With food prices continually increasing, we need to find ways to stretch every dollar while prioritizing our nutrition. In this article, I will share five ways you can stretch your food budget and continue to eat healthy.

Reduce Food Waste

According to research conducted by the National Zero Waste Council in 2022, the average Canadian household will waste approximately 140 kg of food each year. This wasted food ends up costing a household a staggering $1,300 yearly. Research suggests that 63% of the food wasted is avoidable—which means it could have been eaten. Keep these tips in mind to minimize waste.

• Plan your meals ahead of time. Take a few minutes at the start of the week, before shopping, to plan what you and your family will eat. Look at what you have on hand and what needs to be used, and prioritize making those meals earlier in the week.
• Plan one night per week as the fridge “clean-out” night. Your meal can be a mix of leftovers, or throw all your almost bad produce into a soup.
• Freeze leftovers you likely won’t be eating before they sit too long in your fridge.
• Fruits that have gone soft—like apples, peaches, plums, and blueberries—make for delicious sauces. Overripe bananas can be frozen for baked treats later.
• Repurpose leftovers into lunches or another meal. For example, use your leftover roasted chicken to make quesadillas or chicken wraps the following day.

Ways to Use Eggs as a Protein Booster

• Cook into rice or quinoa
• Mix into soup meals
• Cook and mix into oatmeal

Protein Stretching

This is a strategy that means using less meat per meal while still focusing on keeping the meal nutritious and protein-rich.

• Adding beans to dishes to reduce the amount of meat used. For example, adding lentils to ground beef, white beans to sausage meat, or black beans to ground chicken/turkey.
• Use eggs as a protein booster. These can be cooked into casseroles, soups, or rice, or even added to bowls. Boil a few eggs at a time for easy and nutritious breakfasts on-the-go.
• Use protein-rich pasta (for example, bean- or quinoa-based pastas).
• Use cheese and Greek yogurt to add to the total protein of the meal. For example, making sauces with Greek yogurt or adding cheese to a bean dish.

Purchase the Least Expensive Cuts of Meat

These cuts tend to be cheaper and when cooked properly can be just as tasty.

• Ground meat
• Meat with the bone in, like chicken drumsticks or chicken thighs
• Chuck roast
• Pork shoulder
• Pork loin
• Ribs
• Canned or frozen options like canned salmon and tuna, frozen salmon, or shrimp

Tip: Slow cook, braise, or marinate these meats before cooking. They will come out deliciously tender.

Ways to Use Beans as a Protein Booster

• Mix lentils into ground meats
• Add beans to salads
• Snack on dry-roasted chickpeas or edamame beans
• Add beans to soups
• Mix beans into pasta sauces (option to blend them into the sauce)

Use Canned or Frozen Fruits and Vegetables

According to Canadian research by Love Food Hate Waste, vegetables account for 30% of the total food wasted in each household, with fruits accounting for 15%. Together, fruits and vegetables make up the largest amount of food wasted in homes.

If you find yourself wasting fruits and vegetables regularly, or not finding what you need on special, try using frozen or canned options more often. Frozen fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh and are often the cheaper option.

Add in Nutrition Boosters That Are Budget‑friendly

These are foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, but also cost-effective.

• Ground flaxseeds or chia seeds. These can be added to yogurt bowls, oatmeal, and smoothies.
• Cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash.
• Nuts and seeds or nut/seed butters that can be used in smoothies, oatmeal, or yogurt; served on sliced bread, toppers for salad; and so much more!

Eat Seasonally

Eating seasonally costs you less. When a fruit or vegetable is in season, there is more supply of that product, and more supply means lower prices for the consumer (aka you)! For example, asparagus is always significantly cheaper when it’s in season in Canada in May and June, as are apples in the fall.

During peak season, the fruits and vegetables will have less spoilage and maintain their freshness longer, which also leads to less food waste—a win-win situation!

Here are some signs that the produce is in season: lowered prices, placed on display near the front of the store, labelled product of Canada, and mentioned in grocery fliers.

Another way to access local fresh produce is by visiting your local farmers markets. This is a great way to support local farmers and eat more local produce.

The next time you head to the grocery store, take inventory of what you have available first, make a list of what you need, and plan. This will save you time, stress, and money!

Angela Wallace, BSc, MSc, RDN

Angela is a registered dietitian, family food expert, and personal trainer with a passion for helping women and kids thrive through better nutrition. She specializes in weight management and digestive health.

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