Make Nutritious Choices at the Supermarket

The choices you make while buying food at the supermarket can make or break your diet and positively or negatively affect your overall health. So, here are some tips to ensure that when you shop, your cart is filled with nutritious choices by the time you reach the checkout:

• Make a weekly meal plan filled with nourishing foods, and keep your overall meal plan in mind at the supermarket. The pro-nutrition mindset begins at home, long before you step foot in the supermarket. You can then use your weekly meal plan to create a shopping list.
• Make a shopping list and stick to it. Think of a shopping list as your in-store game plan. Shopping with a plan helps you avoid expensive impulse purchases and having to return to the supermarket to pick up ingredients that you might otherwise forget about if you don’t have a list.
• Check your supermarket’s coupons and specials on its website or printed ad once you have your shopping list, and adjust your list accordingly to take advantage of price reductions.
• Choose a supermarket that offers a broad range of nutritious, whole foods. Not all supermarkets are created equal. Some supermarkets offer large selections of produce, whole grains foods, and other nutritious products while other stores seem to specialize in potato chips, Ho Hos, and cola. When you pick a supermarket where healthy food choices abound, you’re on your way to assuring health food selections.
• Don’t shop on an empty stomach. Eat a healthy meal BEFORE you shop so that you buy what you need and not what your grumbling tummy craves.
• Start on a positive note; head to the produce section first. This section has the healthiest food in the store. Filling your cart with delicious fruits and vegetables right off the bat is a great way to set the pace.
• Look at nutrition labels. You’ll be amazed at how items compare when it comes to calories, protein, sugar, sodium, and other ingredients.
• Choose fresh foods instead of processed ones. Fresh foods have a lot of natural vitamins and minerals, while processed foods tend to contain additives, preservatives, and a lot of sodium.
• Select low-fat foods. Be especially careful in the dairy aisle, and remember that low-fat dairy products tend to contain the same amount of nutrients as their whole milk counterparts.
• Avoid the junk food aisles. Just walk right past any aisle that is stocked with non-healthy foods, and then pat yourself on the back for sticking to your healthy food game plan.
• Avoid feature items at the ends of the aisles. Endcap displays tend to have foods that are loaded with fat, sugar, and calories.