Inexpensive Fruits and Vegetables for Your Kids
Get more Greens in your Children’s Diet Cheaply; Best Coupons/Deals
Sep 29, 2008
With food costs rising, you can still get more fruits and vegetables into your family's diet; you just need to know where to look and how to shop.
Instead of Dorito’s, Frito’s and Oreo’s, kids need to be eating broccoli, cauliflower and beets. Try telling that to a 10 year old. Introducing healthy foods doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Getting them used to fruits and vegetables at an early age will help them develop a taste for healthy foods later on....and you don’t have to forgo fueling your car or paying the mortgage to do it.
How to Get more Fruits and Vegetables into Your Kids’ Diet Cheaply:
- But in season. Blueberries from Chili in the middle of winter might sound appealing, but they’ll cost more and you don’t know what type of herbicides Chilean farmers are using. Instead buy domestically grown oranges and grapefruit during the cold months, and leave the blueberries until summer when local farmers are harvesting them.
- Shop local farmers’ markets. You’ll save money by reducing the middle man. Farmers usually bring their produce to the market directly. Often, they will be the ones behind the counter as well. So if you have questions about the produce, you can ask the person that grows it. Transportation is a big factor in food prices. Buying locally grown fruits and vegetables saves gas and you’ll go home with the freshest produce.
- Shop warehouse clubs. Sure, you’ll need to buy a little bit more than you normally would. But if you find a great price on blackberries, eat what you can and freeze the rest to make a pie or muffins. You’ll also find great deals on bagged dried fruit. Often they taste a little sweeter than fresh, and carry the same amount of vitamins and anti-oxidants as fresh. Plus dried cranberries and apricots are great to pack for a school lunch.
- Take advantage of sales and coupons. Before you head to the store, do a quick internet search for frozen vegetable coupons. And check your local grocery store’s web site for their weekly sales flyer. Supermarkets usually update sales and specials once a week. You’ll come out way ahead if you can combine coupons with store sales. And if you have a favorite brand, check the company’s web site for coupons and rebates.
- Try grocery store alternatives. Drug stores and convenience stores often carry frozen vegetables and sometimes offer better sale prices. Don’t want to make too many trips? Bring the drug store coupon or sales flyer to your local supermarket. They should match the price.
The copyright of the article Inexpensive Fruits and Vegetables for Your Kids in Consumer Education is owned by L. Marie Dubuque. Permission to republish Inexpensive Fruits and Vegetables for Your Kids in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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