0This is a crash course on healthy shopping habits.
The Grocery List
- Before heading to the grocery store, prepare a comprehensive weekly shopping list. It will provide a clear direction for your shopping outing.
- During this trip, you should leave with everything on your list and nothing more.
The Shopping Pathway
You should shop mostly around the perimeter of the grocery store. It is where you will find the majority of:
- Fruits and veggies
- Lean meats
- Whole grains
- Dairy
Short trips into the centre aisles are acceptable for specific items on the grocery list. However, these trips can lead to the selection of lower quality food items, so be careful against impulse purchases.
Locating Superfoods Items
Your list should have superfoods, and you should look for aisles that contain these foods. These foods may include the following:
- Flax seeds
- Whole oats
- Healthy oils (olive oil, fish oil, etc.)
- Whole grains
- Bulk nutrition
Be sure you know how to recognize better selections and know where to find them.
Reading the Labels
Nowadays, very few people know what to look for when checking food labels. Be sure to prioritize your search based on these parameters.
- Look for and avoid foods with trans fats.
- Look for and avoid foods with long ingredient lists containing lots of artificial ingredients and added chemicals.
- Avoid otherwise healthy products that contain additional unhealthy sugars added (sucrose, glucose, sugar, maltodextrin, corn syrup, etc.)
Bargain Hunting
- Be a discriminating shopper, choosing the best foods at the lowest prices.
- Some “healthier selections” can be quite pricey, so it’s essential to find the lowest-cost good selection.
- Typically, brand names are more expensive, so when two products have the same ingredient list, choose the less expensive one.
