Healthy Grocery Shopping Demistified: How To Choose Healthy Foods
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Think of the "outside of the box". The Periphery of the grocery store is where you will usually find the most healthy
food. This is usually where the bulk of the fresh produce, meat, dairy and bakery products are located. Most junk food
items are prepackaged and stored on the shelving in the center aisles of the supermarket. Remember, fresh food often
times needs to be refrigerated - that's why it's "fresh". It needs to be near a wall with electricity to keep the refrigerator
in operation, junk food can stash away on a warm shelf for years. That can't be good for you!
We all buy certain packaged items every day. Just be sure to become a good label reader. Check to make sure that fruit juices contain
100% juice, not sugar water, packaged veggies don't have any sauce preparations inside, no prepackaged seasonings, and always
check the serving size and number of servings in the package. It is very easy to be fooled by the amount of food we might be getting from one package that might contain multiple servings. Even many small items appearing to have only one serving (such as juice, soda and chips) often have multiple servings in them, making us eat up to three times the amout that we thought we did! Ouch!
Meat
Many people are tyring to cut back on their consumption of red meats because they are known to be fatty and associated with many health and environmental issues. Great news for beef lovers! You can have your beef and eat it too! Most beef at the grocery store is from corn-fed cows that don't get the chance to walk around and enjoy life. This means that they become fatty and have little lean muscle. The alternative is grass fed beef from cows that live a splendid life, roaming green fields and building healthy lean muscles. Healhty cow means healthy beef!Grass fed beef can have the same amount of fat as lean chicken, so eat up!
 
Produce
Bright! Colorful! Vibrant! The elements of great produce! All of those different colors really do represent the product's
special nutrients, so be sure to include a large palate of colors in your shopping cart. Smaller, deeper colored fruits and veggies often
are more flavorful and can even contain a higher concentration of nutrients.
You can buy pre-cut fruits and veggies, but only buy these in a produce emergency situation. Many fruits and vegetables
start to break down as soon as you injure the integrity of the fruit. Also, when the acids of the produce are introduced
to the metal of a knife, there is a reaction that begins the oxidation process, and the food is usually only good
for a day or two after that. Buying fresh produce and cutting it yourself helps you to save money and food, and helps
you get in a "cooking" mode to help you enjoy cooking and feel better about making it yourself.
Dairy products
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Dairy products contain many important nutrients such as calcuim, protien, vitamin D, and good carbohydrates. It is wise to
choose low-fat or fat free dairy products because the fat in dairy products tends to be saturated fat, however, some new
research shows that full-fat dairy might contain an enzyme that helps to break down the fat in the food product, as well
as fat in the body, but don't go all out with fatty dairy yet! More research needs to be conducted to prove this idea. If you aren't scared of the fat, Fage Greek Yogurt is truly a unique yogurt experience. It's is super thick and creamy and like nothing else out there! Good news too! It comes in 2% and fat free
Check back here to see news on this topic. For now, choose the lowfat dairy products such as yogurt, milk, sour cream,
cottage cheese, etc., and avoid sweetened yogurts and flavored milks as they either have a fair amount of sugar or fake
sugars such as aspartame, neither of which are things we should be eating. Sweeten your morning yogurt with fresh fruits
like berries and sprinkle some healthy granola on top.
Baked Goods
When choosing baked goods such as breads, pastries or anything with flour for that matter, always go for the whole grains. This can be tricky because many items are labled as "whole grain" when in fact they are mostly regular processed flour with some whole grains mixed in. Become a "grain inspector" and take a look at the product closely. If you can't see large specks of something that looks like grains or seeds, it's probably a pseudo-whole grain product. Put it down and find a better one! Your heart and digestive system will thank you. Look for whole grain pastas that are slightly deeper in brown color than traditional pasta, and always take a brown rice or wild rice over white.
A great book to read that will take you through the grocery store is listed here, as well as a link to this book and
other books by this author.
Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution By David Zinczenko, Matt Goulding
A fantastic composition of knowledge of what to swap for something better at the grocery store. It takes you through
each aisle and section of the supermarket, guiding you through what are sugar-filled diet busters in disguise and offers
healthier alternatives - some of which might surprise you!
It offers a full list of pantry staples, how to stock your fridge to keep eating AND maintain weight loss, as well as
guilt-free snacks and sweets.
Finally, it gives advice on how to cut back on your grocery bill and a helpful food-additive glossery. This book makes
grocery shopping and dieting easier and tastier than we ever dreamed!
Check out the Best Books on Nutrition
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