Healthy and Thrifty Nutrition takes some time and planning, but the benefits of it are endless. Take it from me, a college student who majors in nutrition and lives on a tight budget. It is not impossible to go to the supermarket or co-op and leave with bags full of healthy foods for you and your family. I am providing you with a list of tips for buying food at low cost, followed by a list of the most nutritious choices at low cost in each food group. Keep in mind that knowledge is the first step to action, but it is not the same thing.

Tips for shopping on a budget:
• Plan Ahead! Write a list of everything you need before you go to the store.
• Don't shop on an empty stomach.
• Cut out coupons and read sale flyers ahead of time.
• Prepare a budget before going to the store and only bring that amount of money with you.
• Buy canned or frozen vegetables and juices. These keep well for a long time and are usually less expensive than fresh veggies and juice.
• Try store/generic brands. They generally cost less and have very similar nutritional value.
• Take the time to compare prices.
• When you have time, cook from scratch.
• Make large portions and freeze some.

Some best buys, considering both cost and nutrition are:
BREADS & GRAINS:
•Day-old bread, non-instant rice and oatmeal.
•When your budget allows, try whole grain breads and brown rice.
•Pasta has a long shelf life, so buy in bulk of what is on sale.
•Tortilla and corn chips are whole grain, rather than potato chips.

NUTRIENTS FROM THIS FOOD GROUP:
B vitamins, except B 12
Fiber: only whole grains
Vitamin E: whole grains
Iron: fortified cereals
Calcium: fortified cereals

VEGETABLES:
•Buy large bags of frozen veggies.
•When buying veggies, shop by color. Get as many different colors as your budget allows.
•When buying fresh veggies, don't buy more than you are going to use within 3 days.

NUTRIENTS FROM THIS GROUP:
Vitamin A: carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, asparagus, red peppers, broccoli
Vitamin C: broccoli, asparagus, avocados, green peas, sweet peppers, tomatoes.
Vitamin E: green, leafy veggies.
Vitamin K: broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, green leafy veggies
Calcium: green leafy veggies, broccoli, cabbage.
Iron: avocado, beets.
Carbohydrates: all veggies have complex carbohydrates that give you lasting energy and are filling.

Keep in mind that there are other nutrients in vegetables that have not been put into a pill, so it is best to eat these foods rather than simply taking a multi-vitamin.

FRUIT:
•Buy fresh fruit in season, when they cost less.
•Buy 100% juices. Get them frozen if you can.
•Generally, the harder the fruit, the longer it can be stored.

NUTRIENTS FOUND IN THIS GROUP:
Vitamin A: cantaloupe, apricots.
Vitamin C: berries, mango, oranges, grapefruit.
Fiber and Carbohydrates: all fruits have natural sugars.

DAIRY PRODUCTS:
•Non-fat, dry milk is the least expensive way to buy milk.
•Buy low-fat and fat-free varieties. It lowers calories, but the nutritional value remains the same. Be aware of high amounts of sugar that companies use to replace the fat.
•Buy hard cheeses and stick to light varieties. Raw goat cheese, feta cheese and cottage cheese are healthy choices. Also, try the stronger cheeses like parmesan and feta so that you don't need as much for flavor.
•Try non-fat flavored yogurt rather than ice cream or full-fat versions.
•Look for low-calorie, rather than low-fat content on ice cream.

NUTRIENTS FOUND IN THIS GROUP:
Calcium: milk, goats milk, yogurt, look for fortified with extra calcium on cheeses, ice cream has a small amount. Cottage cheese is NOT a good source.
Vitamin B 12: milk, all cheeses but not a lot in cottage cheese, yogurt or ice cream.
Vitamin D: Fortified in milk.
Protein: milk and all dairy products.

POULTRY, FISH and RED MEAT and EGGS:
•Look for the leanest cuts of chicken (skinless breasts are the leanest parts).
•Look for the leanest cuts of red meat (cuts with the most red and least white parts. The white color is the fat.).
•Choose turkey and chicken, both ground and sliced over red meat.
•Don't always choose the leanest cuts of fish because the fats found in fish are healthy fats. Lean fish include: Swordfish, cod and flounder. Fish with higher amounts of Omega-3 fats are: salmon and tuna steaks.
•Shrimp have a high amount of cholesterol.
•Choose baked, broiled and sautéed rather than fried versions of meat and seafood.
•Egg whites are purely protein. Egg yolks contain vitamins and high amounts of cholesterol. Nutrients that are found in this group: Protein: all meat, chicken, eggs and seafood contain protein. Vitamin B 12: egg yolks, clams, fish and certain parts of meats. Vitamin D: fish liver oils, egg yolks, salmon, sardines, tuna. Vitamin K: egg yolks Calcium: salmon and other fatty fish. Iron: eggs, all meat, poultry and seafood.

BEANS, LEGUMES, NUTS, TOFU and MEAT ALTERNATIVES:
•When time allows, cook beans and legumes from scratch. This is less expensive and avoids extra salt.
•When your budget allows, try natural peanut butter. The only ingredients should be roasted peanuts and maybe salt.
•Look for fat-free or low fat versions of beans in cans. The calories should be around 100 per serving.
•When time allows, learn how to make garden burgers and other meat alternatives from scratch because "convenience" foods can get awfully expensive.
•Choose raw nuts and seeds, only in moderation.

NUTRIENTS THAT ARE FOUND IN THIS GROUP:
Protein: all meat alternatives, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds and peanut butter.
Fiber: beans, legumes and smaller amounts in nuts, seeds and peanut butter. B vitamins, except B12: legumes, peanut, peas, beans.
Vitamin B 12: soybeans and soy products.
Vitamin E: nuts, seeds, legumes.
Vitamin K: soybeans, flaxseed
Iron: almonds, sesame seeds, soybeans.
Calcium: tofu, soybeans, almonds, sesame seeds.

Note to reader: This is not a complete list of nutrients in foods. The foods that are included either have high amounts of the nutrient or are most common. Also, acknowledgment is due to the USDA for information obtained for this article.