Adding fruits and vegetables to your plate doesn’t have to kill your grocery budget. Use some of these tricks to get more nutritional bang for your buck!

1. Buy what’s in season. When fruits and vegetables are in season locally, they’re usually less expensive than those shipped over long distances. For example, you can learn more about about peaches, one of this month’s At Season’s Peak items. Be sure to check out publix.com for a year-round list of At Season’s Peak fruits and vegetables, along with recipes and important tips.
2. Shop the canned and frozen aisles. The nutritional value of canned and frozen fruits and vegetables can be just as good as when they’re fresh. Both options can stretch your dollar and last longer than their fresh counterparts. When shopping, make sure you pick items low in sodium or with no added salt. Frozen fruits shouldn’t have any added sugars, and canned fruits should be packaged in water or 100% fruit juice.
3. Buy Publix brand items. Whether you’re looking for frozen, canned or dried fruits and vegetables, Publix brand items are often less expensive than name brand competitors, and they taste just as good!
4. Buy less, but more often. If you find yourself throwing produce in the trash, buy smaller quantities. You can buy one or two apples or bananas rather than a whole bag or bunch.
5. Plan your meals and make a grocery list. When you decide ahead of time what you’ll cook for the week, you can plan your budget around the ingredients you need. You can even cook large portions and freeze them for quick meals later.
6. Check the weekly ad for specials. Then stock up on fresh items you eat a lot, or canned and frozen options you use less frequently.

Also, think about trading less nutritious snacks or foods for fruits and vegetables. A small bag of apples or a bunch of bananas is about the same price as a bag of chips or box of cookies. But the fruit provides you with more nutrients and fills you up without the fat, added salt or added sugar.

Now that you know how to fit fruits and vegetables into your budget, you can easily Color Your Plate for every meal!

Sources: choosemyplate.gov, fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org, recipes.heart.org

Introducing Kudos Corner

We’re adding a new section to our Publix News Life. Inspired. insert. Kudos corner is a place for you to share your health and wellness success stories. Whether you’ve met a fitness goal, quit smoking or found a way to manage your stress, other associates would love to be inspired by you!

So if you have a story you’d like to share, send an email to Publix.LifeInspired@publix.com. You might see yourself in a future Publix News Life. Inspired. insert!