Increased Demand for Dietitians Help as Prices Inflate

With a raise of 9.1 percent, recent inflation has spiked the prices of gas, rent and food. While many focus on gas and rent, healthy food is a part of the affected prices. Wanting to instill healthy eating habits for their children, families are trying to find ways to not break the bank when grocery shopping.

A Columbus mom of three, Deneen Carter, told 10TV reporter Lindsey Mills that she has struggled with justifying the price of healthy foods. With the help of Priya Patel, a registered dietitian at OhioHealth, they have worked together to create strategies for grocery shopping with the current inflation.

Carter told 10TV that she wants to set a good example, but cost has impacted their typical buying habits. To manage the stress and worry of weekly grocery shopping, Patel suggests three key tips.

"Compare grocery ads, there are weekly ads that are produced every week, for example, Kroger releases their ads on Wednesday,” Patel suggested to 10TV.

When looking at grocery ads, it’s important to note the increase or decrease of certain produce items. Find the deals on produce, then create an eating schedule around those groceries. Next, Patel says to bulk up on those sale items.

“Slice and dice them up, put it in a freezer gallon bag, and stick it in the freezer, and you could use it later on a month away. Or two months away for things like fajitas, soups, stews,” Patel tells 10TV.

Lastly, finding protein in other items other than meat can help save money. Grocery items like eggs and beans are a great source for protein. Therefore, plan one meal a week without any meat.  

Carter tells 10TV that eating healthy is the main way to save money. "We want to eat healthy to maintain our health because it's always more expensive to get medical care than it is to eat healthy actually,” she said.

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