Healthy Eating on a Budget

Eating value for your dollar

Tips for Healthy Eating on a Budget

• Eating a healthy diet doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

• In fact, you can eat delicious, healthy food and save money!

• By following these tips, you will save money while enjoying all the taste that healthy food offers.

Tip 1: Plan ahead

• Plan meals for the next few days or weeks and write out a grocery list.

• Not having a list can result in missed items, last-minute menu changes, and extra shopping trips.

• This can cost you time, gas, and money.

Tip 2: Base your weekly menu on Canada’s Food Guide

• To be sure that your family is getting a well-balanced diet, check your menu with Canada’s Food Guide recommendations.

• Enjoy a variety of foods from the four food groups.

• Pay attention to serving sizes.

Tip 3: When it comes to meat, buy only what you need

• When buying food, be sure you don’t allocate too much of your budget to meat products.

• Three food guide servings of meat and alternatives per day is all a healthy male needs. Women need two food guide servings per day.

• A serving is about the size of a deck of cards (90 g or 3 ounces).

Tip 3: When it comes to meat, buy only what you need (continued)

• Here are some meal ideas for reducing your meat budget:– vegetable beef stew with dumplings– chicken and vegetable stir-fry with rice– tomato and meat spaghetti sauce with pasta– chili with vegetables and kidney beans– ethnic dishes that are light on meat such as

Chinese, Mexican, Indian, Italian, Middle Eastern, and Spanish dishes

Tip 4: Try using plant proteins

• Beans, legumes, nuts, and peanut butter all contain protein.

• These alternatives are much less expensive than meat, poultry, or fish.

• Try corn tortillas and beans, vegetarian pizza, or a rice and bean casserole.

Tip 5: Choose convenience foods carefully

• Compare the time and effort spent cooking from scratch against the cost, food value, and taste of convenience foods.– It costs you more to have someone else do the

prep work for you.– Think about which foods you will buy and which

ones you can make for yourself, for example: • shredded cheese vs. block cheese• orange juice made from concentrate vs. frozen

concentrated orange juice• chicken pieces vs. a whole chicken

Tip 6: Buy in bulk

• Buying in large quantities can save you money.

• Make a list of your basic foods—pasta, potatoes, rice, flour, oatmeal, beans—and check out the savings.

• You can save money by splitting large packages of food with other people.

Tip 7: Compare and save

• Check out flyers and, if possible, go to two different stores.

• Try store brand products and compare the ingredients and nutrient content.

• Try frozen or canned vegetables or fruit instead of fresh. These are usually just as nutritious as fresh produce.

References

• Dietitians of Canada. (1995). Eating Value for Your $. Fact sheet.www.dietitians.ca

Adapted from Anneke Vink, 2007.