When it comes to Dollar Tree’s baseline price of $1.25, you’ll find plenty of bargains in this discount store’s food aisles.
Many of those grocery items contain high levels of sugar, sodium, calories or fat, which rules them out if you’re aiming for a healthy diet. But you can also find healthy foods at Dollar Tree if you dig a little deeper and read nutritional labels along the way.
I grabbed a cart and hit the grocery aisles of my local Dollar Tree in search of the healthiest foods and drinks. Following are my favorite finds.
Dried beans and lentils
Price: $1.50 per bag
What makes them healthy: Beans and lentils are an abundant source of fiber and protein, as well as potassium and phosphorus, among other nutrients. Cooking dried beans at home also means you can ensure they are low-fat and low-sodium, which is often not the case for canned beans.
You’ll find bags of Brown’s Best dried black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans and lentils in Dollar Tree aisles.
My take: Admittedly, dried beans aren’t as convenient as canned beans. You have to rinse and cook them, but one bag makes enough for several meals.
Buying dried beans helps my grocery budget stretch further and helps me add fiber and protein to my diet.
Sparkling Ice
Price: $1.25 per bottle
What makes it healthy: Sparkling Ice Zero Sugar Sparkling Water is a relatively healthy alternative to sugary, high-calorie soft drinks. It also contains vitamins A, D, B6 and B12, along with biotin and niacin (B3), the latter of which helps convert the food you consume into energy and is important for cell function and development.
At Dollar Tree, Sparkling Ice is available in several flavors, with or without caffeine.
My take: I rarely drink soda pop due to the high sugar content, so I sip on this flavorful sparkling water when I’m craving something fizzy.
Chicken salad with crackers
Price: $1.50 per box
What makes it healthy: One 3-ounce box of Brunswick Chicken Salad with Crackers contains a combined 8 grams of protein between the chicken salad and the crackers, and a total of only 190 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat.
My take: This convenient snack is just enough to tide you over between meals without the salt, sugar and fat of chips or candy.
Wild-caught pink salmon
Price: $1.50 per packet
What makes it healthy: Wild-caught pink salmon is one of the healthiest fish, containing omega-3 fatty acids for brain and heart health, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium. One 2.5-ounce packet of Chicken of the Sea Wild Caught Pink Salmon in Spring Water contains 15 grams of protein (more than 30% of the recommended daily allowance) and only 70 calories and 1 gram of fat.
My take: Stock a few packets of this salmon in the pantry to add to pasta and salads or top crackers for a healthy snack. The sodium content is high per serving, so watch your daily sodium intake to stay under the recommended daily allowance of 2,300 milligrams of sodium.
Oat milk
Price: $1.25 per carton
What makes it healthy: Marcel’s Modern Pantry Oat Beverage contains only 0.5 grams of total fat and 20 calories in one 8-ounce serving. This non-dairy alternative to milk is also fortified with vitamins A, D, and B12, as well as calcium and potassium.
My take: I’m not a fan of oat milk in my cereal or by the glass, so I add this to my morning oatmeal in place of 2% milk.
Protein drink
Price: $1.25 per bottle
What makes it healthy: Boost protein drinks in chocolate or vanilla contain 12 grams of protein — around 24% of the government’s recommended dietary allowance — in an 8-ounce serving. These drinks also contain vitamins C, D, E, K, B6, B12 and folate (B9), along with calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium and other important nutrients your body needs.
My take: I like to have these drinks in the morning or mid-afternoon or after I work out at the gym. At 240 calories per serving, consuming a Boost protein drink between meals helps me maintain a healthy weight and get enough protein, vitamins and minerals for muscle health and balanced nutrition.
Chicken with rice soup
Price: $1.50 per can
What makes it healthy: Healthy Choice Chicken with Rice Soup has only 390 milligrams of sodium in an 8-ounce cup, compared to a whopping 790 milligrams of sodium for one-half cup of Campbell’s Condensed Chicken with Rice Soup.
My take: I like to keep my daily sodium consumption well below the recommended daily allowance. So, I’ll grab a can of this soup from my pantry on a snowy day, when I’m sniffly from a cold and craving a bowl of comfort food.
Salt-free seasoning
Price: $1.25 per shaker
What makes it healthy: Supreme Tradition Salt-Free Seasoning contains no sodium in one-quarter teaspoon compared to the whopping 2,400 milligrams in one teaspoon of table salt.
My take: This salt-free seasoning — made with granulated garlic, minced onion, orange peel, black pepper, citric acid, crushed red pepper, parsley flakes and lemon oil — is a tasty substitute for salt in soups, meats and vegetables. I have to watch my blood pressure, so I use this to keep my sodium levels (and blood pressure readings) down.
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