Scrimping on Health Food

With America's economic crisis getting more pronounced by the hour, something's gotta give. Since most bills are unavoidable, many people say one of the only things left to "cut" or "skimp" on is food.

From CNN: Many families have changed their ways to keep food budgets under control. Some have cut the number of trips they make to the store, admitting that, once they're steering the shopping cart, they now focus more on their bottom line, than on nutrition.

"We're trying to go healthy, but it's just unbelievable, the organic everything is way too much, and with the cost of living you can't go healthy as much as you want to you know?"

"I like to eat healthy, but the foods are really expensive so I go around the store and look for um bargains but I don't find it that healthy, they've got too many contaminants and chemical and stuff, so I don't really like it, but you know it's the way I have to live now."

Most of the people say they'd love to be able to buy more fresh fruits and vegetables for their refrigerators, but after looking at the prices they usually end up in the canned food aisle buying fruits and vegetables they know won't be as healthy for them.

But Registered Dietitian Nancy Dell says canned vegetables are better than no vegetables at all. Your canned vegetables still have lots of nutrients if you want to get rid of the sodium, rinse them off, or buy ones that have no salt added. Dell says, if you're willing to do the research, it is possible to eat healthy on a budget. "If you look in the fliers for this week, you can get grape tomatoes 2 for $4.00. I went shopping today, I got carrots 69 cents a pound," said Dell.

Remember two sayings:

1. You are what you eat. If you eat poorly, you're spending more on co-pays, you're spending more on sick days.

2. Without my health, I have no wealth.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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