Healthy Nutrition: Tips to Navigating the Grocery Aisles
We all know how important it is to maintain a healthy diet, but sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between what is truly good for us and what is not. With all the different choices at the grocery store, and every product promising us that it’s the best, making healthy decisions can quickly become confusing. This article is designed to help you debunk the empty promises and make smarter choices when filling your cart.
In the fast-paced society we live in, we are often in a hurry while running our errands. So we typically hit the nearest drive-through on the way or skip eating altogether. You may not realize it, but if you go to the grocery store hungry, you’re more likely to purchase the high fat/high calorie “junk” foods. Coincidingly, if you go grocery shopping right after you have consumed a two thousand calorie fast food meal, you may be more likely to choose those same types of foods because they just satisfied your hunger. Tip # 1: Eat a healthy snack or meal prior to navigating the grocery aisles.
Tip # 2: Load up on fruits and veggies. When you are writing out your grocery list, try to write down all of the fruits and vegetables that the members of your household enjoy to eat. You might consider purchasing these in lunch-sized packaging when available. That way, you and your family may be more likely to reach for those items as snack foods. When you get to the store, go to the produce section first, and start filling your cart. Also, try to avoid the aisles that we all know hold only unhealthy foods (i.e. the soda aisle, chip aisle, frozen pizza section, etc). Then continue on with your shopping.
Tip # 3: Read the nutrition label. Sometimes manufacturers try to get us to purchase their products by adding things to the front of the packaging that makes claims such as: “contains whole grains” or “heart healthy” or “0 grams of trans fat.” However, these products may not be as healthy as the manufacturer would like us to believe. The easiest way to tell whether or not the product is nutritious is to simply read the label on the back. For example, a product may claim to contain whole grains, but if you look at the ingredient list, the whole grain source may be at the very end (which means that there is not much in it). When reading the food labels, remember that the ingredient listed first is the most abundant in that product and the one listed last is the least abundant. Also, try not to get fooled by the 0 grams of Trans fat claims. The product may not contain any Trans fat, but it might contain a high level of saturated fat.
Other things you want to see when reading the food label include: high fiber content, low sugar content (as well as ingredients indicating sugar, i.e. high fructose corn syrup), low sodium content, and a higher percent daily value of vitamins, calcium and iron. When trying to determine whether or not a product contains whole grains, look for the following ingredients: brown rice, oatmeal, whole oats, whole wheat, whole rye, and brown rice. These should be listed as one of the first ingredients.
So, next time that you go to the grocery store with your nutrition in mind, remember the three tips discussed here. Tip # 1: Eat a healthy meal or snack prior to visiting the store. Tip # 2: Load up on the fruits and vegetables. And tip # 3: Read the food labels. If you follow these simple steps, you will be more successful at purchasing healthy and nutritious foods for you and your family.