Are you trying to save money and eat healthy during retirement? Here are several grocery items to help your physical and financial health.

During retirement, your health and your finances are likely your top priorities. It can seem like they’re opposing concepts at times, with measures to improve your health often cutting into your finances, but they aren’t mutually exclusive. Armed with the right knowledge, you can develop a healthy eating plan that’s delicious and affordable.

Always consult with your physician before making dietary changes, and keep in mind any dietary restrictions or food allergies you may have when making your list. Once you get the all-clear from your physician, use these 25 food items to build a grocery list that nourishes your body and your bank account.

25 Healthy, Low-Cost Grocery Items

  1. Eggs
    Eggs are a meal-planning staple that can stay fresh a long time when stored properly. They are less expensive than meat and provide plenty of protein. Plus, they are packed with nutrients. Egg whites are high in protein and low in fat, so they support energy and skin health without adding many calories. Yolks have higher calorie and fat content, but they’re also high in vitamin A, vitamin D, B vitamins, choline, and selenium, which support eye, brain, immune, and muscle health.

Eating healthy while saving money can help give you a happier, better retirement.

  1. Dried or Canned Beans
    Beans (dried or canned) pair well with other foods and make great additions to menu items like soup and salad. They are inexpensive, have long shelf lives, and are a good source of nutrition that may reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer.
  1. Lentils
    Lentils are the dried seeds of the lentil plant. They are a low-cost and highly nutritious plant-based source of protein that work well in soups, stews, and rice. As a source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, they can help reduce blood sugar, blood pressure, and the risk for heart disease, dementia, and cancer.
  1. Brown Rice
    Brown rice is a whole grain that’s high in B vitamins, manganese, folate, and antioxidants like flavonoids, so it aids in bone, nerve, muscle, and heart health. It’s an excellent side dish and a great addition to soups and salads.
  1. Whole Grain Oats
    Whole grain oats are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can boost digestion, heart health, weight loss, and blood sugar and insulin regulation. They have a long shelf life and are very budget friendly. Aside from being a breakfast staple, whole grain oats can be used to partially replace flour in baking, to thicken soups and stews, and to bind ground beef.
  1. Whole Grain Pasta
    Whole grain pasta offers the same nutrients as whole grain oats and makes for an easy-to-prepare and healthy meal. Eating fiber-rich whole grains can help improve digestive health and prevent cardiovascular disease.
  1. 100% Whole Wheat Bread
    Whole wheat bread is packed with nutrients and vitamins and has fewer calories than white bread. Eating more whole grains can help reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes.
  1. Peanut Butter
    Though it varies by brand, peanut butter is rich in protein and vitamins and can be used in a variety of ways, from a toast or sandwich spread, as a mix into oatmeal, as an addition to a smoothie, or as a dip for apples or bananas. It’s low in carbs but high in healthy fats, and when eaten in moderation, it can reduce inflammation and the risk of certain chronic diseases, like arthritis.
  1. Potatoes
    Potatoes are a meal workhorse, featuring in delicious side dishes or in casseroles, soups, and stews. They have a host of minerals, nutrients, and antioxidants that can help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, while aiding in blood sugar regulation, insulin response, and digestion. The skin of a potato has iron, potassium, vitamin C, and B vitamins, while a peeled potato offers protein, fiber, and calcium.
  1. Dark Leafy Greens (Arugula, Kale, Chard, Spinach, etc.)
    Dark, leafy greens contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and calcium. Use them in salads, omelets, pasta, sauces, and soups. Greens may help reduce the risk of a variety of conditions, including cancer, and their low calorie count makes them ideal for weight loss.
  1. Fresh Fruit & Vegetables (based on season and price)
    Fresh fruits and vegetables that are bright and colorful contain high concentrations of minerals, vitamins, fiber, electrolytes, and antioxidants. When they’re in season, most varieties cost just a few dollars per pound. They can reduce the risk of high blood pressure, inflammation, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and more.
  1. Frozen Vegetables
    Frozen vegetables cost about the same as fresh and are flash-frozen at peak ripeness to retain taste and nutrients – with the added benefit of a longer shelf life.
  1. Frozen Fruit
    The same holds true for frozen fruit with regard to cost, nutrition, and longer shelf life, maintaining nutrients while minimizing food waste. Blend with low-fat yogurt for a delicious smoothie, bake into cobblers, or add to carbonated water for extra flavor.
  1. Unsweetened Applesauce
    Unsweetened applesauce is an important pantry staple. It makes a nice, healthy snack or dessert option and can be added to oatmeal or cake and muffin recipes. It’s low in calories, salt, and fat but high in fiber and vitamins.
  1. Tomato Sauce
    Tomato sauce is an ideal component of a cheap, healthy meal. It’s full of important vitamins and minerals that enhance vision, connective tissues, oral health, wound healing, metabolism, blood clotting, bone health, and digestion.
  1. Canned Tuna
    Tuna is high in protein and omega-3s, a fatty acid that’s essential for your heart, blood vessels, lungs, immune system, and endocrine system. Choose tuna packed in water, as tuna in oil is nearly double the calories and fat.
  1. Chicken/Turkey Parts
    Chicken and turkey meat with the skin removed is high in protein and iron and low in fat, making it a healthy source of energy. Use the bones from thighs and drumsticks to make homemade broth, which is high in minerals like calcium, magnesium, and sulfates that may reduce inflammation and aid digestion.
  1. Lean Ground Beef
    Lean ground beef is an excellent source of protein and iron, with calcium and potassium in there to support bone health. It’s a versatile ingredient for plenty of dishes like meatloaf, tacos, pasta dishes, and more.
  1. Lean Pork
    Lean pork cuts like tenderloin and extra lean ham are high in protein, low in fat and sodium, and offer nutrients like potassium and B vitamins. Adding lean pork to your diet can help reduce your blood pressure, boost metabolism, provide energy, and support bone health.
  1. Nuts
    Nuts are packed with nutrients and, when eaten in moderation, they can aid weight loss and reduce cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and inflammation.
  1. Herbs & Spices
    Herbs and spices like rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, and mint add flavor to dishes without adding sodium. Use them fresh or dried to replace salt.
  1. Low-Fat Yogurt or Cottage Cheese
    Low-fat yogurt and cheese are great as a healthy snack or as ingredients that add flavor to recipes. They are high in protein, calcium, vitamins, and minerals and can help lower blood pressure.
  1. Butter
    In moderation, butter can actually be good for you. It contains calcium and weight-fighting compounds, as well as beta carotene, to protect vision and reduce cancer risks.
  1. Low-Fat Milk
    Low-fat milk has half the amount of fat as whole milk, without sacrificing flavor or nutrients like calcium, which support bone and dental health.
  1. 100% Juice
    100% juice with no added sugar offers nutrients like vitamin C and potassium, although in slightly lower amounts than the fruit itself. It’s a good replacement for sugary sodas and as an addition to smoothies.

Bonus Items

Consider incorporating these other items in your healthy eating plan when possible.

  • Salmon contains a plethora of nutrients and protein, which can help reduce inflammation, boost energy, support bone health, and reduce your risk for cancer and heart disease.
  • Lean cuts of beef, like top round and top sirloin steaks, are important in a healthy diet and support immunity and energy without high amounts of fat.
  • Low-sodium soups and broth are inexpensive and nutritious pantry staples that can be used on their own or to make soups, stews, rice, lentils or to braise chicken or vegetables.
  • Dried prunes contain plenty of important nutrients and can be enjoyed as a quick snack, blended into a smoothie, or used to enhance baking recipes.
  • Herbal tea is warm, comforting, and a good replacement for coffee, with less caffeine. Price varies by type, and varieties like hibiscus, ginger, and chamomile offer antioxidants, B vitamins, iron, and potassium to aid in sleep, digestion, immune health, and cholesterol.
  • Dark chocolate is high in antioxidants, iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, and selenium. In moderation, it reduces blood pressure, cholesterol, and the risk of heart disease, while improving circulation and brain health.

A Healthier Budget & Body

Trying to make choices that are good for both you and your wallet can be difficult in retirement. A healthy eating plan that’s budget-conscious is an excellent way to boost your well-being without stressing about finances – and so is scheduling a consultation with trusted financial experts. They’ll get to know your financial situation and provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to set achievable, healthy financial goals, boosting your confidence.

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