Buying healthy foods at the grocery store

By: Tony Robinson
:
The local grocery store is a great place to find healthy,
nutritious foods. Unfortunately, it is also a place to find less
healthy foods and many junk foods. Learning how to follow a
healthy lifestyle means learning how to shop for the healthiest
foods, and learning how to avoid temptation.

Learning to read labels is an important skill for any healthy
shopper. The information on nutritional labels is very valuable,
providing complete information on the percentage of many
vitamins and minerals a particular food contains. In addition,
nutritional information labels provide valuable information on
things like the amount of calories, number of at grams,
percentage of total fat and amount of fiber each food contains.
It is important to choose those foods that have the best
nutritional qualities as you roam the local grocery store.

There are some important guidelines to follow to make sure that
every trip to the grocery store will be a healthy experience.
After all, you cannot have a healthy refrigerator or a healthy
dinner table without first stocking your kitchen pantry with the
healthiest foods available.

One of the best pieces of advice is probably something you have
heard a million times, and that is to never go grocery shopping
when you are hungry. Even if it means stopping for a quick snack
on your way, it is important to not enter the supermarket while
you are hungry. Hungry shoppers make bad choices, and those
unhealthy choices will be around long after your hunger has
abated.

Another good trick is to hit the produce section of your grocery
store first. Fill up your food basket with healthy, nutritious
fruits and vegetables. Not only will this allow you to stock the
fridge and the pantry with healthy choices, but it will leave
less room for all those less healthy foods.

It is also important to always make a detailed shopping list
before hitting the grocery store. A well thought out grocery
list keeps you from overspending, and also helps keep you from
succumbing to the temptation of less healthy junk foods. To keep
a detailed list of what you need on your next shopping list, try
keeping a notepad by the fridge or on the dining room table.
Write down each item as you think of it, and come shopping day,
you will have a complete list of everything you need to buy.

As you shop around the grocery store, it is a good idea to take
advantage of the many low fat foods that fill grocery store
shelves. There are low at varieties of many foods, including
milk and dairy products, meats and cheeses, even cakes and pies.
Most of these products contain all the taste of the full fat
products, without all the fat.

When shopping for low fat foods, however, be on the lookout for
extra sugar content. This is not so much a concern with milk and
dairy products, but it is sometimes a concern with low fat baked
goods. Some manufacturers pack their low fat baked goods with
extra sugar, so it pays to be a smart label reader.

As long as you watch sugar content, however, low fat desserts
and sweets are excellent choices. When grocery shopping, try to
choose naturally lower fat alternatives, such as angel food
cake, fig bars and vanilla wafers. Buying smaller portion sizes
is another smart strategy for enjoying sweets while limiting fat
and calories.

Another smart strategy is to choose whole grain breads and
cereals whenever possible. Whole grains contain more fiber and
other nutrients than do more processed foods, so buying whole
grains makes a lot of sense.

When shopping for the healthiest cereals in the grocery store,
it is helpful to understand how the cereal aisle of the typical
grocery store is arranged. Shelf space at a grocery store is in
high demand and short supply, and cereal manufacturers take
advantages of this fact in their store shelf marketing. In
general, the less healthy, sugar laden cereals are arranged at
kid height, while the more adult, healthier products are on the
top shelves.

That is one reason why your kids are always trying to put those
sugar cubes disguised as cereal in your cart as you shop.
Choosing the healthier cereals from the top shelves is a good
strategy, but it is still important to read the labels to make
sure you are getting what you think you are.

About the author:
Tony Robinson is a webmaster, international author and fitness
guru. Come check out his website at
http://www.1stbetterhealth.com