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Shopping for healthy food can be quite a challenge in your typical grocery store. With aisle after aisle stocked with processed foods and trans fat temptations, even the most determined healthy shopper can get derailed. If you find that despite your best intentions, your pantry is more junk food than health food, perhaps it's time to rethink your grocery shopping strategy.
Here are some tips for healthy food shopping that will help you and your family stick to your goals of maintaining a healthy diet.
Make a List - This is a good tip no matter what you are shopping for. By sticking to your healthy food list, you'll save money and eat better. If you're not sure just what you should be looking for, check out the healthy food shopping guide at Web MD. With foods grouped by dietary impact, this printable list can help you confidently choose the right foods to help you stick to your healthy eating goals. To help you plan healthy meals, check out Meals Matter, an informative site that allows you to search for and save healthy food recipes in a personalized cookbook.
Specialty Stores - Shopping at the grocery store closest to home may be convenient, but it can also limit your choices when it comes to healthy food. Specialty stores that stock only organic and otherwise healthy food often offer items you won't find in your neighborhood market. If those stores are beyond your budget, search for farmer's markets in your area. Stocked with fresh-from-the-farm produce, farmer's markets are a great place to find naturally healthy food at a fraction of grocery store prices. You'll not only save money and eat healthy, your purchases will help support your local growers.
Think Fresh - If you have to wash dirt off before you eat it, chances are you've chosen a healthy food. Stock up on your family's favorite fruits and vegetables but don't buy more than you'll eat in a week as most fruits and vegetables lose their nutrient value over time. Think beyond apples and corn and widen your healthy food horizons by trying something new from the produce aisle each week. Ugli fruit, purple carrots and sea beans are all exotic and healthy food choices that might just become family favorites.
Snack Attack - One of the biggest obstacles to healthy eating is the dreaded snack attack. You want something satisfying and delicious that requires little prep time and won't wreck your healthy food diet. That's a tall order that can't be filled on the chip and cookie aisle. Instead, think dried and fresh fruits, unsalted nuts and yogurt. Even the prepackaged fruits you find in the produce section are a healthy and convenient alternative for school snacks.
Read the Labels - If a product has more than five ingredients or contains things you cannot pronounce, it's probably not a healthy food choice. Avoid foods that are clearly packaged to attract children with cartoon characters and free toys inside. These are almost always full of sugar and other things that will waylay your healthy eating plans.
Email This
Shopping for healthy food can be quite a challenge in your typical grocery store. With aisle after aisle stocked with processed foods and trans fat temptations, even the most determined healthy shopper can get derailed. If you find that despite your best intentions, your pantry is more junk food than health food, perhaps it's time to rethink your grocery shopping strategy. Here are some tips for healthy food shopping that will help you and your family stick to your goals of maintaining a healthy diet.
Make a List - This is a good tip no matter what you are shopping for. By sticking to your healthy food list, you'll save money and eat better. If you're not sure just what you should be looking for, check out the healthy food shopping guide at Web MD. With foods grouped by dietary impact, this printable list can help you confidently choose the right foods to help you stick to your healthy eating goals. To help you plan healthy meals, check out Meals Matter, an informative site that allows you to search for and save healthy food recipes in a personalized cookbook.
Specialty Stores - Shopping at the grocery store closest to home may be convenient, but it can also limit your choices when it comes to healthy food. Specialty stores that stock only organic and otherwise healthy food often offer items you won't find in your neighborhood market. If those stores are beyond your budget, search for farmer's markets in your area. Stocked with fresh-from-the-farm produce, farmer's markets are a great place to find naturally healthy food at a fraction of grocery store prices. You'll not only save money and eat healthy, your purchases will help support your local growers.
Think Fresh - If you have to wash dirt off before you eat it, chances are you've chosen a healthy food. Stock up on your family's favorite fruits and vegetables but don't buy more than you'll eat in a week as most fruits and vegetables lose their nutrient value over time. Think beyond apples and corn and widen your healthy food horizons by trying something new from the produce aisle each week. Ugli fruit, purple carrots and sea beans are all exotic and healthy food choices that might just become family favorites.
Snack Attack - One of the biggest obstacles to healthy eating is the dreaded snack attack. You want something satisfying and delicious that requires little prep time and won't wreck your healthy food diet. That's a tall order that can't be filled on the chip and cookie aisle. Instead, think dried and fresh fruits, unsalted nuts and yogurt. Even the prepackaged fruits you find in the produce section are a healthy and convenient alternative for school snacks.
Read the Labels - If a product has more than five ingredients or contains things you cannot pronounce, it's probably not a healthy food choice. Avoid foods that are clearly packaged to attract children with cartoon characters and free toys inside. These are almost always full of sugar and other things that will waylay your healthy eating plans.