On average we spend per person per year $406 on fresh fruits and $352 year on fresh veggies.
Trish Brimhall, RDN, CD, CLE, says you can stretch your produce dollar without sacrificing nutrition with these four tips.
Tip #1 Overcome your prejudice against canned and frozen produce.
Canned and frozen produce are generally 20-50 percent cheaper and great sources of nutrition.
There is very little nutrition lost in frozen and canned produce – sometimes there is an actual benefit because they are canned and frozen so quickly and close to harvest that they are processed at peak ripeness. That is often not the case in the fresh produce section.
Overall diet quality improves when you incorporate other sources besides fresh – less food waste and more convenience saving time and money with food prep.
Tip #2 Be source savvy.
Shop seasonal, local, and watch sales.
Again – canned and frozen allows you to stock during caselot sales – take advantage.
Think outside your regular grocery store – produce co-ops or ethnic grocery stores often have inexpensive produce.
Look for discounted "ugly" produce.
Tip #3 Plan your menu wisely – or if you haven't started – plan your menu period!
Good nutrition rarely happens spontaneously neither does budget shopping.
Build your menu around seasonal produce and allow some flexibility regarding side dishes based on what produce bargains you find.
Tip #4
Grow your own. Only have patio space available? Find a determinate (shorter) tomato variety and grow it in a pot or planter.
Stick a few green onions in your planting bed or plant kale among your flowers for aesthetics and smoothies!
Try your hand at canning – find a seasoned neighbor who can no longer harvest all their fruit trees – chances are they will be willing to share their wisdom in the art of canning as well.
You can find more at nutritiousintent.com.
