Buy this, not that: 7 foods to always buy frozen vs. fresh to save money

When you're trying to stay health-conscious, it can be difficult to rationalize skipping out on the freshest produce at the grocery store in order to save money.

It's hard to know when, and with which foods, you'll be compromising nutritional value (and taste) for when you decide to go with the prepackaged, frozen alternative to the natural options.

SEE ALSO: How to choose the most cost-effective grocery store

Luckily, we've rounded up seven specific grocery items that pass the test nutritionally when frozen, making them much more worth it to buy the cheaper way.

A few general rules of thumb?

Most of your favorite greens and veggies are so overloaded with nutrients that even if some are lost in the process of freezing and recooking, it won't make an overall difference in the nutritional value of the food.

Also, any vegetable or food that's rich in fat-soluble nutrients (like vitamin A and carotenoids) are best frozen as those nutrients are better able to withstand different food processing and storage methods.

Here are 7 grocery items that are always worth buying frozen over fresh:

Shopping organic or locally is without a doubt great for the economy, the community and of course, your body.

But the caveat, of course, is the expense at which those benefits come.

While it's always good to switch up between frozen and fresh, these are the items you can head straight to the freezer for.

Now, check our out these tricks that grocery stores use to make you spend more:

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