Suffering from sticker shock at the supermarket? Here are some expert tips on how to eat healthy for less.
Food is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Planning, preparing and sharing great meals is also an important way we contribute to our overall health. And eating well can help us feel our best in our mind and body.
You might be feeling the pinch of higher food prices at the grocery store. Prices have risen sharply since 2020 with issues like supply-chain issues and trade-war related tariffs. Thankfully, there are still plenty of ways to make nutritious meals affordable and enjoyable.
“Some Canadians may feel they have no choice but to buy processed foods because they believe they can’t afford good nutrition,” says Gina Sunderland, a registered dietitian. “But there are many ways you can stretch your food dollar without sacrificing your health.”
Did you know that making nutritious choices can also benefit your wallet? Prioritizing healthy and whole food can contribute to financial well-being. A nutritious diet can support overall wellness, potentially leading to lower health-related costs.
Here are ten tips for healthy eating on a budget:
1. Plan your meals and grocery list
When it comes to saving money at the grocery store, planning is the best way to start. Set aside time each week to:
- Write down the meals you’ll have for the next 5-7 days. Start by scanning weekly specials from one or two favourite grocery stores. You can use these discounted foods as a starting point to build your meal plan. Involve your family with meal planning if you can. The more input they have, the more likely everyone is to eat it.
- Check your fridge and cabinets to see what you have at home. You might have ingredients you can use. Or you may want to plan your meals around foods you need to use before they expire.
- Make a grocery list for your recipe ingredients. If it’s an option, use a ‘click and collect’ or grocery delivery/pick-up. This is an easy way to help avoid impulse buying.
- Go shopping. But only buy what you know you’re going to use. This way, you won’t end up throwing away what you don’t use. Food waste is an expensive problem; the average Canadian household throws away roughly $1,300 worth of food, annually.
- Stick to the plan as best as you can. It can be tempting to order in instead of cooking on busy days. But remember, you already planned for and bought the food. So, ordering out means you’ll be spending money on food twice.
2. Turn leftover food into new meals
Make twice as much dinner as your family needs. Why? So you can have the leftovers for lunch the next day.
- Making quinoa or rice as a side dish? Double it and use the leftovers as the base of a lunch salad.
- Roasting a chicken? Use your oven more efficiently and roast two chickens. You’ll not only have leftovers for the next day, but also for the freezer.
- Make batch meals like soups or stews, then store the extra servings in the freezer.
This way, you’ll be able to avoid the expensive, often unhealthy, fast-food choices at lunchtime. Or, if you work from home, you’ll have quick options for lunch on hand. And by cooking once and eating twice, you’ll have less clean up during your busy workday.
3. Eat seasonally
Eating seasonally isn’t just good for your budget—it’s also a way to support local Canadian food brands and farmers. Buying local produce means:
- Lower costs, which means it’s cheaper to buy. The time, infrastructure, and resources needed to grow tomatoes in greenhouses in winter, for example, adds up. This cost gets passed onto us as consumers.
- Better quality. Fresher, tastier, and more nutritious produce.
- Reduced environmental impact. Importing food, whether from across the country or across the world, is expensive. When we buy local food that’s in season, import (and usually travel) costs don’t exist.
The key to eating local in Canada is knowing which seasonal foods to buy. But growing seasons vary from place to place. The best way to know what’s in season is by reading signs and labels. Most retailers and farmers are very eager to advertise when something is local and in season.
Pro tip: Preserve the taste of summer by freezing or canning seasonal produce. “I freeze grated and coined carrots to add to soups, stews and spaghetti sauces,” says Sunderland. When tomatoes are ripe, make sauce or puree. Or you can oven-dry them and bag up your creations to freeze for use in many dishes. “I process enough to last through winter,” Sunderland says.
4. Go for frozen foods
Remember that local produce is abundant year-round in the frozen food aisle of your supermarket, too. “Fruits and vegetables are frozen at their peak of freshness, so they’re just as nutritious as fresh,” says Michelle Jaelin, a nutrition expert. You can easily add frozen veggies to main dishes like casseroles and stews. You can also use frozen fruits in oatmeal, yogurt, baking and smoothies. Great choices include edamame, peas, corn and berries.
By using frozen produce you can eat in a way that’s great for both your health and your finances. All while encouraging local farmers and the local economy.
5. Freeze half your bread
Who doesn’t end up throwing out slices in a loaf of bread because it’s gone stale or mouldy? Here’s a fix:
- Freeze half the loaf and use fresh slices for sandwiches
- Buy day-old bread at a discount (perfect for French toast!)
This small trick helps reduce food waste and grocery store spending.
6. Check for grocery store deals
Take a few minutes to check your favourite grocery store websites. They’ll help you stretch your grocery dollars by:
- Comparing prices between stores
- Using loyalty programs or apps to maximize savings
- Looking for price-matching policies. Some stores will match or even beat competitors’ prices.
7. Save on meat or try meat alternatives
“Eating less meat is good for your wallet and for the planet,” says registered dietitian Sue Mah, president of Nutrition Solutions. For example, if you eat meat four times a week, scale back to three times.
Consider using cuts that are less popular but less expensive. Flank steak, chicken thighs, veal shank or pork hock are just as nutritious as breast, strip loin or tenderloin. They all supply iron, zinc and protein. “The cheaper cuts do tend to be a little tougher,” says Mah. “But they tenderize if braised over a longer time.”
Meat provides protein. But protein comes in cans, too. “Canned tuna, sardines and salmon are sources of protein,” says Jaelin. “And, as a bonus, they provide omega 3 fatty acids, calcium and vitamin D.”
Scan the grocery store shelves for deals on canned beans and “pulses” (like lentils and chickpeas), too.
Pulses are dry, edible seeds of plants and a versatile source of fiber. They’re filled with healthy plant-based protein. “I’m always trying to incorporate more meatless meals into my routine. It’s a great low-cost way to make dinner,” says Abbey Sharp, registered dietician. Try turning chickpeas into hummus, pureeing black beans into brownies, or using white beans to make stews.
8. Rediscover root vegetables
Root vegetables tend to be inexpensive and have a long shelf life. This lets you save money upfront and avoid the cost of wasting food because of spoilage. Local potatoes, onions, carrots, beets and turnips are usually on sale year-round, too.
They’re also very versatile. “Just think of all the ways to prepare potatoes. For example, mashed, boiled, baked, scalloped or made into soup,” says Sunderland.
“Why not make a medley of roasted root vegetables?” suggests Sunderland. “Cube some beets, carrots, rutabaga and squash. Toss them with your favourite dried herbs and a drizzle of oil. Then roast them in a big tray.”
9. Store food properly to reduce waste and save money
Did you know apples spoil 10 times faster in the fruit bowl than in the fridge? And that potatoes like a cool, dark spot so they don’t soften and sprout?
“Butternut squash and sweet potatoes are excellent sources of the antioxidant beta carotene. And they’ll last for at least two weeks,” says Mah. “But leafy greens tend to wilt within a week.” Heartier greens such as kale, cabbage and collard greens tend to keep longer. And you can also freeze batches to add to soups, casseroles and smoothies throughout the year. So, plan and shop accordingly.
10. Choose a “ripeness range” of fruit and vegetables
When buying produce for her family – pears, for example – Mah will choose:
- a couple that are ripe and ready to eat, and
- some that have yet to ripen.
“This gives you a supply of pears to last the week without going to waste.”
Pick vegetables that let you control the amount you put into your grocery cart, such as:
- green beans,
- mushrooms and
- brussels sprouts.
Bonus tip: Bananas overly ripe? Peel and freeze them to use in smoothies. Apples too soft? Make them into apple sauce. Can’t use the whole bag of carrots? Slice and freeze after blanching in boiling, then ice water, for best results.
Do you need help eating healthy? Or budgeting?
Finding the best deals is an important step in sticking to your budget, especially with the rising cost of food that’s weighing on many Canadians’ minds. The good news is, with a little planning, you can still enjoy cheap healthy meals.
