

Try to have a plan for using up too much perishable bounty - freeze those blackening bananas for baking projects. “Although the price may look lower at the front end, if it’s way more than you can eat, it doesn’t make much economic sense.” That big bag of bananas looks like a good deal, but does it make sense for, say, a small household? “Upwards of 63 per cent of food we throw away could have been eaten if we’d planned differently.” Beware of bulk buying. “If you’re going to the store with no real plan, it becomes hard to have a targeted approach to shopping,” which can lead to costly food waste, Bates said. Don’t expect to become Julia Child - but you don’t need to, either.” Plan ahead.īefore going for groceries, have a rough idea of what your meals will be for the week. And be patient in building those meat-and-potatoes skills learn as you go and celebrate the tasty successes, she adds. Start with easy recipes like those found in the Pure Prairie Eating Plan, written by U of A nutrition professors Rhonda Bell and Catherine Chan, or pick a few from Canada’s Food Guide, Bates suggests. “It’s a great opportunity to spend time together as a family and have some fun.” Keep it simple. “We need to revisit and reinvest in cooking at home.”īesides saving money, cooking also feeds the soul. “You’re going to pay more than you need to if someone is prepping food for you,” Bates said. Pre-made meals delivered to the doorstep are convenient but more costly than eating in.
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Here’s how to keep nutritious food on the table, even on a tight budget. “These conditions often present in midlife, but the groundwork is laid across your whole lifetime, so we want to see people eating well from childhood on, and we don’t want to compromise nutrition.”


They’re all part of a healthy diet that can help lessen the risk of conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis, Bates notes. And meat, poultry, fish and plant-based foods are critical sources of protein. Dairy products and fortified soy beverages provide needed calcium. Produce is packed with vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. “We have the ability to be savvy shoppers, to plan differently and to do more food preparation ourselves to offset inflation and still eat really well,” said Bates.ĭespite sky-high prices, fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy products are key to a healthy, balanced diet, and important to keep on the menu, she adds. Inflation is biting into the average shopper’s food budget, but there are ways to still keep good nutrition on the table, says a University of Alberta expert.īasic cooking skills, combined with a dash of careful planning, can help ease the price Canadians are going to pay in 2023 for groceries, says registered dietitian Heidi Bates.
