MyPlate recommends you make half your plate fruits and veggies. Some people think it’s too expensive to include that much produce in their meals. What do you think? Is it too expensive to eat fruits and veggies?
Let’s do a comparison. Check out the table below.
| What You Get for $3 | Nutrition Value for Your $ |
| 5 Lb. Bag of Potatoes | Excellent source of vitamin C, Good source of potassium, Sodium and cholesterol free, Good source of vitamin B6, Fat-free |
| 13 oz. Bag of Potato Chips | Sodium, Calories from fat |
| 64 oz. 100% Orange Juice | Vitamins, Minerals, Antioxidants |
| 2 – 2 liters soda | Calories from sugar |
| 4 apples | Fat free, Saturated fat free, Cholesterol free, Sodium free, Good source of fiber, Vitamin C |
| 10 oz. Chocolate Chip Cookies | Calories from fat and sugar |
| 32 oz. Bag of Baby Carrots | Fat free, Saturated fat free, Cholesterol free, Low in sodium, Low-calorie, High in vitamin A |
| 6 oz. Bag of veggie straws or crackers | Sodium, Calories from fat |
When you look at the table above, it’s clear that fruits and veggies are winning when it comes to nutrition value. Let’s compare servings, too. How long is a bag of potato chips going to last? At my house it would be devoured almost immediately! What about a bag of potatoes? A 5-pound bag of potatoes equals 10-12 servings. If you have a family of 4, you can stretch those potatoes out over 3 meals. Another thing to consider is satiety. Satiety is the feeling of being full after eating. The potatoes will leave you feeling fuller longer than a bag of chips. Let’s look at another example. It’s perfectly fine to enjoy a cookie every now and then, but we all know that an apple is the more nutritious choice. If your budget is tight, let an apple be your sweet treat and save the cookies for a time when you have more freedom in your budget.
Now that we’ve established that fruits and veggies provide more nutrition value for your dollar, how do you make the cost of fruits and veggies fit into your grocery budget? Here are ten great tips from Myplate.org.
When you put these tips into play, you’ll quickly learn that fruits and veggies can fit into a grocery budget. It takes a little time and planning, but the reward is more healthy meals on the table.
Fruit and Veggie Salad is a great recipe for fresh produce.
The recipe has a simple dressing that is really all you need. If you’d like to mix things up, try Strawberry Vinaigrette or Honey Mustard Vinaigrette. Enjoy!
