Ask the Expert: Eating on the Cheap

Everyone knows that eating healthier is good for your body — but it’s not always good for your wallet. Eating organic can get pricey. Sharp’s registered dietitian Candy Cumming answers questions about eating healthy on the cheap.

What can I do to save money in my weekly grocery shopping?
If you begin to plan ahead and use the newspaper ads that come out and see what’s on sale and buy what’s on sale then you can save a lot of money.

What sale items should I be looking for?
The lean red meats, the chicken, the fish, all your produce, maybe healthy cereals.

How do you plan meals on the cheap?
Really looking for the things that are good for you and to get them on sale is really very helpful and then plan your meals around the things that are on sale.

What should I avoid at the grocery store?
Quit impulse buying at the store because that usually will run up your tab. So take your grocery list to the store and shop from that list only.

Fruits and vegetables can be so expensive. What’s your advice to still eat produce but not spend my whole paycheck?
Purchase the produce that’s in season so you can either do that at the local farmer’s markets — and there’s farmers markets all over San Diego and it’s fun to talk to the people who are actually growing your food. Check out Sharp’s guide to local farmers’ markets to find the one closest to you. We can also buy produce at our local store but we want to get produce that’s in season.

Why does produce get so expensive in the stores?
If I buy blueberries in the summer they’re gonna be a lot cheaper because they are not being transported as far as blueberries in the winter which typically come from Chile. So when you buy things out of season all those transportation costs are added onto the cost of your food, and it makes that little package of blueberries really, really expensive.

What are some other ways to find good produce at an inexpensive price?
Consider the value of frozen fruits and vegetables. First of all, they are picked at their peak and they are blasted frozen immediately. And it really is sometimes more helpful than a fresh product that’s been shipped and lying around on a shelf for a while. So if you see fresh blueberries, you know, they are really expensive, but frozen blueberries sometimes, which are picked and frozen right immediately when they are picked, if those are on sale you’ll get really a good bargain.

Is there a difference in nutrients between fresh and frozen produce?
There is essentially is no nutrient loss if they are frozen right away as they are almost all in the field these days.

What’s another go-to tip to save money on making meals?
If you are going to go the trouble of cooking, it doesn’t take any longer to cook twice as much so I always figure if I’m cooking I’m going to cook more than just one meal.

Anything else I should keep in mind when at the grocery store and making my shopping list?
Another way to save is by knowing what things you use over and over and over again. We have our favorite cereals we have our favorite products. And so whenever I go to the market I do this search mission and see if they’re on sale because about every other week they are. So if I’m in the market and they’re not on sale I just walk right past my favorite things because I know probably the next week or the next week my product will be on sale. So I would suggest that if you want to go to Costco and if you don’t have a big family to get together with a friend and shop together and split the purchase so you’re not spending too much.

For More Information
To learn more about Sharp's nutrition services or to find a Sharp-affiliated physician, search for San Diego doctors or call 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277), Monday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. To find general information about nutrition, read the Nutrition News archive.