Grocery Store Shopping Tips!!
Plan your meals for the week ahead of time and create a list to shop from. Be sure to check your refrigerator and cabinets to see what you already have!To save money, use coupons, check the weekly grocery ads, and incorporate sale foods into your meal planning.
Don't shop hungry: An empty belly often results in impulse purchases that may not be the healthiest.
Produce: Spend the most time in the produce section, the first area you encounter in most grocery stores (and usually the largest). Choose a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables. The colors reflect the different vitamin, mineral, and phyto-nutrient content of each fruit or vegetable.
Breads, Cereals, and Pasta: Choose the least processed foods that are made from whole grains. For example, regular oatmeal is preferable to instant oatmeal. But even instant oatmeal is a whole grain, and a good choice. Experiment with different grains and flours besides wheat such as: Quinoa, Amaranth, Teff, Almond flour, Tapioca Flour, Bean Flour, Brown and Wild Rice, Bulgar, Barley, and etc.
When choosing whole-grain cereals, aim for at least 5 grams of fiber per serving, and the less sugar, the better. Keep in mind that 1 level teaspoon of sugar equals 4 grams and let this guide your selections.
Meat, Fish, and Poultry: The American Heart Association recommends two servings of fish a week. Salmon is widely available, affordable, not too fishy, and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Be sure to choose lean cuts of meat (like round, top sirloin, and tenderloin), opt for skinless poultry, and watch your portion sizes. Tuna and other non-breaded seafood are also good choices.
Frozen Foods: Frozen fruits and vegetables (without sauce) are a convenient way to help fill in the produce gap, especially in winter. Frozen fruits can be added to smoothies!!
Canned and Dried Foods: Keep a variety of canned vegetables, fruits, and beans on hand to toss into soups, salads, pasta, or rice dishes. Whenever possible, choose vegetables without added salt, and fruit packed in juice. Tuna packed in water, low-sodium soups, nut butters, olive oil, and assorted vinegars should be in every healthy pantry. It is best to avoid too much packaged and processed “convenience” foods though!!
Be sure to add some raw nuts and seeds to your cart for protein too!
5 Simple Shopping Rules
1. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store, where fresh foods like fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, and fish are usually located. Avoid the center aisles where junk foods lurk.
2. Choose "real" foods, such as 100% fruit juice or 100% whole-grain items with as little processing and as few additives as possible. If you want more salt or sugar, add it yourself.
3. Stay clear of foods with cartoons on the label that are targeted to children. If you don't want your kids eating junk foods, don't have them in the house.
4. Avoiding foods that contain more than five ingredients, artificial ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.
5. Shop every 3-4 days for freshness!
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