USask dietitian: Five tips for eating healthy on a budget

To help, On Campus News sat down with Amy Pickering, a registered dietitian at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) who has served in the Student Wellness Centre on campus for the past 14 years. A USask graduate, Pickering provides some helpful hints and expert tips on ways to eat healthy while trimming your grocery bill and supporting sustainability by reducing food waste.

1. What advice do you have for people wanting to eat healthy without breaking the bank?

Buy in bulk and in-season when you can. A little bit of planning can go a long way, and using planned leftovers (rice for burritos the next day) is a great way to save money. You can also try using apps like Mealime, Paprika and AnyList to help plan and cut down on food waste.

Be critical of “health halos” — marketing that makes certain foods seem healthier, but not necessarily shown to be better. Words like natural, organic, or simple don’t automatically mean healthier. These “health-haloed” foods can be almost double the cost of “regular” food. For example, regular peanut butter versus “natural” peanut butter are very similar in nutrient profile, but can vary drastically in price.

Focus on progress, not perfection: Adding a little more fruit in your day, or cooking 1-2 meals a week with legumes, can be a great start and make a difference in health.

2. The Canada Food Guide prioritizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains and proteins. How can one follow the guidelines while keeping costs down?

Although fresh fruit and veggies might taste best, frozen and canned are great lower-cost options. Especially when frozen, fruits and vegetables can be just as nutritious as fresh, and are often more affordable and last longer.

Legumes (lentils, black beans, chickpeas) are low cost, versatile, and pack tons of micronutrients (iron, magnesium, folate), protein, and fibre. You can buy them dried in bulk, or canned and ready to rinse for adding to curries, soups, stir fries, pasta, dips, wraps, or for baking. There are endless recipes online, like these from Love Canadian Beans: https://www.lovecanadianbeans.ca/recipes

Choose whole grain where it matters. For example, brown rice is great, but so is white rice. If you struggle with the taste or cost of brown rice, white rice is a great source of energy and micronutrients and is a staple food around the world. Brown rice typically has less than one gram of fibre more than white. If you choose white rice, add more fibre and nutrients from veggies or fruit. It’s our patterns over time that matter, and you can pick whole grains when it makes a difference. For example, whole grain tortilla wraps can have 3-5 grams of fibre compared to one gram in most white versions.

3. Which affordable fruits and vegetables last longest, to help cut down on kitchen waste and cost?

Buying bags of apples and oranges is affordable and long-lasting. Vegetables like onions, potatoes, and carrots, have a relatively long shelf-life and can be used in many ways. Think soups, stews, or roasts. You can use recipes online, like this one https://www.twospoons.ca/spiced-sheet-pan-roasted-vegetables/#wprm-recipe-container-30588, for inspiration and make swaps, deletions, or additions, depending on what you have on hand. My favourite way to enjoy veggies is sautéing with oil, garlic, and different flavours (paprika, cumin, dill, basil, etc.).

If you can connect with a local farmer, hunter, or butcher, buying a large amount at once and portioning and freezing can save a lot of money in the long run. Seafood can also be cheaper in bulk, however, it can be pricey and may not be accessible for all. A lower-cost source of omega-3 fats, protein, and fibre are ground flax seeds. Chia seeds and/or hemp seeds are also good options. I like sprinkling seeds on cereal, oatmeal, or in yogurt for extra flavour, nourishment, and texture.

If you do like salmon (an excellent source of omega-3 fats, vitamin D, and protein), buying large fillets, with the skin on, cutting them up and freezing would be the most cost-effective option.

5. What are some common mistakes people make when grocery shopping?

Sometimes, people get motivated and excited, and that can lead to buying way too much fresh fruit and vegetables at once. A little bit of planning and starting with just a couple of types of fruits or veggies a week can reduce food waste (for example, the sad, wilted kale at the back of the crisper), save money, and help you feel motivated to keep it up. You don’t have to plan every morsel of your meals, but even a little planning can go a long way to reducing stress, food waste, and food cost.

Think outside of the grocery store. Certain apps can connect you with surplus, near best-before-date foods at a much lower price. Fresh food markets, like the one on campus, provide local, accessible, and more affordable staples.