Healthy Grocery Shopping

Welcome once again to this Health and Fitness blog. Here is another fascinating snippet of health related news for you to read all about:

In some of my previous articles I’ve talked about setting up a system for easy healthy meal preparation with a minimum of time and fuss. So far I’ve covered the importance of having basic healthy food and other ingredients in your home “pantry”. I’ve also talked about the value of having a Master Recipe List and how to make a simple menu plan and grocery list from that plan.

 

Today I’d like to share some tips on healthy grocery shopping. I’ll cover how to make it easier and a bit more pleasant along with some thoughts on purchasing healthy low calorie food. If you’ve done the advance work of completing each of the previous steps in the system, grocery shopping becomes a lot easier. (How to Make Healthy Low Calorie Meals)

 

1. Have a list (See Healthy Foods Recipe List to Lose Weight)

Having a list will help you stay focused. Do whatever you can to stick to the list unless you remember you need a specific healthy food item that you forgot to include.

The goal is to avoid buying high calorie and/or less than healthy food as much as possible. You also want to avoid buying too much. When it comes to calories it is actually easier to overeat healthy food than the obviously unhealthy. There are a number of recent research studies to support this finding.

Servings and portion size still matter! As I was saying, healthy food has calories! When chosen well, healthy food can have fewer calories per serving but it still adds up.

2. Don’t go grocery shopping when you are hungry!

Plan your day so that you’ve eaten enough BEFORE going to the store to keep you satisfied until you’ve finished buying your groceries and returned home!

Can you remember having gone shopping when you were famished? If you are like me, this can set you up to destroy whatever good intentions you might have had. Yes, it has happened to me occasionally so I know first hand just how off track I can get! (In addition to buying things I don’t need, I find myself accepting every food sample that comes along whether healthy or not and the heck with the calories!

3. Read labels on packaged, canned, or frozen food products.

I do not recommend driving yourself crazy by reading every package when you shop. But you might pick one item each week from your grocery list that you buy fairly often. Compare and contrast the Nutrition Facts label and the Ingredients label with similar products.

Pay attention to the calorie count per serving and the number of servings per product! Sometimes it seems like a whole package is one serving but in actuality it might have 2.5 servings. Big difference! Eating the whole package is one way calories can sneak up on us when we least expect it.

By far, the easiest way to simplify the purchasing of food is to buy as little processed food as possible. Avoid processed and you will save yourself time, money, and improve your health. There are also many reasons why eating “real” food can dramatically improve your ability to manage your weight.

4. Where to shop.

Have you heard the recommendation to shop the perimeter of the store? I know someone had good intentions when they shared that thought but I’d encourage you to let go of that idea. Simply put this concept works better with some grocery stores than others. At many stores, it makes no sense whatsoever.

Yes, there are plenty of items in the center aisles that aren’t particularly good for us. Most grocery stores have entire aisles you can avoid. On the other hand, there are plenty of healthy foods in the center aisles.

You’ll often find whole grain breads and breakfast cereals in the center aisles. There are also the other important whole grains such as brown rice, oats, and barley. Cans or jars of meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, and low sodium soups are typically found in this part of the store.

Don’t make the mistake of ruling out cans and jars of food. Canned fruits and vegetables will not have the wonderful flavor of fresh or even frozen but the nutritional value is not necessarily as different from fresh as you might think. These items will typically cost less and they can be shelf stable for quite a long time!

Nuts, seeds, and dried fruit and can be another good choice from the center aisles. The calories, however, from these foods can add up quickly so watch your portion size

Despite the calories, I find nuts to be especially helpful when it comes to weight management. They tend to be a great source of nutrients and dietary fiber. A little can go a long way to keep you from being hungry and the portability of nuts can’t be beat. Not only that but the research suggests that not all the calories in nuts are absorbed in the way we might think.

5. What to Buy

Focus on buying what I’ll call the updated version of the 4 Food Groups.

Fresh Veggies and Fruit

These will ideally make up the main portion of your grocery list. Choose seasonal produce to keep the cost down and watch for sales. If the price of fresh is out of reach, check frozen and canned versions for cost savings.

The new USDA food plate encourages people to fill up half their plate with low calorie fruits and vegetables. I think it’s one of the BEST suggestions the USDA has come up with in a long time! It actually harkens back to the days of the 4 food groups. That was actually a good idea from many many years ago (yes, I’m that old) and is still a good idea now (with a few modifications) because it’s easy to remember

Whole grain breads, cereals, pasta, and rice

The most important tip I can share with you is to make sure you are actually getting the whole grains you think you are when you make a purchase. Most Americans unknowingly eat far too many refined carbohydrates. The front label on a food product can be VERY misleading. Look for a whole grain to be listed FIRST in the Ingredients label. (See: Weight Loss Success: Are you Buying the Best Products and Whole Grain Products: A Few You Might Like)

Another important tip about breads and cereals in general is to keep track of how much you eat each day. Eating too many carbs in the form of breads, cereals, pasta, and rice is a problem for many people.

Low fat milk and other dairy products for calcium and protein

If dairy is not acceptable for your health or values there are other good choices such as certain nut or grain based milks.

Lean Meat, Poultry, or Fish and other protein foods

As a general rule most (but not all) young Americans get plenty of protein in their diets. However, older Americans don’t always get enough. It’s also important to be mindful about getting enough protein when you are on a reduced calorie diet.

Legumes (also known as dried beans), nuts, and seeds can provide an excellent source of protein. As I mentioned previously, the calorie count can add up quickly for nuts but not all of the calories (from the fats or proteins in nuts) are necessarily absorbed. Also, it only takes a small amount to be quite satisfying. I am not aware of any similar research with respect to seeds.

Healthy grocery shopping in today’s supermarkets is not easy! I encourage you to shop at local farmer’s markets if you can or possibly join a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).

I hope this article on healthy grocery shopping and the rest of the series on easy, healthy meal planning and preparation have given you some thoughts about ways you might improve your eating habits. I will be sharing many more tips over time. You will also find a LOT of helpful information in some of my previous articles. Just click on the articles link on the menu bar at the top of each page.

Questions? Please ask!

Healthy Weight Loss Meals: What to Have on Hand

Healthy Foods Recipe List to Lose Weight

Low Calorie Meal Plans

Lots of healthy meal planning and shopping tips at the U.S. government nutrition website:

Shopping, Cooking, and Meal Planning

 

 

 

 

 

You may be able to get the full story by clicking here:
Women and Weight Website

Also, check out this great weight loss and health site for more ways to lose weight and stay healthy.

Health and Fitness

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