With increased food prices, many people may be struggling to find ways to afford groceries on a tighter budget.
ISU Extension Human Sciences Specialist Mary Krisco recommends to lighten your grocery expenses, start by making distinctions between “wants” and “needs.”
“A lot of the American food dollar is spent on ‘mouth entertainment.’ What I mean by ‘mouth entertainment’ is things that are salty, or sugary, or crunchy, or creamy, they give your mouth a good time but they don’t necessarily support your health. They’re not things that you should necessarily be eating every single day.”
She points out that with higher meat prices, look for “meatless” alternatives such as beans and using less tender cuts of meat that are less expensive but still give your body its nourishment. Krisco says according to the US Department of Agriculture, the larger portions of your daily diet should be more focused on fruits and vegetables and not on protein or meat. She talks about comparing fresh and canned fruits and vegetables.
“It is a myth that fresh fruits and vegetables are always higher in nutritional value than frozen or canned. Frozen fruits and vegetables are frozen at the peak of freshness the day they’re harvested. So sometimes they retain more of their vitamins than say a head of lettuce that’s been sitting in the produce department for three days.”
Krisco advises people to trust the labels on canned vegetables for its true nutritional values and make sure to rinse the vegetables to get rid of the salty solution and you won’t lose the nutrition side of it. She suggests going to the ISU Extension “Spend Smart, Eat Smart” website for more information and recipes to help save money at the grocery store.