Get healthy at $1

You can trim the budget on your food items without cutting on the nutrition value. Just do away with the common misconception that healthier food is expensive.
Stock your kitchen with these healthy options without spending a fortune by browsing through The Medguru's list of healthy food choices for less than a dollar.

Fruits:
Apples, bananas, watermelon, pear and oranges are great for snacks, green salads, main dish salads, fruit salads, yogurt parfaits and smoothies. All these are available for less than a dollar.

They are high on fiber, vitamins, minerals, calcium but low on calories. Watermelon will keep you well hydrated in summers and nourish you with healthy lycopene, an antioxidant that may ward off cancer.

Canned Beans and tomatoes:
These are great ingredients for salads, casseroles, stews and Mexican recipes. You can buy a 15-ounce can for about $1 on sale. They have high protein, fiber, calcium, iron and healthy vitamins.

Low fat milk and yoghurt:
One can easily buy single serving milk products, like yogurt, which are usually less than a dollar. You’ll derive a lot of benefit for a small investment. Milk, rich in protein, vitamins A and D, potassium, and niacin, is also one of the easiest ways to get bone-strengthening calcium.

Oats
Oats are really cheap. A dollar will buy you more than a week’s worth of hearty breakfasts. High in fiber and complex carbohydrates, oats have also been shown to lower cholesterol. So, go for them!

Eggs
You can buy good old eggs, about a half dozen of them for a dollar. They are one of the cheapest and most versatile sources of protein and antioxidants.

Nuts
Peanuts, walnuts and almonds, especially when bought in the shell, are low in cost. They’re also packed with the good-for-you fats—unsaturated and monounsaturated. Plus they are also good sources of essential fatty acids, Vitamin E, and protein. Eat them roasted or in salads

Potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams
Potatoes have a good side to them too. Eaten with the skin on, potatoes contain almost half a day’s worth of Vitamin C and are a good source of potassium. Plus, they’re dirt cheap and have almost endless culinary possibilities. You’ll also get a good wallop of beta carotene.

Sardines
You can still get a can of sardines relatively cheap. The little fish come with big benefits: calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins. And, because they’re low on the food chain, they don’t accumulate mercury.

Dry Lentils and Pearl Barley
They are great for soups and stews, cold bean salads, and casseroles. A 16 ounce bag sells for $1.12 and contains eight servings. Nutrition contains fiber, Iron, proteins and potassium.

Broccoli
Broccoli contains tons of nice nutrients—calcium, vitamins A and C, phytonutrients, potassium, foliate and fiber that may help prevent heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Plus, it’s low in calories and cost.