How To Be Supermarket Savvy

Knowledge of what foods to buy at the supermarket is very important when starting a healthy eating plan. There are two rules of thumb to keep in mind when going food shopping. First, never go to the supermarket hungry. Second, always plan ahead, and make a list of foods to buy; don’t buy anything that is not on your list. Keep the extras out the house such as high calorie, high fat, chips and sweets because they will only set you up for failure. Here are some tips to get you started: Shop around the outer perimeter of the supermarket- it is around the outer perimeter that all the staples of a healthy diet are found. All the fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, eggs, and breads are found around the perimeter of the grocery store. The inner aisles are primarily the processed foods, and extras. Let the food guide pyramid lead your food choices to avoid extra sugar, salt, and fat in the diet.

  • Fruits and Vegetables - When shopping for fruits and vegetables fresh is always best, however, frozen and canned versions are good choices as well. If you can’t buy fresh produce frozen is second best. Canned varieties of fruits and vegetables are good, but they also come with additives. When buying canned fruit make sure to buy the “packed in juice” versus “heavy syrup” or “light syrup”. When buying canned vegetables it is a good idea to rinse them off before cooking to get rid of the excess sodium.
  • Meats - Fresh meats are better than processed meats (such as deli meats, hot dogs, pepperoni, and bacon). Processed meats are generally high in fat, sodium, and preservatives. Chicken, turkey and seafood should be your main staples from the meat group. Aim for fresh chicken, turkey, ground chicken breast, ground turkey breast, extra lean ground beef, and lean cuts of pork such as pork roast.
  • Dairy and Eggs - Aim for low fat dairy products such as skim or 1% milk, diet or plain yogurt, and low fat varieties of cheese. If you are use to higher fat milk try the low fat milks that are made to taste thicker and creamier such as Fit Milk or Simply Smart Milk. Eggs are nutritious, however, they are high in cholesterol and saturated fat. Eggs should be limited to no more than two a week. Egg Beaters are a better alternative because they are fat and cholesterol free. They are excellent for making omelets, baking and cooking.
  • Margarine vs. Butter - Stick margarine is no better for you than butter. Butter is high in saturated fat, and stick margarine is high in trans fat, which has the same effect as saturated fat on the body. Tub margarines are much lower in trans fat than stick margarines. Some tub margarines are trans fat free. Aim for the low fat varieties of tub margarine such as the ones that are made of blends of oil and yogurt such as Brummlin’ Brown or Country Crock with Yogurt.
  • Oils - Canola oil and olive oil are the best oils because they are heart healthy monounsaturated fats. Using cooking spray such as Pam instead of oil when cooking is a good way to cut down on added calories and fat.
  • Breads, Cereals, Rice and Pasta - Aim for whole grain varieties. Look for the first ingredient on the label to say “whole grain”. If it says wheat, multi-grain, or seven grain, it is not whole grain; it is refined. Choose whole grain bread instead of white bread, whole grain low sugar cereals such as Kashi or oatmeal instead of refined sugary cereals, whole-wheat pasta instead of white pasta, and brown rice instead of white rice.