Just because food prices are rising, it doesn’t mean you can’t make healthy food choices. In fact, there are many foods that are both good for you are cheap. Here the  top healthy foods you can find in your grocery store for under a dollar.

Prices may vary based on the store, location, and time of year.

Source: Elaine Magee, MPH, RD

1. Apples

Great for: Snacks, green salads, main dish salads, and fruit salads.

What’s a serving? 1 large apple.

Price per serving: About $1. Apples sell for about $1.99 per pound, and an extra large crisp apple weighs about 1/2 pound.

Nutrition Info per serving: About 118 calories, 5.5 grams fiber, 18% Daily Value for vitamin C, and 7% Daily Value for potassium.

 

2. Bananas

Great for: Snacks and fruit salads, yogurt parfaits, and smoothies.

What’s a serving? 1 banana.

Price per serving: About 45 cents. Bananas sell for about $0.89 per pound, and a large banana weighs about 1/2 pound

Nutrition Info per serving: About 121 calories, 3.5 grams fiber, 14% Daily Value for potassium (487 mg), 20% Daily Value for vitamin C.

 

3. Baby Carrots (in bags)

Great for: Snacks, casseroles, stews, veggie platters, and side dishes.

What’s a serving? About 1/2 cup or 2 ounces raw.

Price per serving: 19 cents. A 16-ounce bag costs about $1 on sale and contains about 8 servings (2 ounces each).

Nutrition Info per serving: About 21 calories, 2 grams of fiber, and 166% Daily Value for vitamin A.

 

4. Canned Beans

Great for: Green salads, casseroles, stews, and chili. Types of beans range from 50% less sodium kidney beans and black beans to white beans and garbanzo beans.

What’s a serving? Each can contains about 3.5 (1/2-cup) servings.

Price per serving: About 28 cents. You can buy a 15-ounce can for about $1 on sale.

Nutrition Info per serving: About 108   calories (for kidney beans), 7 grams protein, 7 grams fiber, 12% Daily Value for folate, 8% Daily Value for iron and 9% Daily Value for potassium

 

5. Canned Tomatoes

Great for: Italian and Mexican recipes, chili, stew, and casseroles. Flavor options range from no-salt-added sliced stewed tomatoes to diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil.

What’s a serving? One can contains about 3.5 (1/2-cup) servings.

Price per serving: About 28 cents. You can buy a 14.5-ounce can for about $1 on sale (often less for store brands).

Nutrition Info per serving: About 20 calories, 1 gram fiber, 7% Daily Value of potassium, and 19% Daily Value of vitamin C.

 

6. Oranges (extra large navel oranges)

Great for: Snacks, green salads, and fruit salads.

What’s a serving? 1 large or extra large orange.

Price per serving: 40 cents for a large orange and 79 cents for an extra large orange. Oranges sell for around $0.79 per pound, and a large orange is about 1/2 pound, whereas an extra large orange is about 1 pound.

Nutrition Info per serving: (for an 8 ounce orange): About 86   calories, 4.5   grams fiber, 5 % Daily Value for vitamin A, 163 % Daily Value vitamin C, 14 % Daily Value for folate, 7 % Daily Value for calcium, and 10% Daily Value % for potassium.

 

7. Pears

Great for: Snacks, as an appetizer with cheese, green salads, and fruit salads.

What’s a serving? 1 large pear

Price per serving: about 45 cents for a large pear. Pears sell for about $0.90 per pound, and a large pear weighs about 1/2 pound.

Nutrition Info per serving: About 133 calories, 7 grams of fiber, 16% Daily Value for vitamin C, and 8% for potassium.

 

8. Lentils (dry)

Great for: Soups and stews, cold bean salads, and casseroles.

What’s a serving? 2 ounces (dry)

Price per serving: 14 cents. A 16 ounce bag sells for $1.12 (on sale) and contains eight servings.

Nutrition Info per serving: 200   calories, 15   grams protein, 17   grams fiber, 24% Daily Value for Iron, 17 % Daily Value for magnesium, 16% Daily Value for   potassium, and 68% Daily Value for folate.

 

9. Pearl Barley (dry)

Great for: Soups and stews, cold salads, and casseroles.

What’s a serving? 2 ounces (dry)

Price per serving: About 12 cents. A 16 ounce bag of dry pearl barley sells for about $0.94 and contains about 8 servings.

Nutrition Info per serving: 200   calories, 9 grams fiber, , 6 grams protein, 8% Daily Value for iron, and 11% Daily Value for magnesium.

 

10. Yogurt (plain, lowfat, or fat-free)

Great for: Smoothies, yogurt parfait, dips, and dressings.

What’s a serving? An 8-ounce or 6-ounce container is usually a serving.

Price per serving: 60 cents. This is usually the price for an 8-ounce container of plain fat-free yogurt.

Nutrition Info per serving: (for 8 ounces of fat-free plain yogurt): 127   calories, 13 grams of protein, 45% Daily Value for calcium, 11% Daily Value for magnesium, 17% Daily Value for potassium, and 7% Daily Value for folate.

 

11. Eggs

Great for: omelets, hardboiled, salads

What’s a serving? 1 medium egg (Limit egg yolks to no more than four yolks per week)

Price per serving: about 13 cents per egg

Nutrition Info per serving: 63 calories, 4g fat, 186mg cholesterol, 62mg sodium, 0g carbohydrates, 6g protein

 

12. Broccoli

Great for: steamed as a side dish, tossed in salads, mixed in brown rice or whole wheat pasta dishes, a snack with veggie dip

What’s a serving? 1 cup raw, ½ cup cooked

Price per serving: about 45 cents per serving ($1.79 per crown, each crown has approximately 4 servings)

Nutrition Info per serving (raw): 20 calories, 0g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 19mg sodium, 4g carbohydrates, 2g protein, 43% Daily Value of Vitamin A, 110% Daily Value of Vitamin C

 

13. Sweet Potato

Great for: baked, mashed, steamed

What’s a serving? 1 medium potato (150g-no skin )

Price per serving: about 50 cents per potato

Nutrition Info per serving: 115 calories, 0g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 41 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 2 g protein, 475 % Daily Value of Vitamin A, 32 % Daily Value of Vitamin C

 

14. Brown Rice

Great for: stir fry, steamed with veggies

What’s a serving? ½ cup cooked

Price per serving: about 10 cents per serving ($1.99/bag, about 20 servings per bag)

Nutrition Info per serving: 109 calories, 1g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 5 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 3g protein

 

15. Snap Peas

Great for: snacking, mixed into brown rice or whole wheat pasta dishes

What’s a serving? ½ cup cooked or 1 cup raw

Price per serving: about 25 cents per serving (99 cents/lb)

Nutrition Info per serving (cooked): 34 calories, 0g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 3 mg sodium, 6 g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 3g protein, 64 % Daily Value of Vitamin C, 16 % Daily Value of Vitamin A, 10 % Daily Value of Iron

 

16. Green Tea

Great for: cold or hot beverage

What’s a serving? 1 tea bag brewed in 1 cup of water

Price per serving: about 13 cents per bag ($2.50 for a box of 20 bags)

Nutrition Info per serving: numerous antioxidants, 0 calories, 0 mg sodium

 

17. Oats

Great for: hot oatmeal, baking

What’s a serving? ½ cup cooked

Price per serving: about 18 cents per serving

Nutrition Info per serving: 83 calories, 2g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 5 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 3g protein

 

18. Spinach

Great for: tossed salads, steamed as a side dish

What’s a serving? 1 cup raw or ½ cup cooked

Price per serving: about 80 cents per serving (based on a $2.39 pre-packaged bag with 3 servings; *each serving will be cheaper when purchasing fresh spinach instead of pre-packaged)

Nutrition Info per serving (raw): 7 calories, 0 g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 24 mg sodium, 1g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 1g protein, 56 % Daily Value of Vitamin A, 2 % Daily Value of Folate, 181 % Daily Value of Vitamin K, 5 % Daily Value of Iron, 3% Daily Value of Calcium