Shopping Survival Guide

The typical American consumer hits the grocery store at least twice a week. Why, then, does it feel like we never have anything to eat at home? Follow the advice below to make sure you not only have a well-stocked pantry for healthful eating, but are buying the right products at the right time in the right way.

 

1. Rule number one: Buy fresh food! There is no simpler, no easier, no plainer measure of the healthiness of your food than whether it comes in boxes and cans or is fresh from the farm or the fields. If more than half your groceries are prepared foods, then you need to go back to the healthy side by picking up more fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood, and dairy.

2. Shop the perimeter of the store. That’s where all the fresh foods are. The less you find yourself in the central aisles   of   the   grocery store, the healthier your shopping trip will be. Make it a habit — work the perimeter of the store   for   the   bulk   of your groceries, then dip into the aisles for staples that you know you need.

3. Shop with a list. Organize your shopping list based on what you need for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and snacks.

4.  Food-shop with a full stomach.  We’re sure you’ve heard this one before, but it’s worth repeating.

5. Buy frozen. Frozen fruits and vegetables are often flash frozen at the source, locking in nutrients in a way fresh or canned can’t compete with. Stock your freezer with bags of frozen vegetables and fruits. You can toss the veggies into soups and stews, microwave them for a side dish with dinners, or thaw them at room temperature and dip them into low-fat salad dressing for snacks. Use the fruits for desserts, smoothies, and ice cream/yogurt toppings.

6. Try some of the new whole grain alternatives.   To- day you can find wonderful whole grain pastas and couscous, instant brown rice that cooks up in 10 minutes in- stead of the old 50, even whole grain crackers.   While you’re at it, pick up a bag of whole wheat flour to re- place the white stuff in your canister.

7. Choose prepared foods with short ingredient lists. We don’t expect you to cut out prepared foods entirely. Just remember: The shorter the ingredient list, the healthier the food usually is. Of course, if the ingredients are sugar and butter, put the item back on the shelf.

8. Look for fiber. You want at least 1 to 2 grams of fiber for every 100 calories you consume.

9. If partially hydrogenated oil, or trans fats are listed on the label, step away from the box and nobody will get hurt.

10. Whenever you find yourself reaching for a package of ground meat, switch over to the poultry section in- stead and pick up ground turkey, ground chicken, or soy crumbles. It works just as well as ground beef for meat- balls, meat loaf, or chili. This little substitution can cut more than 30 percent of the calories and at least half of the fat and saturated fat in a three-ounce

Join us for a meeting or see this week's flyer for more tips.