FACS Spotlight:

How to Make Healthy Food Choices without Busting the Budget

The availability of nutrient-rich food -- that's affordable, too -- is key to addressing many of today's health issues, including growing concerns about childhood obesity, as noted in Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, released June 15, 2010.*

Roberta Duyff, MS, RD, CFCS, a nationally-recognized food/nutrition expert and author of 19 health-focused books, including Glencoe's Food, Nutrition, and Wellness, believes that food cost doesn't need to be a barrier to healthful eating. Instead, skills in both financial and nutrition literacy -- from the supermarket to the table -- are kitchen essentials.

The DGAC report charges all those who work with youth, including food and nutrition educators, to address the public health crisis of overweight and obesity. Among the many opportunities cited to achieve this goal are: 1) improving nutrition literacy and cooking skills, 2) empowering and motivating people to prepare and consume healthy foods at home, 3) finding affordable ways to make buying and preparing vegetables and fruit, whole grains, seafood, fat-free and low-fat milk and milk products, lean meats and other healthy foods, and 4) making affordable fresh produce available in stores and farmers' markets. To translate this advice into "can-do" actions, Roberta offers a few tips to help your students learn to make healthful food choices, even on a limited budget.

Where do you start when trying to be both health conscious and dollar smart at the supermarket?

It all starts with planning -- even before heading to the store! In your shopper's toolbox know how to:

• Plan menus ahead that fit your food budget -- and that provide the food variety you need. Include mostly nutrient-rich foods to get the most nutrition for your food dollar. You might design your dinner plate with 1/4 lean protein foods, 1/4 grains (preferably whole grain), and 1/2 fruits and vegetables -- with calcium-rich milk or soy milk to drink. Plan menus to stretch higher-cost ingredients, such as lean meat.
• Make a shopping list that includes just the nutrient-rich foods you need. That way you avoid the impulse to buy the extra food -- and the extra calories -- you don't need.
• Use "shopper's incentives" like cents-off coupons, store flyers, and seasonal specials. Use those that promote nutrient-rich foods, not high-calorie extras.

What supermarket savvy can help you shop smart and spend less?

First, eat before you shop if you're hungry to avoid impulse buys. At the store:

• Buy only the types and amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables that you can use right away. For example, for a small fruit salad, you don't need a whole bunch of grapes, a whole pineapple, and a whole melon. Bottom line: The most nutrition and flavor benefits come from produce that's consumed at peak quality. When unused produce gets discarded, the nutrition is tossed away, too.
• Evaluate the cost of prepackaged, pre-prepared foods, which generally cost more. The more steps done for you (steps you could do in your kitchen), the more the food usually costs. Cutting down on packaging also may help save the environment. That said, if you need just a small amount, small containers of prepared foods, such as cut- up fruit, might be a cost saver.
• Be savvy when considering organic products. "Organic" refers to the way foods are grown and produced, not their nutritional value. Nutritionally speaking, they're comparable to traditionally produced foods. Both are healthful options so the choice is yours. Foods labeled as "organic" usually cost more.

How can you use food labels to get the most nutrition for your food dollar?

Use food labels to help you think "cost per nutrients," not "cost per calories" as a healthier shopping strategy. For example, you get more nutrients for your dollar from milk or 100 percent juice, than from sugary soft drinks.

• Start by checking the front of the food label for nutrient content claims. For example, does it say "low fat," "calcium-rich," "high fiber," or "packed in light syrup"? By law, these claims must mean what they say.
• Then look for the Nutrition Facts panel to compare similar products. It tells how many calories and nutrients a single serving of the food provides. Look for products offering the most nutrients for the calories, especially nutrients that most people need more of (calcium, iron, vitamins A and C, and fiber). A product that provides mostly calories won't provide as much nutrition for your food dollar.
• Check the ingredient list, too, and look for minimally-processed foods. Ingredients are listed in order by weight, from most to least. Look for products with whole grains and fruit juice, for example. Remember that added sugars (corn syrup, table sugar, molasses, others) on the label provide added calories that you may not need.

In the kitchen: how can you save dollars in food prep?

Polish your culinary skills if needed. It's worth it!

• Cook from scratch when you can. For example, you might skip store-bought sauces or seasoning packets; instead make your own. It's fun. It's creative. And you control the ingredients, nutrients -- and the calories, too.
• Manage ingredients to avoid food waste. If a recipe calls for just a few leaves of basil or a cup of lettuce, plan creative ways to use the leftovers -- right away. Refrigerate or freeze perishable foods properly; use them at peak quality and before they spoil.
• Serve smart-size portions to control calories and your grocery bill. Check www.MyPyramid.gov to determine how much food and what variety you need for a day.

What other advice can you follow to eat healthy?

Whatever your budget, remember deliciousness as you aim for good nutrition. When nutrient-rich food is prepared with the appeal of color, flavor, texture, and aroma, it's more likely eaten, and not wasted. Start by eating the rainbow. Well prepared fruits and vegetables are not only prettier on the plate, they're healthful, too.

* For the complete scientific report -- Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 -- refer to www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-DGACReport.htm. The guidelines themselves, which focus on the obesity issue, will be released online later this year.

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