6 Tips for Smarter, Healthier Grocery Shopping

Making Healthy Grocery Shopping Choices

Grocery shopping can be a dietary minefield – with aisles of temptations that seem difficult to avoid, what are some smart ways to make the most of your shopping trip? All you need are a few health tips to keep you on track.

1.  Healthy choices start at home, so plan ahead by making a list. This way you will get exactly what you need and lessen risk of random purchases that you don’t need. Planning ahead will also save you time and money!

2.  Many nutritionists suggest shopping the perimeter of the grocery store, with the thought being that this is where fresher and less processed foods are found. This is true, but there certainly are healthy foods that can be found in the center aisles too, think canned beans, grains, frozen fruit etc.

3.  Fill your cart like you should fill your plate, 50% fruits & veggies, the rest protein and grains. See: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/about.html

4.  Make a point to try and incorporate foods that are fresh and in season and perhaps that you have not tried before, most people tend to eat the same foods over and over again but the wider the variety the wider the array of nutrients. Have household members make suggestions for the shopping list, kids (and grown-ups) are generally more willing to try new foods when they help to pick them.

5.  Don’t shop hungry! This practice often results in unhealthy impulse purchases.

6.  Choose “real” foods, with as little processing and as few additives as possible. Try not to choose foods that contain a long list of ingredients, artificial ingredients, or ingredients you might not be able to pronounce.

Marci Clow, Registered Dietician, and Senior Nutritionist at Rainbow Light. Clow has been a part of Rainbow Light’s Research, Formulation and Quality team for over 15 years, using her nutrition, regulatory and food expertise to develop strategic and effective collateral communication materials for lectures, print, TV, and social media. Marci’s personal interests in nutrition include solution-oriented, real-food approaches to childhood obesity as well as bridging the gap between alternative and allopathic medicine. Marci has a Master’s Degree in Clinical Nutrition and a BS in Food Service Administration. She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is active in several practice groups, including Dietitians in Business and Communications, Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine and Nutrition Education for the Public. www.rainbowlight.com

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