDN
Wellness and Cardiology Dietitian
Centegra Health System