Healthy Heart Resources & Tips
Book NowHealthy Foods Under $1
Eating healthy on a budget can seem difficult; but it can be done! Being creative can help you stick to your budget and incorporate nutritious foods into your diet. Try to incorporate some of these healthy foods under $1 into your weekly menu planning.
1. Apples
Great for: Snacks, green salads, main dish salads, and fruit salads.
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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 folate, 8% Daily Value for iron and 9% Daily Value for potassium
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Pears
Great 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.
8. 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 folate.
9. 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.
10. Yogurt (plain, lowfat, 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 folate.
11. Eggs
Great for: omelets, hardboiled, salads
What’s a serving? 1 medium egg (Limit egg yolks to more than four yolks per week)
Price per serving: about 13 cents per egg
Nutrition Info per serving: 63 calories, 4g fat, 186mg cholesterol, 62mg sodium, 0g carbohydrates, 6g protein
12. Broccoli
Great for: steamed as a side dish, tossed in salads, mixed in brown rice or whole wheat pasta dishes, a snack with veggie dip
What’s a serving? 1 cup raw, ½ cup cooked
Price per serving: about 45 cents per serving ($1.79 per crown, each crown has approximately 4 servings)
Nutrition Info per serving (raw): 20 calories, 0g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 19mg sodium, 4g carbohydrates, 2g protein, 43% Daily Value of Vitamin A, 110% Daily Value of Vitamin C
13. Sweet Potato
Great for: baked, mashed, steamed
What’s a serving? 1 medium potato (150g-no skin )
Price per serving: about 50 cents per potato
Nutrition Info per serving: 115 calories, 0g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 41 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 2 g protein, 475 % Daily Value of Vitamin A, 32 % Daily Value of Vitamin C
14. Brown Rice
Great for: stir fry, steamed with veggies
What’s a serving? ½ cup cooked
Price per serving: about 10 cents per serving ($1.99/bag, about 20 servings per bag)
Nutrition Info per serving: 109 calories, 1g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 5 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 3g protein
15. Snap Peas
Great for: snacking, mixed into brown rice or whole wheat pasta dishes
What’s a serving? ½ cup cooked or 1 cup raw
Price per serving: about 25 cents per serving (99 cents/lb)
Nutrition Info per serving (cooked): 34 calories, 0g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 3 mg sodium, 6 g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 3g protein, 64 % Daily Value of Vitamin C, 16 % Daily Value of Vitamin A, 10 % Daily Value of Iron
16. Green Tea
Great for: cold or hot beverage
What’s a serving? 1 tea bag brewed in 1 cup of water
Price per serving: about 13 cents per bag ($2.50 for a box of 20 bags)
Nutrition Info per serving: numerous antioxidants, 0 calories, 0mg sodium
17. Oats
Great for: hot oatmeal, baking
What’s a serving? ½ cup cooked
Price per serving: about 18 cents per serving
Nutrition Info per serving: 83 calories, 2g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 5 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 3g protein
18. Spinach
Great for: tossed salads, steamed as a side dish
What’s a serving? 1 cup raw or ½ cup cooked
Price per serving: about 80 cents per serving (based on a $2.39 pre-packaged bag with 3 servings; *each serving will be cheaper when purchasing fresh spinach instead of pre-packaged)
Nutrition Info per serving (raw): 7 calories, 0g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 24 mg sodium, 1g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 1g protein, 56 % Daily Value of Vitamin A, 2 % Daily Value of Folate, 181 % Daily Value of Vitamin K, 5 % Daily Value of Iron, 3% Daily Value of Calcium.