ORLANDO, Fla. - The path to getting on track with a healthy diet begins at the grocery store, but it's not cheap. With prices fluctuating, shopping for healthy foods can add up fast on a fixed income or tight budget.
The good news is grocery prices dropped slightly, 0.04%, in the Consumer Price Index for April 2025. Egg prices led the drop, down 12.7% from the previous month. It was the biggest decline for egg prices in 41 years, yet the cost of eggs remains 49% higher than one year ago.
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News 6 Anchor Bridgett Ellison talked to a registered dietitian from AdventHealth and some grocery shoppers about ways to stretch dollars and still stock up on healthy foods.
"The BOGOS are fantastic! I mean, my salad, love my salad and whatever else I can buy. All of my vegetables," Donna Marshall said.
Saving money on groceries and eating right are both important to Donna Marshall. As a retiree on a fixed income, she says it's a responsibility, whether she's in grocery stores, bulk wholesale stores, farmer's markets or teaming up with friends and neighbors.
"We all chip in, in the neighborhood. If we find something that is on sale or a BOGO and we know somebody in the neighborhood needs it or wants it, we go ahead and do that," she explained.
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Stocking up on healthy foods on a budget is a specialty for registered dietician Tiana Avendano. She works with clients who have health concerns or conditions that can be improved with thoughtful diet plans.
Many times, she says clients express concerns about food costs and their budgets. She helps customize a plan to meet their health goals and stay within their means.
Avendano says you can save on more pricey proteins or produce by comparing fresh vs canned vs frozen prices in store.
She uses a mock pantry in the office to help model examples of healthy shopping choices to look out for when clients get to the grocery store.
"You can definitely get protein different ways that's more economical. So, canned tuna, beans are a good plant-based source of protein. Salmon or mackerel (canned), that's in there. We even got canned veggies there as well, sometimes we may not be able to afford fresh veggies but canned veggies works just the same," she said, showing the items in the office.
To stretch dollars and make more servings, Avendano also recommends recipes that combine multiple healthy staples into a large dish, such as a stew, soup or casserole.
"Vegetables, can we turn them into a soup to where we can lengthen our food out? Rice or beans, to where we could stretch out our meals, make it last a few more portions, a few more days, feed more people with it, without having to go out and buy additional food items?" she said.
Here are some strategies for getting healthy groceries on a budget:
Check kitchen inventoryMake a shopping listSelect recipes beforehandCheck salesDon't shop hungryCheck nutrition labelsCompare fresh vs frozen vs cannedLoop for "in-season" savingsChoose the healthy items on sale or BOGOLook for store and generic brandsUse free store apps and couponsBuy local from farmers and neighborsBuy in bulk and share