"You can't go wrong with fruits and vegetables"

Sunny D, Little Debbie snacks and $1 double cheeseburgers from McDonald's are not the only ways to eat cheap. Here is a good piece from The South County Journal , in which dietitian Katie Eliot comes to the defense of fresh - and frozen - fruits and veggies. From the story:

Food costs have gone up, but it doesn't mean people have to eat junk.

"I think there's a huge misconception people can't eat healthy on a tight budget," said Katie Eliot, a registered dietitian and instructor in the department of nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University.

Eliot provides some helpful hints on healthy foods when it comes to purchases. "You can't go wrong with fruits and vegetables," she said.If people are looking to cut costs consider buying fruit and vegetables that are in season or will be shortly, including strawberries, melons and asparagus.

If fresh produce prices are too high for your budget think about using canned or frozen fruits and vegetables. They are produced year-round so costs can be lower for these items.

"Frozen is just as nutritious as fresh," Eliot said. "Sometimes frozen is more healthy."

With fresh vegetables they can be exposed to oxygen every time the refrigerator is opened, which destroys the nutrients.

If using canned items Eliot offers a word of caution. Canned goods are often higher in sodium so she recommends people rinse the fruit or vegetables to reduce the sodium content.

"One place people go wrong is buying convenience items," she said. "All that energy input you end up paying for."

Whether it be cut up vegetables or ready-to-cook pastas in the microwave, costumers will pay for ease. Instead Eliot suggests doing some preparation work on the weekend. Take time to cut up vegetables and put them in the freezer.

"If you take time to make dinners and freeze individual meals you have something such as a frozen dinner, which reduces packaging and saves money."

A few other ways to reduce the total bill is to drink water from the tap and eliminate soda and bottled water. Also, consider using an alternative source of protein one day a week, such as beans.

"Planning ahead is your ace in the hole in terms of time and money," Eliot said. "When making out a menu for the week base them on store specials and coupon offers."