6 Grocery Store Strategies for Good Health

For many of us, grocery shopping can feel rote. We buy the items for our usual meals and head on our way. But if you’re interested in eating and feeling better, the supermarket is where that begins. The choices made there dictate what and how we’ll eat for probably the next week. It’s time to really think about how we shop and what we’re loading into the cart.

1. Smart strategies

You can become more health conscious about grocery shopping and save money by being prepared. Nutrition experts from the American Dietetic Association and Produce for Better Health Foundation recommend you:

• Do not shop when you’re hungry and perhaps more likely to impulsively buy less nutritious, more expensive items.

• Know what is in season on the produce aisle. In-season items tend to cost less.

• Buy produce that keeps longer in the refrigerator, such as cabbage, carrots, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.

• Limit or avoid buying pricey snack foods, desserts, and soft drinks that offer no nutritional value for the money.

Read more: 6 Grocery Store Strategies for Good Health

2. Understand nutrition labels

The Food and Drug Administration requires food labeling on the packages for most prepared foods, like cereals and breads. Nutritional information on raw produce (fruits and vegetables) and fish is voluntary, but you’ll often find it posted on those aisles. Read Nutrition Fact Panels to:

• Determine the Percent Daily Value — the percentage by which a specific nutrient in a serving of the food contributes to the government-recommended daily need for that nutrient. This helps when comparing foods based on nutrient content.

• Search for foods that are low in sodium. Consuming high amounts of sodium can lead to high blood pressure.

• Find foods low in trans fat and saturated fat.

For more information on reading Nutrition Fact Panels, go to the Food and Drug Administration.

3. Decipher terms

What’s the difference between “fat free” vs. “low fat”? What does it mean when the bag says the bread is an “excellent source” of fiber? It’s important to know the meaning behind the many phrases we see on food packages.

Fat Free: Contains less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving.

Low Fat: Contains 3 grams of fat or less per serving.

Good and Excellent: If packaging says the product is a “good source” of fiber or other nutrient, that means it contains 10 percent to 19 percent of the recommended daily intake per serving of the nutrient. If it’s labeled “excellent,” it contains 20 percent or more.

4. Make better choices

The supermarket is where your diet choices begin, so choose wisely. The American Heart Association and Produce for Better Health Foundation recommend:

• Picking deeply colored fruits and vegetables, like carrots, spinach, berries, and peaches. They tend to be higher in vitamins and minerals than others, such as corn and potatoes.

• Buying frozen or canned vegetables and fruits in water without added salt, sugars, and saturated and trans fat.

• Selecting whole-grain, high-fiber breads and other items that list whole grains as the first ingredient, which means it is the predominant ingredient by weight.

5. Select heart-healthy protein

Select only lean cuts of pork and beef and look for cuts named “round” or “loin,” the American Heart Association recommends. Buy “choice” or “select” grades rather than “prime,” which tends to contain more fat. When buying poultry, the light-colored breasts are leaner than the fattier dark meat of the thighs and legs. Be sure to consider other good sources of protein besides meat, like lentils, tofu, and beans. Replace a two-ounce serving of meat, fish, or poultry with a one-cup serving of tofu, lentils, peas, or beans.

6. Stay safe

Shop with food safety in mind to help prevent foodborne illnesses. The items you select, the order in which they go into your cart, and the time it takes you to get them home in the refrigerator factor into food safety, the American Dietetic Association says. It recommends bagging meats, poultry, and seafood separately from other foods. Also, load perishable items into your cart at the end of your shopping trip, and transport them in the back seat instead of a hot trunk. Put your items away as soon as you get home.