Nutrition on a shoestring

Buy Canada Choice vegetables and fruit instead of the higher priced Canada Fancy. They are just as nutritious and a better deal. Canada Choice still taste good, though they may not look as perfect or be as uniform in size as Canada Fancy. Most of the canned fruit I found was Canada Choice regardless of the brand.

Buy local produce in season when possible. Since it has travelled a shorter distance than imported produce, it has retained more of its nutritional value and taste. The following vegetables and fruits have high nutritional value: bok choy, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collard greens, corn, green beans, kale, romaine lettuce, potatoes, rutabagas, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, swiss chard, tomatoes, apples, bananas, blueberries, cranberries, grapes, grapefruit, kiwis, nectarines, oranges, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries.

Buy apples in bags instead of loose when you're planning to cook them. They may not be Canada Fancy but they will be just as nutritious. And they'll cost less. You may have to cut out some bruises or other blemishes before using.

Eat whole fruit more often. Whole fruit may cost more than juice, but you'll get the added benefit of fibre, and in some cases more vitamins and minerals, and you'll feel fuller longer. A 1/2-cup (125 mL) serving of regular orange juice from concentrate has only 0.9 grams of fibre. One fresh orange on the other hand provides 2.4 g fibre. With apples, most of the vitamins are just under the skin and are lost when made into juice. A fresh apple has fewer calories and more vitamin A, fibre and folate than apple juice. Berries, dried prunes and figs have the most fibre in the fruit category.

Stock up on canned and frozen vegetables and fruit when they are on sale. Choose canned fruit packed in juice rather than sugar syrup with no added sugar to cut down on sugar and calories. For some brands the no-added sugar will cost a bit more. Canned vegetables usually contain large amounts of sodium and should be drained and rinsed before using.

Plain frozen vegetables are a good buy with less waste as you can use the exact amount you need. They are also quick and easy to prepare. Fresh, frozen and canned vegetables and fruit are nutritionally similar. In fact, processed products may actually be higher in nutrients than the fresh. Choose from: Whole leaf spinach, chopped spinach, whole okra, cut broccoli, brussel sprouts, peas, cut green beans, corn, sweet peas, diced butternut squash or choose a mix, though note that mixed varieties can be marginally more expensive. Frozen vegetables are an excellent quick way to add lots of vegetables to soups, stews and casseroles to boost the fibre, vitamin and mineral content. Try broccoli for fibre and vitamin C. (Blanching before freezing results in some loss of vitamin C, however once produce is frozen, the vitamin is retained); chopped spinach for calcium, carotenoids, folate and riboflavin.

If you find that your lettuce is always going brown and slimy before you can eat it - try the pre-packaged salad greens. They are usually more expensive than buying plain lettuce but if it means you actually eat them instead of it being wasted, then they are relatively economical. It also saves a lot of time. Choose mixes that include darker lettuce such as romaine for more folate and antioxidants. Add tomato slices, diced fresh carrots and use a low-fat salad dressing or make your own. Low-fat versions are often the same price as the regular or full-fat salad dressings.

Stock up on canned tomatoes when they are on sale. Though fresh and canned tomatoes are almost identical nutritionally speaking (except that canned have quite a bit more sodium), cooking tomatoes with a little fat or oil makes it easier for the body to absorb the lycopene, an antioxidant that may help prevent prostate cancer, heart disease and age-related macular degeneration. What's more, except during harvest time, canned tomatoes taste better than fresh tomatoes.

Potatoes are versatile, economical and tasty. Top with fat-free sour cream (same price as regular sour cream) and snipped fresh chives. Or layer on chili with lots of kidney and black beans. Or chopped steamed broccoli with grated lower-fat Cheddar cheese. A well-topped potato can be a nutritious and filling meal in itself. Leave the skin on for the most fibre. Potatoes are also low in fat, are a good source of iron and contain folate and other important B-vitamins. Regular table potatoes are a bit cheaper than Yukon Gold and Russett.