It's tough to eat healthy, and even tougher to find healthy foods on a budget. Even though eating well is an investment in your long-term health, it can be hard to find nutrient-dense, environmentally friendly foods that don't hit your wallet.
Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research organization, has examined over 1,000 foods to determine the ones that have the fewest pesticides, contaminants and artificial ingredients... and are reasonably priced. Their printable booklet "Good Food on a Tight Budget" offers tips for healthy, inexpensive foods.
They recommend making a meal plan, cooking at home, skipping processed foods, growing your own vegetables, and swapping beans and lentils for meat. Making the swap isn't just good for your health -- According to a previous report by the group, if every American cut meat and cheese from their diet for one day per week, it would equal removing 7.6 million cars from the road.
EWG nutritionist and guide co-author Dawn Undurraga said in a press release, “Putting good food on your family’s table on a $5-or-$6-dollar-a-day budget is tough, but it’s possible.” She added that by following their recommendations, shoppers will "be doing something good for their health and the environment, meanwhile lowering their grocery bills and exposures to the worst chemicals.”
Earlier this year, the organization released lists of "The Dirty Dozen" and "Clean 15," based on pesticide contamination in fruits and vegetables.
Click through the list of some of EWG's recommendations for nutritious, low-cost vegetables (many of which they recommend buying organic), and scroll down for a sample shopping list:
EWG's Nutritious, Low Cost Veggies
Check out EWG's sample shopping list below, and click here to check out the rest of the guide.