Saskatoon

5 ways to eat healthy on a budget

CBC's Eric Anderson goes shopping with Brooke Bulloch, a registered dietitian.

Are produce trends healthier than basic fruits and vegetables?

The price of fresh produce has been going up in 2016. (CBC)

With the rising cost of food and constantly changing diet trends, it can be hard to know how to eat healthy on a budget. 

CBC Radio's Saskatoon Weekend host Eric Anderson went grocery shopping with Brooke Bulloch, a registered dietitian and owner of Food To Fit in Saskatoon, to figure out how to bring you the best bang for your buck,  

Here are some tips she shared for having a healthy diet at a lower cost: 

1. Avoid food trends

"When it comes to shopping healthy on a budget, I think often it really does come down to watching those prices but sometimes not getting wrapped up in the fads and trends of super foods," said Bulloch.

The basics can be just as healthy as foods that are trendy, she said.

2. Eat your basics

Health and fitness popularity has exploded in Saskatchewan and that's making people a lot more interested in what they are fuelling their bodies with, according to Bulloch. 

The other thing that people might not realize is that if you like berries and you like that exotic fruit, you can get them frozen.-  Brooke Bulloch, registered dietitian

But healthy doesn't have to mean expensive.

Simple groceries like bananas and oranges are just as nutritious as more exotic fruits and vegetables like kale and passion fruit. 

3. Eat frozen foods

Frozen foods shouldn't be crossed off the list either.

 "The other thing that people might not realize is that if you like berries and you like that exotic fruit, you can get them frozen," said Bulloch. 

4. Shop with a strategy 

Shopping with a strategy helps limit the amount of junk that goes in the cart. 

"Mine is to hit everything on the perimeter first, then I will go down the middle of the aisles," she said.

This limits how many processed foods make it into her shopping cart, because whole foods are typically found on the outside aisles of the store. 

5. Stick to your list

A lot of unhealthy food purchases are impulse buys, 

Bulloch also said that's why it's so important to stick to your shopping list.

One way to make sure you don't stray from the list is to not shop while hungry.