Stay Green!

(With the Foods You Eat and the Money You Keep)
Healthy Shopping on a Budget
By: Jenna Kristoff

Whats our excuse?

Low fruit and vegetable intake is
associated with heart disease, some
cancers, and other major causes of
death (Exum, 2014). Basically, fruits
and vegetables are kind of a big deal. So
why dont we eat more of them? Many
people think of healthy foods and then
think, dollar signs- healthy foods are
expensive. But the truth of the matter
is, if you know how to be a smart
shopper, healthy foods dont have to
break the bank. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) and Dr. Lino say
that data has shown, people can meet
vegetable and fruit recommendations for
about 50 cents per cup Nationally, the
average retail price for fresh vegetables
and fruits recommended for a 2,000
calorie diet (4.5 cup equivalents) is
$2.18 (Lino, 2011). Its all in the way a
person shops. Just by knowing a few
helpful shopping tips like: how to
compare unit prices, finding the right
type and amount of produce to buy, and
by eating local, seasonal foods, you
could be on your way to a healthier you!
And maybe even have a few extra bucks
in your wallet.

mentioned before, they can also reduce a

persons risk of heart disease, certain
types of cancers, obesity and type 2
diabetes. They also reduce the risk of
developing kidney stones and help to
decrease bone loss (USDA, n.d.). And
to top it off, the CDC reminds us that
fruits and vegetables are also loaded
with fiber, low in calories, and low in
fat; and the list could go on (CDC,
2013). The Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics agrees that over time fruits and
veggies, can support lifelong good
health (Moore, 2013) so it is imperative
to consume fruits and vegetables
everyday. Although not everyone needs
the same amount, as our fruit and veggie
intake varies depending on our sex, age
and level of physical activity (CDC,
2013). However, for most of us,
excluding small children, we should be
eating anywhere between 2 to 3 cups of
vegetables and 2 cups of fruit every day
(USDA, n.d.). But according to the
CDC, Americans are not consuming the
recommended amounts of fruits and
vegetables and most all Americans
should consume more (CDC, 2012).
The table below shows the daily
vegetable recommendations for children
and adults ages two and up (USDA,
n.d.).

Benefits, Benefits, Benefits.

We eat foods to fuel our bodies
and we depend on fruits and vegetables
for normal growth and development.
According to myplate.gov and the CDC,
fruits and vegetables contain vitamins
and minerals along with nutrients crucial
for our bodies maintenance and our
overall health (CDC, 2013). As

Children:
Girls:
Boys:

Age (years
old)
2-3
4-8
9-13
14-18
9-13

Cups of
Veggies
1
1
2
2
2

Women:

Men:

14-18
19-30
31-50
51+
19-30
31-50
51+

Cutting Costs at the Store

Okay, so we need to increase our
fruit and veggie intake and the USDA
says our budget shouldnt be whats
stopping us, but how can we purchase
produce within our budget? Well, we can
start by looking at what types of produce
we can buy including fresh, frozen,
canned and dried.
Myplate.gov encourages us to,
celebrate the season (USDA, 2011).
One of the best ways to eat fresh
produce that is affordable, and possibly
even on sale, is by eating whats in
season and grown locally. So to start,
you can look up any farmers market by
you and check out what they have
available (USDA, 2011). This should
give you a pretty good idea of the
produce that is currently in season. And
most often, even if you are at the store,
the fruits and veggies that are the best
priced are the ones that did not have to
travel half way across the world, where
they are in season, to get to your grocery
store. There are also plenty of websites
out there that will tell you what is in
season at any time of the year. Some of
those websites will even give you
recipes to try with your newly purchased
seasonal foods. Eating in season will
help lower your produce costs while
giving you a variety of flavors all
throughout the year!
On the other hand, if fresh
produce is not an option, check for
frozen or canned options. According to

Myplate.gov, Frozen vegetablesare

just as nutritious as fresh veggies. And
studies, in the Journal of the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics, found high
nutrient density scores were not limited
to fresh or raw produce but included
vegetables cooked from frozen and
canned as well (Drewnowski, 2013).
Just make sure it says no salt added or
low sodium when looking for canned
veggies. If you are buying canned fruit
make sure it isnt packed in heavy
syrup and look for canned in 100%
fruit juice instead (USDA, 2011). You
can also rinse your canned goods at
home to wash off any extra salt or sugar.
Dried fruit with no added sugars is a
great fruit option as well.
Another way to save is simply by
comparing unit prices. The unit price is
the price per pound or ounce of a
product (AND, 2013). Comparing unit
prices will also come in handy when
deciding between whole or prepared
foods. For example, if a half pound of
whole mushrooms are cheaper than a
half pound of pre-sliced mushrooms,
maybe you will consider buying the
whole mushrooms and slicing them
yourself at home. Generally the produce
that is already diced and bagged, the preprepared foods, are more expensive than
just the whole ingredients themselves
(USDA, 2011). So make sure you are
aware of the convenience fees youre
paying. Buying in bulk can also be
helpful if say, a five-pound bag of
potatoes is cheaper than buying them
individually. Just make sure you can use
all the food you buy or think of ways to
prepare your produce and then freeze it
so it doesnt go bad (AND, 2013).
The AND encourages us to also
look for store brands as, Private label
brands are often 15 to 20 percent less
expensive than their national brand

counterparts while the quality of the

food may [be the same] (AND, 2013).
And, of course, check the front of
grocery stores to see if they have any
coupons you can grab or see if they have
any sales going on. You dont have to
plan your dinner around coupons but it
definitely doesnt hurt to look! And hey,
if carrots are on sale, try and find a few
recipes that call for carrots. Or, if you
were planning on buying blueberries for
your morning fruit but strawberries are
on sale, why not get the strawberries this
week? Sales and coupons might not
seem very significant but according to
the AND, Clipping coupons or printing
them from websites can save you 10 to
15 percent on your grocery bill (AND,
2013). And that adds up!

A Healthy Diet is Cheaper Than

an Unhealthy One.
We can use these helpful tips to
save some money at the store. However,
we should keep in mind that half of our
plate should be filled with fruits and
vegetables. That being said, we may
need to spend more of our money on
fruits and veggies than on other foods at
the store.
And just remember; at the end of
the day, your grocery bill, with all of
your newly bought fruits and vegetables
will be A LOT cheaper than paying for
the accumulated medical bills that an
unhealthy diet will ensure.
Visit http://www.eatright.org or
www.ChooseMyPlate.gov for more
information.

References
1. AND. (2013). Ten Tips for Grocery
Shopping on a Budget. The
Academy. Retrieved from
http://www.eatright.org/Public/co
ntent.aspx?id=5493

2. CDC. (2013). Fruits and

Vegetables. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/eve
ryone/fruitsvegetables/index.html
3. CDC. (2012). How Many Fruits and
Vegetables Do You Need?
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/eve
ryone/fruitsvegetables/howmany.
html
4. Drewnowski, A. (2013). New
Metrics of Affordable Nutrition:
Which Vegetables Provide Most
Nutrients for Least Cost?
Journal of the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics, 113(9),
1182-1187.
Doi:10.1016/j.jand.2013.03.015
5. Exum, B., Thompson, S. H., &
Thompson, L. (2014). A pilot
study of grocery store sales: do
low prices=high nutritional
quality?. Nutrition & Food
Science, 44(1), 64-70.
Doi:10.1108/NFS.2013.02.0021
6. Lino, M. (2011). Nutrition
Doesnt Have to Be Expensive.
USDA Blog. Retrieved from
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/d
ownloads/USDABlogNutritionDoesntHaveToBeExpen
sive.pdf
7. Moore, M. (2013). Memory
Boosting Foods. The Academy.
Retrieved from
http://www.eatright.org/Public/co
ntent.aspx?

id=6442477741&terms=lifelong
%20good%20health

groups/downloads/TenTips/DGTi
psheet9SmartShopping.pdf

8. USDA. (n.d.). How Many

Vegetables Are Needed Daily or
Weekly? ChooseMyPlate.gov.
Retrieved from
http://myplate.gov/printpages/My
PlateFoodGroups/Vegetables/foo
d-groups.vegetables-amount.pdf

10. USDA. (n.d.). Why Is It Important to

Eat Fruit? Health and Nutrition
Benefits of Fruit.
ChooseMyPlate.gov. Retrieved
from
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/f
ood-groups/fruits-why.html

9. USDA. (2011). Smart Shopping for

Veggies and
Fruits. ChooseMyPlate.gov.
Retrieved from
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/f
ood-

11. USDA. (n.d.). Why Is It Important to

Eat Vegetables? Health and
Nutrition Benefits of Vegetables.
ChooseMyPlate.gov. Retrieved
from
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/f
ood-groups/vegetables-why.html