Food is more expensive than ever before. In fact, grocery prices jumped 12.2{9e7233bf7b7729ee6783eef1329458e75931885cc41cee97cb0e460d545f2043} from June 2021 to June 2022. The cost of food has increased for several reasons, including inflation, labor shortages and pandemic-related supply chain issues.
The good news? You can save on healthy food with a little know-how and a few simple strategies. Continue reading for our top tips for healthy eating on a budget.
What Exactly Is Healthy Eating?
Before we dive into easy ways to save, let’s first talk about what healthy grocery shopping looks like.
At its most basic, healthy eating can be defined as fueling your body with nourishing, whole foods, says Mascha Davis MPH, a registered dietitian nutritionist and author of Eat Your Vitamins. While she says there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to healthy eating, everyone can find a balanced diet that tastes good and feels good for them.
“Unfortunately there is a misconception that healthy eating has to break the bank,” she says. Part of that misbelief has to do with buzzwords on food labels—such as healthy, alternative and organic—that often comes with inflated price stickers, according to Davis. But you don’t need to fill your cart with these foods to eat healthily. “Whether you choose frozen, organic or regular blueberries, you are still getting the same benefits,” says Davis. In other words, buying organic can be a healthy option, but it’s not the only way to eat whole, nutritious foods.
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Do I Need to Buy Organic?
Organic food typically costs more than conventional, so it’s definitely possible to save some cash if you choose to limit, or avoid, organic foods. While research tends to go back and forth on the health benefits of organic foods vs non organic foods, it’s important to note organic farming often uses insecticides and fungicides with “synthetic substances” that may still be harmful to humans. Additionally, conventional foods are no less nutritious than organic foods, according to a 2019 article in Missouri Medicine.