Fresh Focus Podcast: NNM® Series 12, Episode #67
Host: Beth Blair, RDN with special guest Brenda Greer, MS,RDN
Title: Eating Healthy on a Budget

Beth: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Fresh Focus Podcast National Nutrition Month series.
I am here today with special guest Brenda.

Brenda: Thanks for having me

Beth: You have been with me on the National Nutrition month workgroup for the last several years; tell our listeners a little about yourself.

Brenda: I am a dietitian at the VA North Texas Health Care System. I currently work as the MOVE! coordinator and as the supervisor for the dietitians that work in the Home-Based Primary Care setting. It's been my pleasure and privilege to work with veterans for the past 35 years.

Beth: that is a long time I love to hear that so many great memories of veterans, too I bet after all this time

Brenda: yes (use your own words)

Beth: In this episode, I wanted to have Brenda on to review Tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget, whether you are buying groceries and cooking at home for yourself and your family or have made a choice to go out and eat. Just wanted to share some ideas and expertise, so what would be the first strategy you discuss with your veterans

Brenda: The number one thing you can do to save money is to choose to cook instead of eating out. This would include packing your lunch and bringing it to work instead of running through the drive-through for a fast-food meal. Eating out often will cost you $5.00 or more for just a sandwich and will easily take the better part of $10 by the time you get a drink and sides to go with the sandwich. I had one Veteran share that he saved nearly $500 a month simply by choosing to eat at home instead of eating out. Another benefit of choosing to cook at home is that you have better control over what you eat. You are more likely to get a better balance of real foods when you cook at home. More vegetables, quality sources of protein, etc., and fewer foods that are heavily processed, low in nutrients, and less satiating (or filling).

Beth: what would you tell a Veteran for some ideas if there is a recipe and you can't afford an ingredient or item but still want to try the recipe

Brenda: remember you can adopt recipes that fit your needs and tastes -For example, if meals that don't require a lot of attention while cooking fit your needs, slow cooker meals might be perfect for you. Soups, stews, or a pot of beans are classic examples.
You can always add whatever you have on hand and put it in the slow cooker. Sheet-pan meals in which you put the meat, veggies, and perhaps a starchy side on a sheet pan are great for fast cleanup since the meal is made in just one pan. Those would be quick, easy, and able to adjust to any type of ingredient that you have or maybe on sale or in season. You will save money when you choose recipes that contain common ingredients. For example, a recipe calling for white or portabella mushrooms will be cheaper to prepare than a recipe calling for Shitake mushrooms. If cooking multiple items, you can save money and prevent food waste if you choose recipes that contain the same ingredients. For example, if you're fixing meatloaf and chili this week, both recipes likely call for chopped onions and bell peppers, and the leftover tomato sauce from the meatloaf will easily go into the chili.

Beth: yes, those are great tips; looking through the week and making sure you eat up what you buy to help with wasting any food through the week.

Brenda: absolutely, How many of us go to the store without a clue as to what we are going to fix for dinner? How often have you gone to the store for something specific only to come home with things that just jumped into your grocery cart?

Beth: I can almost hear our listeners nodding haha that's happened to all of us

Brenda: Having a plan for what you will eat this week is an important step in saving money. None of us make great decisions when hungry or overly tired. We should choose to shop when we are fed and well-rested, as opposed to waiting until the end of a long, exhausting day when we are starving and ready to get home. And remember, you could consider stocking up on the pantry basics such as rice/pasta, canned tomato products, canned vegetables, canned/pouched meats, and beans when they go on sale for a supply of ingredients that can easily be made into a meal.

Beth: yes, and looking at items that may be in larger sizes if it's something you use frequently.

Brenda: You will save money and get a bigger nutritional bang for your buck if you choose whole foods over highly processed items. For example, you can purchase whole food, such as a generic old-fashioned oatmeal that would make 30 servings for about $5.00. The national brand of flavored instant oatmeal packets costs about $3.85 for just 8 servings. You would end up spending closer to $15.00 for the same number of servings of instant oatmeal. This is a saving of about $10.00. Not only do you save money, but you have a product that contains less sugar and sodium when you choose something that is less processed.

Beth: what do you often tell Veterans and their families when they say but this certain items like meat are so expensive, like the price of eggs or ground beef.

Brenda: You can save money by choosing cheaper cuts of meat for your recipes. For example, chicken breasts are frequently $5.00 per pound, but thighs and legs will likely be $3.50 per pound. The taste of the recipe will not be negatively impacted by the decision to use dark meat over breast meat. If you choose to peel off the skin yourself from those legs and thighs, you'll save an additional $.30 per pound. Not only is it cheaper, but it really doesn't take any additional time to pull off the skin when preparing your recipe. Learning to cut a chicken up will save you some serious bucks.
Chicken parts will run about $3.50 for the dark meat to as much as $6.00/lb. for breast meat. A whole chicken you cut up runs about $2.00/lb.

Beth: and you can stretch out those expensive ingredients by choosing to use less in the recipe or by adding other ingredients to increase the amount available to serve.

Brenda: A good example is choosing to use less hamburger or ground turkey when making a pot of chili or spaghetti sauce and adding more beans, pasta, and or veggies to the mixture to ensure you can serve the same number of individuals you were planning. The amount of meat in a meatloaf or meatball recipe can be decreased simply by adding mashed lentils, black beans, or finely chopped mushrooms to the mix. These ingredients will also provide fiber and moisture, so your product is nice and juicy instead of being tough and dry.

Beth: what about fruits and veggies

Brenda: Frozen and canned fruits and veggies are very cost-effective and are equally as nutritious without all the work of cutting and cleaning. When these produce choices are out of season, you will not only save money on frozen varieties, but you will also likely get a slightly more nutrient-dense product since it is picked and flash-frozen, thereby locking in those nutrients.

Beth: what are some other important things to remember in helping with food budget and food waste?

Brenda: If you live alone, it might be tempting to say that there is less food waste, and it costs less to eat out than to cook for yourself. Consider the idea of cooking and shopping with a friend and splitting the costs; that way, neither one of you must be eating the same food all week. If you have made a bigger batch than you can honestly use, consider freezing part of it for quick meals later or trade a couple of portions with your neighbor who might have cooked more of something than they could use. If purchasing produce, consider splitting packages of items. For example, splitting a package of salad greens with someone if you would like to have the greens but recognize you won't be able to use them before they go bad.

Beth: all good tips. So what about beverages. Water is obviously our drink of choice and recommendation.
Brenda: Drink purchases can make up a substantial part of the grocery bill. From a cost and nutrition point of view, bottled water will be cheaper and healthier than soda. A national brand of soda or sports drink frequently costs as much as $7.50 for a 12-pack of 12-oz cans. A 12-pack of 16 oz bottle of a national brand of water will cost about $5.50. Assuming you have a safe water supply, you will save lots of money, and the environment from all of the disposable bottles, if you simply drink tap water from a refillable drink cup. If you and your family consume 12 bottles of water or other drinks daily, that represents a cost savings of $35-40 or more a week simply by choosing tap water over bottled water, sports drinks, or sodas. And keep in mind tap water is often more highly regulated than bottled. The most important thing is that you stay hydrated.

Beth: Veterans frequently tell me that eating healthy is expensive; what do you suggest when you hear that?

Brenda: we have to consider that for a moment… Yes, a bag of chips at $4.00 is cheaper than a bag of apples that are $6.00. It's easy to eat the entire bag of chips or cookies in one sitting, but how many of us will eat the entire bag of apples in one sitting. The level of satiety that we will experience will be very different for each of these foods. Quality matters. When you consider this, you can see that you get fewer servings from the bag of chips compared to the apples and also get a lot less nutritional bang for your buck. Junk food is going to be more expensive in the long run.

Beth: any last tidbits on eating healthy on a budget?

Brenda: The way you decide to shop for groceries has the potential to save you money as well. Shopping at a discount retailer might be a cheaper way to shop because these stores typically don't have as much overhead. These are places where you will bag your own groceries with the bags you bring from home. These places typically don't offer as many choices, so prices can be kept lower.Veterans frequently report that shopping online is a useful tool in preventing impulse shopping for items that are not needed or not on the list that can help you stay on budget. Be sure to review the sales flyer for what is on sale. Most grocery stores have mark-down racks or clearance bins for meats, fresh produce, and even canned products. Items in these bins will be much cheaper than the fresher product if you know you will use these quickly or will freeze that day for future use. This past week I was able to purchase a package of ground turkey for about $2.00 less and put it in the freezer for use later. I also purchased a bag of new potatoes on the mark-down rack for a dollar and used them with the roasted chicken I prepared.

Beth: what are some things to remember when you are eating out to help with saving some money?

Brenda: The reality is that most of us will go out to eat on occasion because of necessity or for pleasure. Consider the following tips to help save money and still eat in a healthy manner when you do so.
• Order a small size (appetizer, lunch portion, or order a children's or senior's portion if available).
• Pass up the opportunity to "upscale" the meal with bigger portions or added items for what appears to be a nominal price.
• Frequently, restaurant portions can easily feed 2 people. Sharing a meal with a friend or family member is a great way to save money and prevent food waste in addition to preventing an increased waistline.
• Ask your server to put half of your order in a take-home container before the other half is served to you. Be sure to refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours!
• Since many of us will eat out when traveling, consider packing a cooler with premade items (Sandwiches, precut veggies, fruit, drinks, etc.)

Beth: Thank you so much for all the tips and strategies to help with eating healthy on a budget.

Brenda: Everyone wants to provide good healthy foods for their family and be responsible with our resources. I hope you have heard a couple of ideas that will allow you to continue to purchase healthy, nutritious food for your family while saving some money.

Beth: Thank you for being on. I appreciate it! Remember to reach out to your local VA dietitian. And a Big Thank you to those out there listening to Fresh Focus; please like and subscribe to this podcast, rate the series, and leave a review!

References:
Please list here any references you used in the making of this episode.
1. Food Bullying Podcast, Season 10, episode 91 published on October 16, 2022. “Green House Effect, Grass-Fed and Grain-Fed Beef www.foodbullying.libsyn.com
2. Recipes and Cookbooks - Nutrition and Food Services (va.gov)
3. MOVE! program materials. www.move.va.gov
4. “Food Budgeting Tips” by William Mack, published September 16, 2021, at www.KitchenAmbition.com
5. Healthy Eating on a Budget www.myplate.gov
6. 6 Tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget www.cdc.gov
7. Eating Healthy on a Budget www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org
8. 19 Clever Ways to Eat Healthy on a Tight Budget www.healthline.com
9. Why Smart People Make Bad Food Choices, (The invisible Influences that Guide Our Thinking); Jack A. Bobo, Mango Publishing 2021