In the 1990’s we were fascinated by the popular TV game show “Supermarket Sweep”. The format of the show consisted of question rounds, the “Big Sweep” and the “Bonus Sweep”. The best part of the show, in our opinion, was the “Big Sweep”: contestants raced through a vacated supermarket with their shopping carts, against the clock, grabbing items from the shelves as quickly as possible before time ran out. Contestants would be penalized with a deduction from their cart total if they bumped into displays (or the camera operator!).

We remember watching scenes of contestants grabbing high-priced grocery items and stashing them in their cart hastily as the clock started to countdown to zero. When time was up, they ran back to their stations…and that’s when the tallying of the cart full of items began. The contestant that had the largest total (the highest dollar value of groceries in their cart) - won!

**“Supermarket Cheap”?**

Now. Imagine that it’s 2022 and ***you*** are a contestant on a new (fictional) TV show - *“Supermarket Cheap”*. Your goal is to race through the supermarket against the clock and fill up your cart with **high-nutrient food** **within a certain budget**.
***How would you do?***

Eating healthy can be a challenge when food costs are rising due to inflation. According to the Consumer Price Index's recent data, the food-at-home index rose by 13.5% since last August 2021.

Whether you work from home, are a hybrid employee, work in an office or traveling - making good food choices is important for your overall wellness. If you start to track your food expenses, you may be surprised at how quickly your food costs can rise and you may start to think “Where did it all go?” or perhaps, “I want to eat healthier but I think it’s going to be too expensive!”

**Meal Planning is One-Way to Save Costs**

In our home we've tried several methods to save costs on food while maintaining a healthy and nutrient-rich eating pattern that meets our specific **caloric intake** needs, given our physical activity level, for staying fit!

Here is a list of what is working for us:

Prioritize purchasing the nutrient-rich foods on the grocery list and stick to the plan. Our favorite foods to keep on hand are quinoa, legumes (beans), potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, blueberries, bananas, avocados, whole grain bread, spinach, oatmeal, non-dairy products such as almond milk and other add-ons such as peanut butter, flax seeds and chia seeds.
Frozen fruits and vegetables to maintain freshness longer and diversify use (smoothies, snacking, etc).
Growing our own vegetables and herbs in-season. This summer we grew and harvested Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, habanero peppers, sweet red peppers and cilantro. There are many options to grow vegetables in raised garden beds outdoors or indoors using hydroponic gardening to grow year-round!
Farmer’s market for local in-season produce especially when traveling.
Meat alternatives such as Dr. Praeger's Black Bean and Quinoa Burger. (A pack of 4 on average costs us less than $5.00 at our local grocer vs. a 4-pack of “Grass Fed Bubba Burgers” at $12-$13). The Dr. Praeger’s burger has less saturated fat, zero cholesterol and more nutrients than the beef burger (Dr. Praeger’s nutrition facts: 3% DV saturated fat, 0% cholesterol, 25% DV dietary fiber, 9% DV protein, 6% DV iron, 6% DV potassium, 2% DV calcium. Beef Burger nutrition facts: 40% saturated fat, 20% cholesterol). *We will share more about our favorite ways to prepare plant-based options in subsequent blog posts.

Cooking with intention such as meal planning - dishes you can store and cook throughout the week.

Online grocery shopping to compare prices and reduce impulse shopping.

Knowing portion sizes to help reduce food waste!

Thinking about food prices and eating healthy may seem stressful, especially when life is busy.

Here are 3-ways to help:

Start small by tracking your food purchases and decide what low-nutrient high-cost foods you can replace with high-nutrient lower costs foods.
Use a calorie calculator to help you figure out how many calories you need per day. (We used My Fitness Pal to track our meals, caloric intake, nutrient intake and to help to build a consistent grocery shopping list).
Start your new shopping plan for 1 week and keep track of your food choices: how did eating new nutritional foods make you feel, what food was wasted vs. consumed entirely, how much money were you able to save?

It may be a few instances of “trial and error” to get it right for you, but in our experience it is worth every effort to feel good about your food choices, develop a nutritious eating pattern and save money over time.

Stay fit and green!