ONLINE PROGRAM TEACHES CONSUMERS HOW TO SHOP SMART AT THE GROCERY STORE

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

(Boston) – With credit card bills and holiday debt escalating at astonishing rates, it's that time of year again when people try to compensate for holiday overindulgence by cutting back on other costs, including grocery store bills.

Many consumers mistakenly think that sacrificing healthier selections at the supermarket will save them money. Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD, LDN, a clinical assistant professor of nutrition at Boston University Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences explains that healthy food doesn't have to hurt your wallet when times are tough.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, “At the Register: Inflation Hits Grocery Stores…”, among increasing food prices, the price of Kraft Foods' Oscar Mayer lunch meat is up 3.9% on average. To save money, Salge Blake suggests using leftovers for sandwiches which will save money at the deli. “Instead of buying pre-cut and pre-packaged meat, buy an entire boneless turkey breast or ham and cook it yourself,” says Salge Blake. “It makes a great weekend dinner and the leftovers can be used for sandwiches or frozen for the following week. You get two for the price of one.”

For tips like this and others, Salge Blake invites you to use her comprehensive internet-based guide, Smart Shopping on a Budget: http://people.bu.edu/salge.

Whether you are shopping in the produce, deli, cereal, or dairy aisle, Salge Blake's program shows you healthy bargains that can really add up. With all that extra money you save, you will be in a better position to scale down debt.

Salge Blake is available for interviews and has been featured on several national talk shows, such as CBS The Early Show, CNN, NBC News, and is part of ABC News' Medical Expert Network. Her column on Oxygen.com won Forbes Magazine's “Best of the Web 2001.”

Boston University (BU) Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences is an institution of higher education, research and clinical centers whose premier academic programs prepare dynamic health professionals and whose research and leadership in the health and rehabilitation sciences is actively shaping health care. BU Sargent College is the only private institution in the country offering five nationally ranked graduate programs in health and rehabilitation sciences. For more information and to learn about degree programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech, language and hearing sciences, health science, athletic training, nutrition, and rehabilitation counseling, visit http://www.bu.edu/sargent.