Fruits & Vegetables

As budgets get tighter and you look for more ways to cut your food budget, you can still eat well. "It doesn't hurt nutrition-wise to switch to canned and frozen vegetable and fruits, if they're not packed in heavy syrup," says Jane Brody, personal health columnist for the New York Times. Canned and frozen veggies are picked at their peak of ripeness. They cost less and their nutritional value is as good or better than fresh produce. Brody, who has written three cookbooks, says it's time to bring back some old favorites. "Potatoes have been unfairly maligned," she says. "They're wonderful boiled, baked, mashed -- any way except deep fried." Cabbage, broccoli, carrots, kale, onions and peas fall into the welcome category.

Brody says for fresh vegetables and fruits, pick whatever is in season to get the best deal. She says when it comes to meats, such as chicken, beef and turkey, think about reducing how much you eat. "Most people eat too huge a portion." A portion size should be 3 ounces to 4 ounces. Look for alternative inexpensive sources for protein. "Beans are the bargain of the century," she says. "When you mix beans with any kind of starchy food, even bread -- preferably whole grain, of course, or brown rice or bulgur or even potatoes, you balance the protein in the bean and it's very inexpensive."