DENVER (KDVR) — With grocery prices as high as they are, more Coloradans are turning to dollar stores to purchase food.

While consumers will find savings, area nutritionists urge caution when picking up certain food products.

Fact is, no matter which dollar store you shop at, in general, they all tend to have a disproportionate amount of highly processed packaged foods and not a whole lot of fresh produce or meats.

We did some digging in Denver and found out of the top three dollar stores — The Dollar Tree, The Family Dollar, and The Dollar General — The Dollar General offers the healthiest options.

On its website, The Dollar General even includes a ‘Better For You’ grocery category highlighting its lighter foods that are high in protein.

But out of its 18,000 stores nationwide, only 2,000 Dollar General locations offer fresh food.

“So the big thing I think consumers can do when trying to save costs when it comes to food is to plan ahead and make sure they know what options are there and available. And then try and pair it with some lean protein and produce. And protein and produce options that can be cheaper are things like beans or bananas,” explained Jessica Crandall Snyder, a Registered Dietician Nutritionist with HealthOne.

Because of this new surge in popularity, certain dollar stores are making an effort to include fresher foods with their grocery options.