Grocery Shopping
Is a healthy lifestyle just for the rich? Some people claim that they just don’t have the money to spend on healthy foods . But the notion that healthy foods are more expensive than their unhealthy counterparts is a common myth . A grocery cart filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, legumes, lean meat like chicken and fish is not as expensive as one filled with frozen dinners, cookies and chips . And if you buy enough food items to make more meals at home, you will save even more .Take the time to do some comparison shopping . Watch for weekly specials and buy double to stock in the cupboards or the freezer .
Tips for Grocery Shopping
- Keep an ongoing shopping list at home to take with you .
- Choose a few recipes from a healthy cookbook and jot down the needed ingredients .
- Shop every week to make sure your kitchen is well stocked .
- Never shop an empty stomach . The fatty snacks and sweet foods look a lot more appealing when you are starving!
- Visit the outer parameter of the store first . That’s where you’ll find the basic fresh foods . Breads, fruits, vegetables, milk products, lean meat, chicken and fish are all found on the outskirts (“shop the walls”) .
- Buy enough to freeze—breads, bagels, low-fat muffins, flour tortillas, berries and light frozen dinners for those nights that you can’t put a meal together .
Your Shopping List
Fruits and Vegetables
fresh – include dark green and orange
ones
like oranges, spinach, carrots, kiwis,
broccoli and peppers
frozen berries and vegetables
canned vegetables and fruit in water or
its own juice
dried fruit—raisins, dates, apricots
Milk Products
Milk— 1% or skim
yogurt— 2% milk fat or less
cheese— 20% milk fat or less
fat-free sour cream
Condiments and Oils
vegetable oil like canola, olive, sunflower
corn, safflower
lower fat mayonnaise and salad dressings
soft, non-hydrogenated margarine
lemon juice
low-fat bottled sauces like barbecue,
mustard, salsa, balsamic vinegar,
flavoured vinegars
low-fat broth