Buy whole fruits and vegetables to save money - Norwich.com

Buy whole fruits and vegetables to save money - Norwich.com

Everyone is on a budget and when it comes to buying groceries, saving money is at the top of the list. During National Nutrition Month, here are cost-saving tips to keep in mind when shopping for healthy food.

- Try to stay away from bagged salad mix. It tends to be more expensive because it’s not in its whole form. Instead, stick to whole lettuce heads of different varieties that need to be washed and cut.

- Avoid buying fruit already cut up, such as off the salad bar or in the cold food display case section. Buying whole fruit is cheaper.

- Pick fruits and vegetables that are seasonal and as always, watch prices. Sometimes even seasonal fruit and vegetables can be expensive depending on the weather in southern places where they are grown and harvested.

- In the summer, grow your own fruits and vegetables. If you have the time to do this, it will save you money in the long run.

- When it comes to snacks, try making your own. Recipes can be found for making snack mixes versus buying them already made. For example, pita chips for dip can be made from pita wraps and baked off — you’ll be able to season them yourself and likely cut back on salt content.

- Buy meat with skin and bones and trim it yourself. When comparing cost per pound, meat that has not yet been trimmed is cheaper.

- Buy food and supplies in bulk. Often times, wholesale club stores offer lower prices when customers can buy in bulk. In the case of meat, some of the product can be trimmed and frozen if not needed right away.

- Using coupons can help. Sometimes coupons are offered to get customers to try new things. You may want to avoid using coupons if it encourages you to buy a product you really don’t need.

- Watch your portions. It’s not only important to follow serving size on packages for food for weight management purposes, but also when using soaps and detergents. Laundry detergent will tell you exactly how much to use; don’t be tempted to use more for “extra clean” clothes.


Lastly, and most of us have heard this before, don’t go shopping when you’re hungry. You are more likely to buy food you don’t need, and even worse, eat it on the way home.


Whitney Bundy is a registered dietitian and director of Food and Nutrition Department at The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich. E-mail all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org or comment on their blog at www.healthydocs.blogspot.com