Eating Well on a Budget: Part 2 – Fruits
Posted on Thursday, November 29th, 2012 at 3:58 pm
Not only is fruit extremely good for you and necessary for overall health, but it’s versatile and easy to fit into your diet throughout the day! The Environmental Working Group has compiled a list of 14 fruits that provide you with the most nutrition at the lowest cost. All of these fruits are low in sugar and toxic pesticides and chock full of vitamin C, fiber, folate, and potassium. Each member of your family should aim for two servings of fruit a day. The Environmental Working Group recommends spending about $5.00 on fruit for every $25 spent on your overall food budget.
The Environmental Working Group’s list of fruits include: apricot, avocado, cantaloupe, grapefruit, honeydew, kiwi, papaya, pear, starfruit, and tangerine, with banana, orange juice, domestic nectarines, pears, and watermelon providing the best value. They recommend that you limit your juice intake to just 1 cup a day. Often, juice is packed with sugar and you can get more nutrition from eating whole fruits anyway.
Citrus fruits like tangerines or grapefruit are loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants, which keep your immune system in top shape to help you fight off sickness. Vitamin C is also fantastic for your skin and keeps you feeling healthy. Fiber rich foods like pears are necessary for digestive health and help keep your energy levels up. Avocado is packed with healthy oils and good fats that fill you with energy and keep your skin looking great.
There are several ways to eat your two daily servings. If you’re a fan of oranges or tangerines, you can try slicing them up and adding them to your favorite salad. Orange juice can be used to make sauces or marinades for your favorite meats. Avocados are super versatile and are fantastic on sandwiches, in salads, or simply mashed up in your favorite guacamole! Of course, any fruit can be enjoyed fresh as a snack, or you can enjoy dried fruits. Be careful, many dried fruits are high in sugar, so check those labels!
If you’re concerned about using all of your fruit before it goes bad, try freezing some of it. You can use the frozen fruit to make smoothies or as a topping for yogurt, oatmeal, or ice cream.
Shopping for fruit seasonally will help you save money. It’s necessary if you’re committed to sticking to an organic diet. You can also shop at your local farmer’s market. You can often find fruit at the farmer’s market for a fraction of what you’d spend at the grocery store. An added bonus is that you can often sample fruits before buying. You’ll not only get to test the quality of the product, but you just might get to discover a new fruit you’ve never tasted before!