Least expensive healthy foods

[meadow lark]

I am trying to be super healthy and spend less on my food, and I wanted to crowd source some ideas.  I would rather not get into any arguments, so if someone lists kale, and you know kale is deadly, please just ignore it. 
My thoughts of the cheapest, healthiest foods:
Broccoli Sprouts grown at home
Carrots
Sweet potatoes
Beans of any kind
Red cabbage
Onions

[cl_noll]

Dry beans, dry whole grains, brown rice, organic carrots, etc...etc...

All cooked with the greatest efficiency (and energy savings) in a pressure cooker!

[ketchup]

Beyond what's already been said:

Salad greens that aren't pre-cut/pre-washed/pre-whatever.
Garlic (not pre-minced or pre-peeled etc)
Homemade sauerkraut and kimchi.
Organ meats (liver, etc.)
Cheap bone-in meats (with bones recycled into homemade stock)
Olive oil
Green tea
In-season berries

[Dances With Fire]

Greens, beans, and onions.

 (From a small urban gardeners point of view, I keep coming back to these. Need very little space with good yields if you want to grow your own. I have tested 100's of different varieties of veggies looking for the easiest, cheapest, best yield etc.) Also fairly cheap at the local market.

[soccerluvof4]

In the meat section you can always get Chicken thighs, legs, quarters from 69-99cents a lb. And pork chops are usually very inexpensive at least at Aldis.  I know you said healthy but its all in how you prepare them as well.

[dandypandys]

I am trying to be super healthy and spend less on my food, and I wanted to crowd source some ideas.  I would rather not get into any arguments, so if someone lists kale, and you know kale is deadly, please just ignore it. 
My thoughts of the cheapest, healthiest foods:
Broccoli Sprouts grown at home
Carrots
Sweet potatoes
Beans of any kind
Red cabbage
Onions

We grow Kale, collard and tomatoes really easily here in FL (what do you mean kale is deadly???? Hope you're joking )
We add organic flax seeds from Aldi to smoothies
We eat lentils like crazy, making them into Indian Daal is our fave, or soups.

[RonMcCord]

In terms of cheapest fruits in veggies, whatever is in season in your local area.  Having to ship them from another state or import them from another country is going to cost you more.

[GreenSheep]

In addition to things you can buy (lots of good ideas above), you might also consider growing some things yourself. Even if you only have a tiny windowsill or a little balcony, it can help a lot to grow some basil, rosemary, mint, or whatever herbs you use a lot. They're pretty low-maintenance, and they're an almost-free (after you buy the initial seeds or seedlings and dirt) way to add a ton of flavor to an otherwise potentially boring dish. Tomatoes can also be grown in a pot on a balcony, produce a lot, and can go in lots of dishes.

[Drole]

Seasonal.  I go to the local produce warehouses. Ex. Right now Organic Avocados are $20 for a box of 70 small ones.  So I pretty much eat avocado with everything right now. 

[abhe8]

How do you find a local produce warehouse? Are they only in big cities?

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[rebecca527]

Canned fish. Canned "light" tuna is one of the cheapest proteins you can buy, and I find sardines quite lovely as well (and they don't have the mercury issues tuna does, though tuna is better than it used to be and eating the light kind once a week or so won't hurt you). Make tuna patties (http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tuna_patties/), tuna melt baked potatoes, add it to pasta dishes/rice bowls, whatever.

[Drole]

abhe8:  they might only be in larger cities but imagine growing/rural regions must have chilled storage facilities for things like apples, etc.  They might sell to the public too.  Look for where restaurants or small stores get their stuff (besides sysco and the like..)  There's even one here that sells stuff that is basically rotting.

[moof]

Seasonal.  I go to the local produce warehouses. Ex. Right now Organic Avocados are $20 for a box of 70 small ones.  So I pretty much eat avocado with everything right now.

I wish!  I can't find the small ones for under $1.50 right now.  What region are you in?  I am sure someone is ripping the northwest off with some sort of scam.

Hint on brown rice:  Boil it for 25 minutes in 4:1 water:rice, strain in a fine mesh strainer.  Comes out perfectly cooked, best brown rice I've ever made after years of mushy burnt on the bottom attempts.

[MBot]

Oatmeal.

It partly depends on location. Here in the winter, root veggies at the local markets are incredibly cheap. Farmers keep them in cold storage and bring some out to sell week to week.

[Blueskies123]

Put oatmeal with either milk or water and raisins, vanilla, and cinnamon in the refrig before going to bed.  In the morning you will have the best cheap breakfast.

[HipGnosis]

Canned mackerel is a cheap protein.
Drain it well and toss any big bones. Rinse it and drain well again.
Put it in a ziplock and add some lemon juice and/or some apple cider vinegar.  Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal it up.  Let it marinate for 15-45 mins.
Use it in any salmon recipe.

I've read that the best place to buy dried beans and rice are ethnic markets that sell them in bulk / by the pound.
I also read that asian markets have some good deals on fish as they sell a lot more of it than 'regular' groceries. 

[meadow lark]

Thanks guys for taking the time to comment!

[FiftyIsTheNewTwenty]

Oatmeal, every day.  I put a few frozen berries and sliced almonds in it, which is cheap in small quantities, and healthier than the usual sweeteners.

Pillowcase-size bags of fresh spinach from Costco for $4.50 or so.

Fresh local collards, in season (just over with) for $3 for a giant head.

Pork loin for under $2.00/LB, and no waste -- usually from Costco.  Cut it into sections and freeze.

I'm a huge fan of canned fish, but too wary of mercury.  I do buy wild caught Alaskan  canned salmon, which is clean.  Walmart has it. 

Frozen Tilapia fillets from Walmart, $2.6x/LB in 2 and 4 LB bags.

I'm paying $1.30-1.50/LB for dried beans.  I know they're available for about half that from bulk distributors, but I haven't found a convenient one yet.

Barron's tahini from Amazon, 2 one-pound jars for $10.xx

[Peony]

Eggs! I just started making the Budgetbytes bibimbap recipe and I love how adding a sunnyside-up egg to the bowl (consisting of rice, spinach [I use collards too], spiced ground beef, sliced cuke and carrot, scallion, and a couple spoonfuls of kimchi) boosts the protein and cuts down on need for meat. Of course omelets or hardboiled eggs are also cheap tasty protein.

[CheapScholar]

I eat oatmeal for lunch at least a few days per week at work.  I get the big canister of instant oats at Aldi.  I also really like their instant steel cut oats.  I'll usually just add some coffee creamer and sugar from the break room.  I estimate each serving costs me a few cents.

I'm in my mid 30s and I notice a LOT of people go out for lunch everyday. 30s are interesting because you start noticing people putting on weight.  I've always been thin because I'm a runner, although I don't run as much as I used to.  But I see some of my peers spending $50 per week on lunch and getting fat.  I just eat my oatmeal and go for a walk if it's a nice day.

[Digital Dogma]

Swiss Chard is an excellent one to grow, in addition to kale, simply because its available for SO LONG throughout the growing season. Its not uncommon for us to see a few snow storms where the Swiss Chard is the only thing left standing strong in the garden next to the Kale in a few inches of snow. The stuff practically needs to be mowed it grows so fast. I love to steam it in a pot with some salt and butter, add it to chilli/soup, or use sprigs in the spring to top a salad.

In terms of shopping at a store, as lots have already commented here - BEANS! Beans and lentils are excellent.

When I go to costco I always make sure to buy a couple jars of pitted Kalamata olives for making greek pasta salad. They are SO cheap at costco when compared to the grocery store.

Lately I've been getting into using sliced/shredded raw cabbage in burrito, taco, sandwiches, and other places that crunchy stuff makes a major difference in preventing me from snacking on chips as a side junk food item.

I also love to use my instant pot to make greek yogurt, and I've been replacing this ingredient in recipes that call for Mayonnaise and Sour Cream with dabs of greek yogurt to reduce calories, and increase probiotic food intake.

[Tonyahu]

I personally find Sweet Potatoes fairly expensive compared to my other main carb source (rice), but that is the huge frugal bug in me. They are roughly $.50-1.00 per serving so still a good choice!

[pbkmaine]

Dried beans, big sacks of rice, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, bag apples and oranges. Aldi always has good prices on in-season produce and eggs (for the non vegans). Sam's Club usually has 6 heads of romaine for $4 or so.

ETA: forgot Oatmeal!

[Hotstreak]

Here's some cheap healthy proteins:


Liver - Cheap, good protein, HUGE amount of vitamins and minerals (so many that it can be dangerous to eat it too often).  Good for a cheap meal once a week or so.
When Protein - Cheap, good protein.  Very healthy.  About $1 for 30g of protein.  Mix with anything, like oats in the morning.. or buy flavored to eat by itself (in water).  Good meal replacement.


(I don't think beans super healthy, or I would have put those!)

[Johnez]

How is kale "deadly"? Was that a joke?

Cheapest and healthy-any produce in season.

[Neverstop]

Any kind of chicken and eggs are the cheapest form of animal protein.  They're all roughly 2 cents per gram of protein.

[Davnasty]

I've noticed several here have mentioned organic products, and I don't want to turn this into an organics debate, but if you're aiming for the bottom dollar healthy diet I would recommend taking the time to do some real research into organic. (and yes, I already feel your glares)

There are a lot of cases where the organic label doesn't mean the product is healthier or may not mean much at all, but you're always paying the premium. Sadly it's largely become a marketing tool, what really matters is good and efficient farming practices but regulations can't force farmers to be perfect. If you really want to know whether choosing organic is better (for your health or the environment) you should look into the type of product (carrots vs. apples vs. wheat) and see what the difference between organic and conventional really means.

Personally I choose to buy nothing organic, but I make it a point to eat mostly fruits, vegetables, whole grain starches (like rice, oatmeal, grits) and a few high calorie cheap cuts of meat. Even if it was so clear cut as organic = better, I would end up choosing less fresh vegetables if I insisted they were all organic because deep down I know that my frugal muscle has some cheap-twitch fibers :)

[Fish Sweet]

I find that as long as you don't buy premade/processed versions of stuff and minimize meat consumption, it's hard not to get a reasonable grocery bill. I still don't know how to buy quality meats for a reasonable price though.

This depends somewhat on where you live, but have a look at any ethnic grocery markets in your area.  Korean, Chinese, Mexican, and Indian markets tend to have cheaper produce and meats, Japanese markets tends to be a little more expensive (and sometimes correspondingly higher quality).

Also, traditionally "unpopular" cuts of meat in the US also tend to be cheaper.  Chicken breast is hideously expensive and imo the most inferior part of the chicken.  Thighs and drumsticks can vary anywhere from 50 cents/lb (!!!) to about $5/lb if you're buying the fancy ultra organic nice stuff, which is still cheaper than breast.  Gizzards and hearts and liver you can sometimes buy for a song.  Pig ear, beef tongue, tendon, tripe can vary in price, but they're all delicious and sometimes you can also buy them for a song.

[Hotstreak]

Also, traditionally "unpopular" cuts of meat in the US also tend to be cheaper.  Chicken breast is hideously expensive and imo the most inferior part of the chicken.  Thighs and drumsticks can vary anywhere from 50 cents/lb (!!!) to about $5/lb if you're buying the fancy ultra organic nice stuff, which is still cheaper than breast.  Gizzards and hearts and liver you can sometimes buy for a song.  Pig ear, beef tongue, tendon, tripe can vary in price, but they're all delicious and sometimes you can also buy them for a song.

100%!  In addition to being cheaper, the organ meats tend to have a vastly superior nutritional profile.  One of my favorite recipe's is Asian stir-fry with chicken hearts.

[Helvegen]

Chickpeas are my favorite meat sub bar none and the macros are really good on them.

[Kiwi Fuzz]

I've noticed several here have mentioned organic products, and I don't want to turn this into an organics debate, but if you're aiming for the bottom dollar healthy diet I would recommend taking the time to do some real research into organic. (and yes, I already feel your glares)

...

Yeah, organic farming can still use pesticides and herbicides - just not synthetic ones. Just because something is natural it doesn't mean that it's non-toxic. Some natural (non-synthetic) pest/herbicides are apparently worse for the environment than synthetic ones.

For cheap foods:

Meats/Protein
Canned: tuna, Mackerel (makes a great fish pie), sardines. Frozen: Tilapia from Wal-Mart (as someone else mentioned).

Fresh: Eggs. (I don't buy free range because in the US it's little more meaningful than 'organic'. Basically, hens just have to have the potential to reach the outside world - they may be crammed so tightly into a giant barn that they'll never get near the door, though.)

Legumes - dried: red lentils (you can soak in hot water and they will be cooked in minutes or just add to soups etc. while cooking. Very cheap from Indian grocery stores as it's a common staple in their cuisine (dhal)), pinto beans, black beans, chickpeas/garbanzo beans and so on.

Fruit/Vegetables
Bananas (You can freeze any that don't get eaten when perfect, if you're picky, and blend them in smoothies or make banana 'ice cream' with them), apples
Celery, carrots, onions, cabbage, cucumber

Nuts/Seeds
(Buy in bulk and from ethnic grocers if you can - not in the baking section of the supermarket where they sell 5oz packages as specialty items)
Chia seeds (1 tbsp. per serving so a 2lb $10 jar (Wal-Mart) is 70 servings with 3g protein and 15g fiber), peanuts/peanut butter, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, almonds (raw).

Grains
Brown rice (more expensive than white but more filling and smaller serve size (1/2c brown vs. 3/4 cup white) purchase at Indian grocery in bulk), store brand unbleached flour (for making bread/baking).

I don't eat red meat or dairy, and tend to avoid wheat mostly, due to digestive issues so I can't be much help there. I think people have already said most of my suggestions but I only skimmed so hopefully there's something original in my suggestions.

[TheAnonOne]

I didn't read through all of this but...

Eggs

They have got to be nearly one of the healthiest foods and are 1 step away from being free.

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[golden1]

Sigh...I really wish I liked eggs, just never could stand the taste or small.


Breakfast:  Oatmeal, toast and peanut butter or jam

Lunch, dinner:  Rice beans, chicken thighs, occasionally ground beef.  Pasta, mac and cheese.  PB&J or grilled cheese sandwiches.  Soups. Seasonal fruits and veggies.  Don't be afraid of frozen or canned if it minimizes waste.  I have a hard time with fresh veggies, and sometimes would end up chucking them. 

Even if you minimize meat and treat it like a garnish, you can cut costs pretty effectively.

[galliver]

There isn't really such a thing as a "healthy food." If you just eat one food you'll probably ingest toxic amounts of some nutrient while being horribly deficient in something else. You really have to look at the whole diet.

Most of our diet is fresh produce, fresh meat, some dried beans and grains, and pasta. What runs up the bill: (fancy) cheese, deli meat, alcohol/beverages, prepared foods (we keep dumplings for "f*ck-it-all nights" to prevent takeout temptations). Which aren't the most nutritious, anyway, but they keep things interesting, or keep us fed when assembling ingredients is too much.

I've found that choice of store is also really important. When we found a local store (Super King, for SoCal humans) where it's hard to find produce over $1.50/lb, and bunches of parsley and cilantro are ~$0.10 on a regular basis, our grocery bill dropped even though we denied ourselves nothing.

Some have been saying that local, in-season, and minimally processed is going to be cheaper; that's not necessarily true. Think of tomatoes: fresh is almost always more expensive because they spoil quickly and are hard to transport without damaging. Process the tomato into sauce (etc) and can it a few miles from the field, and you have a shelf-stable product that's easy to transport. Furthermore, economies of scale for growing and shipping, e.g. strawberries from CA or Mexico to the rest of the US can beat local strawberries transported in a farmer's pickup. Citrus transports really well but doesn't grow well in much of the US; but I don't think that's a good reason to give them up (if you find oranges expensive, think lemons and limes, which are a great cheap way to add flavor and Vit C almost anywhere).

[Michread]

Marty Kendall has a list of the optimal foods for optimal nutrition

https://optimisingnutrition.com/author/martykendall/

[MsPeacock]

My sense is that if I cook from scratch I'm doing pretty well in terms of nutrition and cost. We eat mostly venison since my boyfriend is a hunter - which is extremely low in fat (and of course it is "organic").

Aldi has been the best store for me overall in terms of price. I find the produce at Costco to come in containers that are too large for me to use, and the produce seems to spoil VERY fast and be close to the expiration date.

[Beardog]

... Cheapest and healthy-any produce in season.

I second this!  Supermarkets in my area have started to sell produce by the bunch or unit rather than by the pound.  Don't be fooled by this!  If you carry the produce over to the scale and weigh it, you may find that the cost per pound is exorbitant.  For example, small bunches of various types of greens for $3.00 or $4.00.  Also, supermarkets are selling fruit by the unit, i.e. 5 for $5.00.  This also makes it difficult to know what you are paying per pound.

In my area, I'm able to get (relatively) good deals on bagged spinach.  Not the fancy baby spinach that comes in plastic containers, but bagged spinach.

In my area, usually the cheapest fruit is sold in bags, where I can get oranges, grapefruits and apples for about $1.00/lb.  I often find when I weigh a bag of fruit that it weighs more than the weight listed on the bag, making it an even better deal.  But I recommend that you weigh things that aren't sold by weight to get a true picture of the cost.

[TomTX]

Um, why red cabbage? Around here it costs 2x as much as green cabbage.

[FiftyIsTheNewTwenty]

Chickpeas are my favorite meat sub bar none and the macros are really good on them.

Super-low glycemic index too, in general and vs. other beans.

[PDXTabs]

Canned sardines in water. I like to serve them over salad with olive oil and a nice balsamic vinegar.