How do I shop for healthy foods for my diet?

 

Question: How do I shop for healthy foods for my diet?

 

Answer: Healthy eating at home starts with choosing healthy foods at the grocery store. It is so much easier to prepare delicious and wholesome meals if you have top-quality ingredients on hand. Here are some tips for grocery shopping for healthy foods:

• Make a list of the food items you need before you go shopping and stick to it. Without a list, you may forget something important and you may be more tempted to buy poor-quality junk foods.
• Don't shop when you are hungry or in a hurry. In either case you will be more likely to grab junk, processed foods or sugary treats.
• Fresh fruits and vegetables are best, but if you can't eat them in a day or two, frozen fruits and vegetables are a better choice.
• Choose lean meats such as fish fillets, skinless chicken breasts, lean pork chops and turkey. Avoid processed meats like hot dogs, sausages and bologna.
• Stay away from the snack aisle. Don't tempt yourself with chips, sodas and high fat, low nutrition snack foods.
• Read the nutrition facts labels on any canned and packaged foods. Notice the how much fat and sodium are in the food. Those cans of "spaghetti and meat balls" aren't as healthy for you as buying whole grain pasta, making lean, ground turkey meatballs and a fresh tomato sauce.
• Choose low fat milk, soy milk or rice milk.
• Replace white bread with 100 percent whole grain bread.
• Keep your favorite spices and herbs on hand to add flavor to your meals instead of adding extra salt.
• Don't buy frozen dinners that are high in fat and calories. 

       By Shereen Jegtvig