Cost-effective grocery shopping means getting maximum value from your purchases. Here are my top picks of foods that deliver the most nutrition for less money:
Lentils: These cheap pantry staples are a fabulous source of folate, fiber, iron and protein. Among the least expensive legumes, lentils are the easiest to prepare because they don't need presoaking like their bean buddies. (Iberia, 12 ounces, $1.19.)
Whole-wheat pasta: Quinoa provides more protein plus goodly amounts of fiber and minerals, but cheap it's not (Arrowhead Mills organic quinoa, 14 ounces, $4.69). Whole wheat pasta runs a close nutritional second, with your full recommended 48 grams of whole grains in one serving, and is easier on the wallet (Mueller's whole grain spaghetti, 12 ounces, $1.19). It outperforms brown rice when it comes to iron, protein and fiber and costs less (Gourmet House organic brown rice, 14 ounces, $1.69)
Grapefruit: It's rich in cancer-busting lycopene and crazy with vitamin C. Fresh, local, in season, ripe and cheap, it was $3.59 for a 5-pound bag at my store last week. That's half a dozen grapefruit at 60 cents apiece. They keep for weeks in the fridge.
Strawberries: Florida berries are $2.50 per pound and they'll be cheaper as strawberry season peaks. They're higher in vitamin C than cherries, which are $2.49 a pound but are flown in from Chile. Wasting fossil fuel when a better option is right at hand isn't cost effective for you or the planet.
Greens: Florida leafy greens like Swiss chard and kale are in season at about $2.99 per bunch. Other seasonal Florida crops (green beans, zucchini, eggplant) cost less per pound, but greens are nutrient-rich, loaded with antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber and calcium. They offer more vitamin C than green beans, more calcium than milk. Splurge. You're worth it.
Ellen Kanner writes biweekly about vegetarian concerns. To see more of The Miami Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.herald.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Miami Herald Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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