Eat healthy: live healthy....

You want to eat healthy, but… when you see a basket full of “all natural” and “organic” items ringing up at the grocery store register, your budget is blown. Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

Frozen and canned vegetables and fruits last longer than fresh produce so they won’t go to waste, and they’re typically more affordable, too. Better still, canned and frozen produce items are packaged right after harvesting, so their nutrients are well-preserved.

The meat in your grocery cart may be packed with protein, but it could be adding more cost to your grocery bill—and unhealthy saturated fat to your diet. Animal meat also requires higher feed and transportation expenses than other foods. And studies show that vegetarians and fish-eaters tend to have lower body mass indexes than those who predominantly eat meat.

On average, generic and store-brand grocery items may cost as much as 40 percent less than name-brand items. In most cases, the two products are essentially the same. Like national brands, all store-brand products undergo quality and safety checks before they make their way to grocery store shelves.