10 Healthy Foods That Cost Under $1

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be a luxury. Dietitian Laura Stadler, M.S., R.D., the owner of New York City–based Laura Stadler Nutrition and Barry Swanson, Emeritus Regents Professor at Washington State University’s School of Food Science, helped put together a list of nutritious foods that won’t bust your budget.

Lentils (about $1.49 per pound or $0.11 per ¼-cup dry serving)

Native to Southwest Asia, lentils are small disk-shaped seeds that are commonly found in Indian and Middle Eastern dishes. “Lentils provide 3 grams of fiber per ½-cup serving. Plus, they are rich in folic acid and vitamin B6 and are a great vegetarian source of iron,” says Stadler. “Cook or serve them with a good source of vitamin C, like tomato, red pepper, or a squeeze of lemon, to make the iron more absorbable.”