Healthy Foods Under $5

 

 Eat Healthy On A Low Budget

Apples










What's a serving? 1 large apple.

Price per serving: About $1. Apples sell for about $1.99 per pound, and an extra large crisp apple weighs about 1/2 pound.

Nutrition Info per serving: About 118 calories, 5.5 grams fiber, 18% Daily Value for vitamin C, and 7% Daily Value for potassium.  

Bananas



Bananas Great for: Snacks and fruit salads, yogurt parfaits, and smoothies.

What's a serving? 1 banana.

Price per serving: About 45 cents. Bananas sell for about $0.89 per pound, and a large banana weighs about 1/2 pound

Nutrition Info per serving: About 121 calories, 3.5 grams fiber, 14% Daily Value for potassium (487 mg), 20% Daily Value for vitamin C. 

Baby Carrots

 

Baby Carrots (in bags)Great for: Snacks, casseroles, stews, veggie platters, and side dishes.

What's a serving? About 1/2 cup or 2 ounces raw.Price per serving: 19 cents. A 16-ounce bag costs about $1 on sale and contains about 8 servings (2 ounces each).
Nutrition Info per serving: About 21 calories, 2 grams of fiber, and 166% Daily Value for vitamin A.

Canned Beans

 

Canned Beans Great for: Green salads, casseroles, stews, and chili. Types of beans range from 50% less sodium kidney beans and black beans to white beans and garbanzo beans. 

What's a serving? Each can contains about 3.5 (1/2-cup) servings.

Price per serving: About 28 cents. You can buy a 15-ounce can for about $1 on sale.

Nutrition Info per serving: About 108   calories (for kidney beans), 7 grams protein, 7 grams fiber, 12% Daily Value for foliate, 8% Daily Value for iron and 9% Daily Value for potassium

Canned Tomatoes 

 

Canned Tomatoes Great for: Italian and Mexican recipes, chili, stew, and casseroles. Flavor options range from no-salt-added sliced stewed tomatoes to diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil.

What's a serving? One can contains about 3.5 (1/2-cup) servings.

Price per serving: About 28 cents. You can buy a 14.5-ounce can for about $1 on sale (often less for store brands).

Nutrition Info per serving: About 20 calories, 1 gram fiber, 7% Daily Value of potassium, and 19% Daily Value of vitamin C.

Oranges

 

Oranges (extra large navel oranges)Great for: Snacks, green salads, and fruit salads.

What's a serving? 1 large or extra large orange.

Price per serving: 40 cents for a large orange and 79 cents for an extra large orange. Oranges sell for around $0.79 per pound, and a large orange is about 1/2 pound, whereas an extra large orange is about 1 pound.

Nutrition Info per serving: (for an 8 ounce orange): About 86   calories, 4.5   grams fiber, 5 % Daily Value for vitamin A, 163 % Daily Value vitamin C, 14 % Daily Value for folate, 7 % Daily Value for calcium, and 10% Daily Value %for potassium.

Pears 



PearsGreat for: Snacks, as an appetizer with cheese, green salads, and fruit salads.

What's a serving? 1 large pear

Price per serving: about 45 cents for a large pear. Pears sell for about $0.90 per pound, and a large pear weighs about 1/2 pound.

Nutrition Info per serving: About 133 calories, 7 grams of fiber, 16% Daily Value for vitamin C, and 8% for potassium.

Lentils

 

Lentils (dry)Great for: Soups and stews, cold bean salads, and casseroles.

What's a serving? 2 ounces (dry)

Price per serving: 14 cents. A 16 ounce bag sells for $1.12 (on sale) and contains eight servings.

Nutrition Info per serving: 200   calories, 15   grams protein, 17   grams fiber, 24% Daily Value for Iron, 17 % Daily Value for magnesium, 16% Daily Value for   potassium, and 68% Daily Value for foliate.

Pearl Barley

 

Pearl Barley (dry)Great for: Soups and stews, cold salads, and casseroles.

What's a serving? 2 ounces (dry)

Price per serving: About 12 cents. A 16 ounce bag of dry pearl barley sells for about $0.94 and contains about 8 servings.

Nutrition Info per serving: 200   calories, 9 grams fiber, , 6 grams protein, 8% Daily Value for iron, and 11% Daily Value for magnesium.

Yogurt

 

Yogurt (plain, low fat, or fat-free)Great for: Smoothies, yogurt parfait, dips, and dressings.

What's a serving? An 8-ounce or 6-ounce container is usually a serving.

Price per serving: 60 cents. This is usually the price for an 8-ounce container of plain fat-free yogurt.

Nutrition Info per serving: (for 8 ounces of fat-free plain yogurt): 127   calories, 13 grams of protein, 45% Daily Value for calcium, 11% Daily Value for magnesium, 17% Daily Value for potassium, and 7% Daily Value for foliate.

A Visual Guide to 15 Healthy Snacks

Most vending machines are stocked full of junk food. With a bit of planning it is possible to replace those snacks with foods that will nourish your body.
The challenge is to balance convenience with nutrition.
Here is a pictorial guide to a selection of healthy snacks - and remember - healthy eating is not just about the number of calories*.

Raw Almonds Serving shown: 20 almonds
Calories: 139

Raw Mixed Nuts Serving shown: 30g / ~1oz
Calories: 178

Dried Fruit Serving shown: 40g / 1.4oz
Calories: 97
Note: Dried fruits are more calorie dense (per weight) than fresh fruit - and are easier to overeat.

Mandarin Serving shown: 180g, 1 medium & 1 small.
Calories: 95
Note: Great packaging. Small portions. Seasonal

Apple Serving shown: 185g / 6.5oz
Calories: 96

Banana Serving shown: 1 medium banana - 118g
Calories: 105
Note: Nicely prepackaged.

Grapes Serving shown: 215g / 7.6oz
Calories: 148
Note: Seasonal

Tuna Serving shown: 85g / 3oz
Calories: 99
Note: Be wary of tuna in oil - many of the oils are vegetable oils (high in omega-6 rather than omega-3 EFA's).

Dried Peas Serving shown: 25g / .9oz
Calories: 72
Note: Find in bulk bins - often with different seasonings.

Popcorn Serving shown: 2 cups
Calories: 62 (air-popped)
Calories:110 (oil-popped)
No condiments added.
Note: Avoid per-packaged popcorn (often contains trans fat).

Baby Carrots Serving shown: 170g / 6oz
Calories: 60
Note: Convenient - can buy pre-washed and pre-bagged.

Celery & Hummus Serving shown: 40g / 1.4oz hummus
Calories: 108
Note: Buy celery pre-cut and pre-washed. Goes well with many other dips.

Cherry Tomatoes Serving shown: 150g / 1 Cup
Calories: 27
Note: Seasonal.

Whole-grain Crispbread with Cottage Cheese Serving shown: 1 cracker + ~45g (1.5oz) cottage cheese (light)
Calories: 70
Note: Aim for crispbreads or crackers that are completely whole grain and have a minimal amount of oil.

Bean Salad 80g / 2.8oz
Calories: 90

Functional Fruit
All fruits are great - however many have a very short season (berries, peaches, nectarines) and others can be a bit too messy if you are at work (grapefruit, oranges, melon).

It's Not Just About Calories
Some snacks may be low in calories, but lack in other essential nutrients. Some snacks do nothing to satisfy the appetite. What's the point in saving 20 calories just to be gnawingly hungry 15 minutes later? No vending machine will be safe from you...

Not Everyone Needs to Snack
For some people - three square meals works fine. For others, snacking is a way of life - and without a little pre-planning - most of those snacks will not be the best choices.
Snacking is a great way to maintain even energy levels and manage hunger and prevent bingeing.

Building Positive Habits
Snacking is habit forming. Switch out bad food choices for good ones - and before you know it - your 3 hourly pilgrimage to the vending machine will be a thing of the past.

NOTE: All items were carefully weighed and measured. Calorie amounts came from the USDA nutrient database or from labels.