Nutritious choices on a budget

Recently I've heard a lot of talk from friends about how hard it is to stay healthy with a hectic life. In addition to that, much of the issue is on food and money.

Nutrition education has started to grow because of our national obesity epidemic, and although lots of women understand what eating healthy takes, few can actually afford a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables.

However, eating healthy is not just about the expensive produce section. There are other ways to eat well, especially on a budget.

Canned Fruits- I must admit, if given the choice, I would always vote for fresh fruit over canned. However, canned fruit is one of the cheapest items in a grocery store, and also one of the most versatile and often over looked.

Canned fruits can be strained and washed for a fantastic quick fruit salad, and the juices left behind can be tossed with any sort of meat, used as dressing for salad or pasta, or the liquid base for rice.

Frozen Vegetables- Again, not nearly as glamorous as the fresh section, but there are many benefits to buying frozen. First off, frozen assorted vegetables are quick and easy. You can throw them in the freezer and forget about them for awhile, and still come back to them later, something not remotely possible in their fresh form. Also, they are much more affordable and often pre-cut.

One example of the beauty of frozen vegetables is my favorite pineapple chicken stir fry which takes literally 5 minutes to make and is well under $10. Combine frozen veggies, grilled chicken strips with canned pineapple bits (and or pineapple juice, very cheap) and soy sauce.

Get your meat in on a budget-Sadly, there's not too many ways to get around this one. Getting fried chicken at KFC is always going to be cheaper than buying the good healthy version.

I like to buy the biggest bag of frozen chicken breasts I can find and keep it in my freezer for whenever I need it. It can get a little pricey, but you definitely get your money's worth and if you can split it with roommates, you'd be in good shape.

How to do carbs right- Whole wheat products, again, are most expensive than white bread or plain pasta. However, this may be helpful in your nutrition quest.

As a pastaholic, I haven't quite found a love for whole wheat pasta. When I do eat pasta, I try to mix half whole wheat and half regular, which has cut my noodle consumption.

What are some budget and health issues you have? What tricks do you use to manage your nutrition? What aspects of your health are still tricky for you to manage?