Shop around. Health food stores aren’t the only places that sell supplements and meal replacements—some grocery clubs sell the same items in bulk at a discounted price. You might also consider joining a member-owned food co-operative, where you trade volunteer time for big savings. For a list of co-ops in your area, visit www.greenpeople.org.

Know the code. If you are willing pay more for organics, be sure you get what you pay for. If unsure whether or not a food item is organic, read the stickers. If the code begins with a “4” it is not organic; organic food codes start with a “9.” Skip salad bars where you don’t have information about the individual ingredients.

Make sure it’s worth it. While the label “all natural” leads many people to believe that the products are healthy, you still need to watch for dietary pitfalls. For example, vegetable chips fried in oil may be just as high in saturated fat and sodium as regular potato chips, but they may cost you twice as much.

Make it from scratch. Besides being more expensive, prepackaged foods, such as cereal bars and trail mix, are generally higher in fat, calories, sodium and sugar. Take a healthier, less expensive approach by cleaning and preparing fresh vegetables or popping your own popcorn rather than purchasing the microwave variety.