Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Spilling the beans about healthy grocery shopping
Nutritionist gives tips about buying for healthy eating
Healthy eating doesn’t necessarily begin in your kitchen but at the store you use to stock that kitchen.
In-store nutritionist and registered dietitian Christina Fava of Giant Food Stores’ Montgomeryville location came to the Pottstown area last week to discuss how to shop for healthy eating. Fava went over several aspects of successfully shopping for nutritious meals.
March is National Nutrition Month — a campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to promote healthy food choices. This year’s theme was “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle.” But before you can bite it, you have to buy it.
Planning
Preparing for a healthy shopping trip happens before you even step foot into a grocery store.
Fava recommends people plan their meals for the week before grocery shopping, and use sales advertisements to help plan. For example, she said Giant has its weekly circular which includes sales for the upcoming week.
Next, take inventory of the foods already in the kitchen to determine what you need to buy.
After the meal planning and inventory, it’s time to make the shopping list. Fava said this is essential to avoid buying items that you don’t need, especially fresh produce, that will go bad after a few days.
Kathy Fuhs, of Douglassville, said she shops at Giant about twice a week and one of the things she’s learned is “don’t come in when you’re hungry.”
Fava said shopping when you’re hungry will lead to over- buying and purchasing more junk food.
Shopping on a budget
Before you go to the grocery store, it’s important to know what your budget is. Fava said she often hears that the processed, unhealthy foods are cheaper. She said there are ways to save money and shop healthy at the same time.
Buy items that are on sale, clip coupons and then put them directly in your wallet so you don’t forget them, she said. She said another way to save money is to buy in bulk, such as bagged fruit, then freeze what you don’t use right away. Fava said stores usually have discount aisles with healthy food choices.
“Don’t be afraid of store brands,” she said, adding that they usually taste just as good and have the same nutrients as name-brand items but are less expensive.
Shopping for convenience cooking
It’s very possible to eat healthy even with a busy lifestyle. Fava said there are several ways to shop for healthy foods that won’t be time-consuming.
Canned items like beans and vegetables can be used for quick meals, Fava said. She said it’s best to look for low-sodium varieties or wash off the excess salt at home.
She said people that don’t have a lot of time to cook during the week should always have healthy food staples in stock such as eggs, canned tuna and produce. She said these items can be used to make 5-ingredient meals that are easy.
“You don’t have to do anything elaborate,” Fava said.
She said frozen fruits and vegetables are another way to save time but still stay healthy. She said frozen options still have the nutrients but they last for a longer than fresh produce. Just don’t buy the frozen fruit with added sugars or the frozen vegetables with sauces, she said.
What to buy first at the store
With list in hand, adequately fed and a budget in mind; it’s time to actually start shopping. Fava said it’s a good idea to begin in the produce section and stock up on wholesome foods.
“The more you fill the cart up with those foods, there’s less room for the junk food,” she said.
She also recommends shopping around the store perimeter first. After produce, get your lean proteins, dairy then your whole grains.
In the meat and poultry section, choose lean cuts. Pork loin, ground chicken , lean beef and turkey breasts are healthy options, Fava said.
In the dairy section, try to choose reduced-fat or nonfat options for milk, cheese and yogurt.
In the bread section, it’s always best to choose whole grains whenever possible, Fava said.
“When you see the word ‘whole,’ that means it contains all three parts of the kernel so you’re going to get more nutrients. You’re also going to get more fiber that way,” she said.
Fava said a common misconception is that all multi-grain breads have whole grains but this isn’t always true. She said it’s important to check the label for the types of grains and to see if high fructose corn syrup has been added which is something you want to avoid.
Read nutrition facts and ingredients labels
Fava said although it’s best to start your shopping trip by going around the perimeter, healthy items can be found down almost any aisle. The key is to check labels before buying products and look for Giant’s “healthy ideas shelf tag,” she said.
“They (the healthy tags) are little stickers that show the product meets all the requirements to be considered a healthy item,” she said.
Fava said label reading is necessary because it’s important to know what is actually in the products you’re buying. One thing to be aware of on labels is trans-fat which is best to avoid all together, she said. The unhealthy fats can raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol.
Even foods labeled as trans-fat free can still technically have it in the product. Fava said items can label themselves trans-fat free if it consists of half a gram of the fat.
“If you’re eating two or three servings, you’re already going to be getting a gram or more when you don’t want to get any,” she said adding that it’s best to check the ingredients to be sure. “It will say partially hydrogenated oils. That’s the red flag for trans-fat.”
High fructose corn syrup is another ingredient to stay away from in the ingredients list and it’s healthiest to stick with foods that have 140 milligrams or less of sodium per serving size. Try to stick to 5 grams of fat in snacks and 10 grams of fat in meals. Fava said foods with healthy fats such as mono-saturated, poly-saturated and Omega 3s, can have a little more fat in them.
Products with sugar should be in the single digits such as 8 grams or less. Fava said it’s important to be cautious of sugar content when shopping because it’s in everything.
“There’s sugar in breads even. It’s not just in dessert items…You name it, you’ll find sugar,” she said.
Fava said sugar has many different names including evaporated cane juice, brown rice syrup, molasses, and honey
There are also several nutrients that you want to make sure are in the foods you’re buying. Look for at least 3 grams of fiber and 15 to 30 grams of protein in meal items.
“Protein is important. It helps to fill us up and it also takes longer to digest than other nutrients,” Fava said.
Fava said food labels sometimes have claims that appear to be healthy but actually aren’t. Packaged foods that are lowfat or fat-free aren’t always the most nutritious choice, she said.
“With fat-free, all they do is add sugar to replace the fat,” she said.
Fava said packages claiming to be all-natural can also be misleading.
“All natural can mean anything and it’s not regulated by the FDA,” Fava said, adding that food containing high fructose corn syrup can be labeled as all natural.
On the other hand, she said organic products are regulated by the FDA and there are guidelines for qualifications.
“It doesn’t contain antibiotics. It doesn’t contain artificially growth hormones and it’s non-GMO,” she said.
Shopping for a healthy diet is manage with a little planning and can even be done on a budget. For more about Giant’s healthy ideas shelf tag program visit the website giantfood.com/livewell/health-and-wellness/ healthy-ideas. Healthy recipe ideas are also available at recipecenter.giantfood.com.
21st Century Media is engaged in a year-long effort, Fit for Life, designed to promote healthy living and inspired by recent health studies which indicate an alarming increase in obesity and overweight people. In addition to articles in the newspaper and on our website, Fit for Life features a blog with recipes, health tips, resources, tips on getting fit without breaking the bank, maps and other tools all available free online. Visit the website at www.pottsmerc.com/Fitforlife, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MercFit4Life and follow our efforts on Twitter @MercFit4Life.
Michilea Patterson is the Fit for Life reporter and is funded in part by the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation.