How tough is it to eat healthy on a budget? The advice website DivineCaroline (www.divinecaroline.com) gets you started with a list of 20 healthy foods that don't cost the earth. According to the website: “Getting the most nutrition for the least amount of money means hanging out on the peripheries — near the fruits and veggies, the meat and dairy, and the bulk grains — while avoiding the expensive packaged interior… Although that bag of 99 cent Cheetos may look like a bargain, knowing that you're not getting much in the way of nutrition or sustenance makes it seem less like a deal and more like a dupe. Choosing one of these 20 items, or the countless number of similarly nutritious ones, might just stretch that dollar from a snack into a meal.” Here's the website's list of 20 healthy foods that are high in nutrients, but low priced. 1. Oats: High in fiber and good for cholesterol. A dollar buys you a week's worth of breakfast or keeps you well-supplied in oatmeal cookies. 2. Eggs: Costing about a dollar for a half-dozen, these are one of the cheapest sources of protein. The site suggests huevos rancheros, egg salad sandwiches and frittatas. 3. Kale: At about a dollar a bunch, this is one of the cheapest greens you'll find in the supermarket. Toss into a stir-fry or check out recipes for German-style kale or traditional Irish colcannon. 4. Potatoes: Stay away from fries and chips, and eat them skin and all as a good source of vitamin C and potassium. Choose sweet potatoes or yams for an added serving of beta carotene. Here's a recipe for easy breakfast potatoes that uses just 2 tablespoons of olive oil. 5. Apples: Tasty, cheap and filling, apples are a fun way to dress up a meal, either cooked or turned into applesauce. 6. Nuts: Some nuts like pecans and macadamias cost more, but peanuts, walnuts and almonds, particularly when bought in the shell, won't break your budget. Eat them plain or sprinkle in salads. Nuts aren't as fattening as you might think. Read more in Going Nuts for the Holidays. 7. Bananas: Shop around for deals; DivineCaroline found them for 19 cents apiece at Trader Joe's. A dollar gets you a banana a day for the workweek, and they are great in smoothies, cereal and with yogurt. 8. Garbanzo Beans: Also known as chickpeas, garbanzos are cheapeast in dry form, but even precooked beans will still only cost about a dollar. If you don't like garbanzos, any bean will do. Check out DivineCaroline's recipe for orange hummus. 9. Broccoli: Easy to make and cheap, broccoli is a no-brainer for any budget meal. 10. Watermelon: The whole melon costs more than a dollar, but the per-serving cost is only about 20 cents, the site says. 11. Wild Rice: About the same as white rice, but better for you with a nutty flavor. 12. Beets: Roasted in the oven or shred into salads, beets are packed with nutrients. For extra value, buy them with greens on for stir fry or to toss in a salad. Beets have been a popular topic on Well. Check out Pass the Beets, Again for several recipes that take beets beyond the can. 13. Butternut Squash: In season, the butternut squash costs less than a dollar a pound. It can be tough to cut up, but it's hearty and easy to bake or prepare as a soup. Check out DivineCaroline's pear and squash bruschetta. 14. Whole Grain Pasta: A cheap staple, but pick the whole grain variety for added nutritional punch. 15. Sardines: A little fish so low on the food chain it doesn't accumulate mercury and packs tons of nutrition. Mash them with parsley, lemon juice and olive oil for a spread or toss into salads or on pizza. 16. Spinach: Cheap year-round, packed with nutrition and great in salads or a spinach frittata. 17. Tofu: An inexpensive protein source. Add to smoothies for a protein boost. 18. Milk: Per serving, milk and many milk products like yogurt are still under a dollar. 19. Pumpkin Seeds: Not the most practical item on the list because most of us aren't carving pumpkins every day and they are expensive to buy on their own. Still, they are great on salads and as a snack, so it's always worth saving pumpkin seeds when you have a pumpkin. 20. Coffee: Skip the Starbucks and make it at home, where it's just 50 cents a cup. Plus, there's plenty of evidence that it's good for you.
