Between the trendy buzzwords on packaging, the tempting low prices on processed food and the limited amount of time you’d like to spend reading nutrition labels, even the most knowledgeable shoppers can end up making mistakes in his or her cart.
But with a few tried and true tricks up your sleeve, we firmly believe it’s not all that tough to make smarter decisions at the store.
Here are some healthier grocery shopping tips by website www.huffingtonpost.com
* Make a list — know your grocery store and go with a list of healthy foods in the order they are laid out. That will help you resist temptation, and it speeds up shopping because you’re not wasting time cruising the aisles for what you need.
* Don’t go hungry — healthy eating choices start with the groceries you have on hand. Grocery shop with a plan and shopping list. Do not attempt to grocery shop when you are hungry, as you will be surprised at the significant number of impulse buys in your cart.
* Stock up on canned foods — many shoppers overlook the canned foods aisle because they don’t realise that canned fruits and vegetables can be just as nutritious as fresh and frozen. Plus, canned foods are always available.
* Be selective when buying organic — Buying all organic isn’t realistic for most … but you can easily and affordably minimise pesticide exposure when you buy according to the list.
* Read the labelbypass the front of the package and rely mainly on the nutrition facts panel and ingredients lists. If you’re looking to bump up fibre or protein intake, or lower fat/saturated fat intake, the nutrition facts panel can be a one-stop shop for all nutrients and can simplify the process of comparing products.
However, when using them, make sure to check the serving size to make sure it’s a reasonable portion for you.
* Do a final check — Before you pull into the checkout line, pull over and do a final cart check. Make sure your cart has visually 50 per cent fruits and veggies, 25 per cent lean and plant proteins, 25 per cent whole grains — and don’t forget to double check there are enough healthy fats, like avocado, nuts, seeds, nut butters and liquid oil … You are only as healthy as your last trip to the grocery store!”
