Let’s Move Pittsburgh Healthy Lifestyle Tips, Recipes and Resources for Your Family
10 Ways to Avoid Breaking the Bank When Grocery Shopping for Healthy Foods
Healthy shopping doesn’t have to be expensive! With the right attitude and preparation, anybody can get healthy foods on a budget.
1. Plan Ahead
On the weekend, plan three or four healthy dinners for the upcoming week. Make extra that can be eaten as leftovers on busy nights.
2. Use What You Have
Search your pantry, fridge and freezer and take note of what’s on hand.
3. Make a List
Make a list of what you need and stick to it.
4. Look for Sales
Use store flyers to plan your menu around what fruits and vegetables are on sale.
5. Try Canned or Frozen Produce
Canned or frozen fruits and vegetables keep for a long time and may be less expensive per serving than fresh. Look for items made with no added sauces or sugar, or that are labeled either “low sodium,” “no salt added” or “in 100% juice.”
6. Shop in Season
Buying fruits and vegetables in season generally means your food not only tastes better but also costs less. Check out your local farmers’ market or look for farm stands in your community. Use Edible Allegheny’s Farmers’ Market Guide to find a market near you.
7. Go Generic
Store brands on average are up to 28 percent cheaper and their quality is usually the same or better than name brand products.
8. Buy in Bulk
Buy in bulk when foods are on sale. Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables and some fresh items (like carrots and apples) will last a long time. If you have storage space, save money by stocking up on the foods you eat more often.
9. Shop the Perimeter
Spend most of your grocery budget on foods around the outside of the store, like fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and lean protein. Limit your shopping in the middle aisles to staples like whole wheat pasta, rice, canned tuna and almond or peanut butter.
10. Don’t Shop Hungry
People who shop when they are hungry or stressed not only tend to buy more food but also buy more unhealthy items.
From the Let's Move Pittsburgh Blog
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About Let's Move Pittsburgh
Let's Move Pittsburgh — modeled after Former First Lady Michelle Obama's national Let's Move! campaign to raise awareness about the benefits of healthy foods, increased exercise and decreased screen time — is a program of Phipps and a collaborative effort to improve the health of children in southwestern Pennsylvania. Engaging communities with an interest in and a capacity for making a difference, Let's Move Pittsburgh ultimately seeks to better understand childhood health issues, and then tackle them with a unified approach that anyone can follow to meet a common goal.
Let's Move Pittsburgh Is Sponsored in Part By
Visit the UPMC MyHealth Matters Blog for More Health Tips
Select photos © Mark Regan, Paul g. Wiegman
