Posted June 27, 2009
YAKIMA, Wash. — Molly Morgan, 30, is the author of “Supermarket Shopping Guide: Navigating Nutrition.” The guide was first published in 2008 and is filled with practical grocery shopping tips and a list of product recommendations for food categories throughout the grocery store.
She owns Creative Nutrition Solutions, a nutrition consulting company, and she is a certified pediatric and adolescent weight management registered dietitian. She lives in upstate New York and can be reached at www.chooseright.com and www.creativenutritionsolutions.com.
Following are a few tips she offered in an e-mail for how to grocery shop and cook on a budget:
Q. Is there a right way and a wrong way to grocery shop?
A. Yes! Shop the outside of the store first. This is where you’ll find the most nutrient-rich foods like fresh fruit, vegetables, milk, lean meats, whole grain breads, etc. While these items may seem more expensive, they are going to provide your body with foods that will best fuel your body, keep you full and be healthy options. Then skimp on the foods you find in the middle of the store, which are more processed and aren’t necessary parts of your meal plan.
Q. What are the most common and expensive mistakes people make when they grocery shop?
A. One of the most common mistakes is not having a plan for what they need. When you walk into a grocery store without a list and a plan in mind, you’re definitely going to wind up spending more than you need and won’t necessarily get foods that will provide healthful meals for your week ahead.
Q. What are some cheap and healthy foods people should stock in their kitchens?
A. Cheap, healthy foods to keep on hand are dried beans, whole grain rice, bananas, popcorn kernels (to air pop), frozen vegetables and frozen fruit. These foods are inexpensive and great staples. For example, a banana costs only about 22 cents and is a perfect addition to a breakfast or great for a grab ‘n’ go snack.
Brown rice and beans make a great meal or side dish and are both very cost effective. Additionally, they have a really long shelf life, so you don’t need to worry about them spoiling.
Popping popcorn at home costs only about 13 cents per serving or about one-third the cost of other snack foods, and it provides heart-helping fiber. Frozen fruit and veggies are great to keep on hand because they are cost effective and they’re easy to grab and fix to add to a meal.
Q. A lot of people believe that cheaper foods are generally more unhealthy foods. Is that true?
A. There are “cheap” foods that are healthy food for you, like the two examples mentioned above (popcorn and bananas). In general, a lot of cheap foods are highly processed, which makes them, in most cases, less healthy for you than fresh foods.
Q. What are some easy ways people can save money when they cook?
A. One of the best ways to cook healthy foods on a budget is to create a weekly “meal map” to outline your eating plan for the week.
This will help you better plan what you’re going to cook and get the right things from the grocery store, rather than just loading up your cart with things you think you may need. Stocking up on bulk packs of lean meats like chicken, and freezing what you’re not going to use, is a great way to cook healthy foods yet save money when doing so.
Q. Any other advice?
A. When looking at ways to cut your budget, consider cutting back on other budget items like cell phone plans or pricey cable plans before cutting back on buying nutritious foods.
Date: June 22, 2009
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