Let’s stop the limiting belief that healthy food is more expensive than junk. That generalization is not always the case.
Fruits and vegetables are nutrition powerhouses that can help improve overall health, prevent disease and slim your waist line. Including them regularly in your eating does not have to slim your wallet.
Here are a few quick tips to find inexpensive produce:
- Buy produce at a place that specializes in selling produce (not gas or highly shelf stable food). Establishments not equipped for the storage and turnover of produce experience a high rate of waste. That cost is passed along in the price. In addition to the grocery store, check out produce and farmer’s markets in your area.
Baby Girl at our weekly produce spot. She’s a pro at picking!
Side note on from my experience. Perhaps you can relate…Many years ago, my work required 50% travel. Almost every morning before hitting the highway, I’d turn into the RaceTrak (whether I needed gas or not) to get a drink and snacks for the day. Focused on good choices, I’d grumble about the lack of options and complain about the banana they sold being $1. Not wanting to pay that price I’d usually grab a bag of chips (sometimes baked) that was $1.09 but I did not complain at that…hmmm. Our local produce stand is just ½ mile further down that same street. Finally one day, I stopped complaining, packed my water bottle with me and before hitting the highway, continued the short drive past RaceTrak to the fruit stand to pick up a bag of goodness for less than the price of my 44 oz diet soda and chips. One time was all it took to start a regular produce-market-over-gas-station-for-snacks habit. I’m slow on the uptake thank God I got it!
- Buy produce that is in season. In season produce is more abundant and typically has a shorter road to travel to your local store. This means lower pricing. (Bonus: In season items often taste better as well.) Not sure what is in season? An easy way to know is to look at what is the most economical. Otherwise check out this helpful listing from the USDA.
- Buy what is on sale. Most grocers feature a few produce items at a great price each week. Check the sales papers and daily specials. Also check out the manager or daily sales. Fruit, in particular, is often harvested early so the ripening process can continue during transport, the time in the store and in your fruit bowl/bin. (Notice how often you see a huge display of green bananas or hard peaches). Many produce markets and grocery stores rotate out fruit that is no longer under ripe and reduce the price to sell it before it goes bad and has to be discarded. My local produce market always has ‘overripe’ bananas for about $.20 a pound. These bananas are perfect for same day eating or use in banana bread or muffins. Every week, I buy a bunch, peel and freeze them for use in smoothies or Shakeology.
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| $1 Manager Special at Albertsons. |
- Buy whole produce and prep it yourself. Example: When in season, a 8-pound whole watermelon is less expensive than a 32 oz. bowl of cut watermelon.
There is always another choice.
and
We see what we look for.
and
We see what we look for.
Let’s skip the junk and look for opportunities to nurture our bodies with healthy, wholesome fuel.