Eating On A Budget
Tips for Healthy Eating on a Budget
By Heather Crewson
With the increases in food prices, consumers may wonder how to reduce their grocery bills without compromising the quality and variety of foods in their cart. Here are some tips and tricks to still eat the meals you enjoy and maintain a well-balanced diet while on a budget.
1.Meal Plan
Before going grocery shopping for the week, it is important to check the pantry, fridge, and freezer to account for what you already have. Check the grocery fliers for sales that are happening during the week and include sale items into your meal plan. Some grocery stores also honour price matching so you can get the best deal for your products. The app “Flipp” can make comparing fliers and price matching easy.
Encourage everyone in the family to be involved in meal planning and look for favourite ingredients for when they go on sale. The website SuperCook can be used to add ingredients from your pantry, and it will generate many recipes.
Incorporate into the meal plan ways to use up leftovers. Leftovers can be used at lunch and taken to work or school. They can also be incorporated into recipes later in the week; for example, leftover chicken breast and bones can be used to make chicken soup. Extra portions can also be frozen to be used later.
Remember to always use up older food before newer food because food in the trash is money down the drain.
Skipping meals is also not a viable way to save money on food since it will do more harm to your body.
2. Mind your protein.
Meat proteins such as red meat, poultry, and seafood can be costly. There are some tips to help save your wallet that does not necessarily mean you have to give up meat.
Look for specials! Grocery stores are legally required to sell meat by a specific date and will put meat on feature when the expiration date is close. If you have the freezer space, stock up on meat when it is on sale, and be conscious of freezing meat by the expiration date.
Meat can also be combined with whole grains and veggies in meals like burgers, casseroles, and stir-fries to make them last longer.
Plant-based proteins can be substitutes instead of meat for a cheaper protein source if you want to start incorporating meatless meals during the week. Good plant-based protein sources include tofu, lentils, and beans. These plant-based proteins are high in fibre, and unlike meat, they have no saturated fats.
3. Save on produce. The Canadian Food Guide recommends that half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables, but with the rising prices of fresh produce that might not feel feasible.
When buying fresh produce, consider which fruits and vegetables are in season. Produce bought in season are more flavourful and are much cheaper. For example, kiwi, grapefruit, and oranges are in season in the winter months; broccoli, green beans, strawberries, and radishes come into season in the spring.
Retail stores reject tons of produce for cosmetic reasons due to the "Ugly Produce Prejudice" where individuals are more likely to think that produce is less nutritious or flavourful when it has minor imperfections. To fight the waste produced from this preconceived misconception, FreshCo and Loblaws have started to sell 'imperfect' produce at a discount. As well, a company called Old Bunch, located right here in southern Ontario is collaborating directly with greenhouses, farms, and distributors to source imperfect produce so that customers can order boxes of this produce at a discounted price.
Choosing canned, frozen, or dried fruits are a cheaper alternative and are still an excellent source of nutrients such as antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
Myth Alert! "Frozen produce isn't as nutritious as fresh." Research has debunked this myth. Fruits and vegetables that are destined for the freezer are picked at their peak ripeness which means that that their vitamin and mineral contents can be greater than their fresh produce counterparts which are picked before full ripeness7.
4. Do NOT buy specialty ingredients for a recipe.
Many of these specialty items are going to collect dust in the back of the pantry or go bad in the fridge. Substitutions can be made to ingredients that are easily accessible and cheaper. For example, substituting olive oil instead of avocado oil is just as nutritious with half the price tag. Also, substitute white onions instead of shallots. Shallots have a sweeter taste; however, the strong taste of larger onions can be limited by soaking sliced onions in ice water or sprinkling them with an acid such as vinegar.
5. Know what the dates mean on your food.
The dates do not necessarily mean expiration. There are also "best before" dates, "use by" dates, and "sell by" dates. Tossing food in the trash when food has reached these dates could mean that you are prematurely discarding food and spending more money in the long run. "Best before" and "use by" dates refer to when the products are at their highest flavour or quality and do not mean they are no longer safe for consumption after these dates. "Sell by" dates refer to how long a product should be on sale in stores and is still safe to be consumed after this date. Infant formula is an exception and should not be used after the "Use by" date8.
Respect the expiration dates on products, and do not consume foods that are spoiled or moldy.
These budget and money-saving tips can help with facing the increasing food prices while maintaining a nutritious diet.
References
[1] https://flipp.com/en-ca
[2] https://www.supercook.com/#/desktop
[3] Canada, H. (2022, May 3). Eat Protein Foods. Canada Food Guide. Retrieved February 26, 2023, from https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/healthy-eating-recommendations/make-it-a-habit-to-eat-vegetables-fruit-whole-grains-and-protein-foods/eat-protein-foods/
[4] What's in season? your guide to Canadian produce in Ontario. Sobeys Inc. (2021, May 4). Retrieved February 23, 2023, from https://www.sobeys.com/en/articles/whats-season-guide-canadian-produce-ontario/
[5] Abraham, L. (2015, March 13). Loblaw plans 'naturally imperfect' discount produce. CTVNews. Retrieved February 23, 2023, from https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/loblaw-plans-naturally-imperfect-discount-produce-1.2276996
[6] Tsekouras, P. (2023, February 21). Ontario company selling 'odd' or 'ugly' produce for huge discount launching in Toronto. Toronto. Retrieved February 23, 2023, from https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-company-selling-odd-or-ugly-produce-for-huge-discount-launching-in-toronto-1.6282930
[7] Connell, P. M., Finkelstein, S. R., Scott, M. L., & Vallen, B. (2018). Negative associations of frozen compared with fresh vegetables. Appetite, 127, 296-302.
[8] Government of Canada, C. F. I. A. (2019, December 12). Government of Canada. Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Retrieved February 26, 2023, from https://inspection.canada.ca/food-labels/labelling/consumers/date-labelling/eng/1332357469487/1332357545633
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