With the US economy staggering and inflation rising, dollar stores are booming. More Americans are shopping at dollar stores every year, and 1 in 3 new stores opening in the US is a Dollar General.

But is it possible to eat healthy at Dollar General? What are the healthiest products they sell in each food category? What would a sample healthy meal plan from the Dollar General look like? And what foods should be avoided?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we give our top picks for the healthiest products in the following categories from Dollar General: fruits & vegetables, animal protein, carbs, snacks, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments & spices.

We'll start by explaining how we define healthy eating, and finish the article with a sample healthy meal plan with foods sourced exclusively from Dollar General.

What is Healthy Eating?

The term “healthy eating” itself is of course subjective, but we define it as a nutrient-dense diet, rich in produce, and free of unhealthy additives like preservatives and refined sugar.

A medical review published in the Nutrients journal investigated what makes a diet healthy, and concluded that a diet similar to the Mediterranean diet is optimal for most individuals.

This diet is higher in plant-based foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts than the Standard American Diet. The diet contains fewer animal-based foods, and in particular fewer processed meats.

Everyone has an individual optimal diet and should talk with their doctor or dietitian before making substantial dietary changes, but we will use this diet model to inform our investigation of whether or not you can eat a healthy diet at Dollar General.

Please note that the prices listed in this article are from several stores in our region (Western Massachusetts), and pricing will vary nationally.

Our Fruit & Vegetable Picks

There were no fresh fruits and vegetables at the Dollar General stores we visited, and the selection was relatively limited, but there is enough frozen and canned produce for a healthy diet.

Apple sauce: $2.95

GoGo Squeeze Apple Strawberry: $3

Here are the frozen produce items currently available for sale:

Broccoli, cauliflower & carrots: $2.75

Corn: $2.75

Mixed vegetables: $1.50

Sweet peas: $1.50

Broccoli: $1.50

Green beans: $1.50

There’s a misconception that fresh produce is healthier than frozen. This is false and it may even be the opposite. Frozen produce has been proven in research studies to be higher in nutrients than equivalent fresh produce, because freezing at the time of harvest retains nutrients. 

We generally recommend frozen over canned produce. Canned produce often has added salt, so for the equivalent item (e.g. green beans frozen vs. canned) we believe the frozen option is healthier.

There is also some concern over chemical leaching from can liners into foods as evidenced in medical studies, but we still believe that canned produce is superior to consuming no produce if it’s the only option available.

Our Animal Protein Picks

Fish is your best bet when it comes to healthy protein options at Dollar General.

Here are the animal protein options we recommend:

Eggs: $4.95

Canned pink salmon: $4.65

Canned oysters: $2.95

Packaged pink salmon: $1.65

Canned sardines: $1.25

As we documented in our fish oil vs whole fish consumption article, the omega-3 fatty acids in fish have a number of health benefits, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

Since overconsumption of fish can potentially lead to high mercury levels in the body, we recommend consuming fish 2-4 times weekly in line with research-based recommendations from the American Heart Association (AHA).

For those on a budget, the sardines are clearly the best option. Four servings weekly would only cost you $5 total.

We don’t currently recommend any of Dollar General’s meat or cheese products, as most are processed and sourced from conventionally-raised animals, which is less healthy than animal products sourced from grass-fed animals.

Our Staple Picks

If you’re shopping for a week’s worth of food at Dollar General, we recommend that you use dried beans and rice as the base for most of your meals. This combination is super cheap, very nutritious and used across the world as a low-cost healthy option that's high in fiber.

Here are the prices for our Dollar General staple picks:

Oats: $3

Minute brand white rice: $2.85

Pinto beans: $1.25

Brown rice: $1

We don't currently recommend Dollar General pasta or the 5-pound rice bags because they're enriched with synthetic vitamin additives, and we prefer whole, unprocessed foods.

We don’t recommend their dried instant carbs like instant mashed potatoes, because they tend to have additives like refined sugar and preservatives.

Dollar General also sells canned beans, but they’re more expensive and less healthy than dried beans due to the can liner risk.

Rice and beans is the most nutritious staple option available, and comes at a very low cost per-meal.

Our Snack Picks

The healthiest snack options available at Dollar General are found in their nut section. Nut consumption is associated with lower mortality rates according to medical research.

Here are the prices:

Pistachios: $4.50

Pecans: $3.85

Almonds: $3.65

Walnuts: $3.50

Peanuts: $3.25

Sunflower seeds: $1.25

We recommend choosing nut products that are free of unhealthy additives like vegetable oil, preservatives and "natural flavors."

Walnuts and pecans are typically found in the baking section, not with the other nuts at the front of the store.

We don’t recommend any other Dollar General snacks like chips or candies as these are unhealthy.

Our Drink Picks

Dollar General has a surprising amount of healthy drink options. Below are the prices:

Folgers coffee: $5.95

Starbucks Unsweetened Cold Brew: $5

Water (32-pack): $5

Prune juice: $4.95

Orange juice: $3.95

Pineapple juice: $3.65

Black tea: $2.15

Green tea: $1.25

We recommend using a Brita filter (official Amazon link here) and filtering tap water instead of buying bottled water which is more expensive, worse for human health due to the plasticizing chemicals leaching into water (source), and worse for the environment. 

Spending around $10 for a month's worth of green tea, black tea and coffee is a great deal in our opinion.

Our Cooking Oil Picks

Dollar General has two cooking oils which make excellent options:

Extra virgin olive oil: $6.50

Coconut oil: $4.20

Both coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil are significantly healthier than vegetable oil, which is associated in medical studies with inflammation and atherosclerosis.

Our Condiment & Spice Picks

Adding spices to your food is one of the cheapest and most convenient ways to make your meals healthier.

Spices have a variety of micronutrients and typically last months-to-years. Dollar General has plenty of condiments and spices that we find healthy:

Louisiana hot sauce: $1

Parsley flakes: $1

Paprika: $1

Crushed red pepper: $1 

Oregano: $1

Onion: $1

Garlic powder: $1

Cumin: $1

Chili powder: $1

Cinnamon: $1

Yellow mustard: $1

Sample Healthy Meal Plan

Using the healthy options at Dollar General we highlighted above, you could put together a very healthy day’s worth of meals:

Breakfast: Black coffee brewed at home, with a bowl of pistachios and sweet peas.

Lunch: Large serving of pinto beans and rice, with cooked pink salmon, broccoli and hot sauce mixed together in a bowl.

Dinner: Small serving of beans and rice and chili powder, with a side of green beans doused with olive oil. Green tea and water to drink.

These meals would be cheaper and healthier than the vast majority of Americans eat daily, and can be done with Dollar General food alone.

A YouTube creator named "MiaHasDiggles" did a healthy meal challenge for one day at Dollar General:

Conclusion

It's definitely possible to eat healthy even for those in a “food desert” whose only option is grocery shopping at Dollar General.

Dollar General has frozen fruits and vegetables, a variety of healthy canned fish options, several unprocessed carb options including rice and beans, a wide variety of different types of nuts, coffee and tea without any unhealthy additives, two healthy cooking oils and a wide variety of spices and condiments.

We consider well over 50% of the store to be processed and unhealthy, but with a bit of discernment, someone could eat healthier than 90% of Americans sourcing their food from Dollar General alone.

We will note that not every Dollar General contains the items featured in this article, and some of the smaller ones don't have frozen produce, which would make it more challenging to eat healthy.

We hope this guide is useful to consumers, and we’re encouraged that even in low-income areas without other grocery options, there is still the opportunity for a healthy diet.