Healthy eating and successful weight management begin with healthy grocery shopping. You’ve got to put good food in your cart before you can put it in your body.
But it’s more difficult than most people think. Food manufacturers know that you want to eat healthily and they are not afraid to promote perceived health benefits, even if it creates false perceptions about the actual healthiness of the product.
Temptation is another major hurdle between you and healthier food. Less healthy options are everywhere in the grocery store, aisle after aisle, and it’s a test of your will power to avoid them.
Here are six tips that will help make your next trip to the grocery store a healthier one:
- Plan Your Meals. Fortunately, when you create a plan you tend to follow it. So plan your meals in as much detail as possible – breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sticking to your plan makes it easier to resist temptation.
- Have a Good Meal Before You Shop. Have you ever been to a restaurant and couldn’t decide what to order because everything looked so good? And, at the other end of the spectrum, have you ever stared at a menu and found nothing that appeals to you? The difference could easily have been your level of hunger.When you’re hungry, food looks tastier and it is more tempting. It’s a huge mistake to go to a store that’s devoted to food – some of it unhealthy – when you’re famished. You’ll be thinking with your hungry stomach instead of your health-conscious brain.
- Get to Know Nutrition Labels – A key to making healthier choices in packaged food is to clearly understand nutrition labels. More than just listing calories, nutrition labels carry a wealth of information. Some of it can help spot packaged foods that aren’t as healthy as they seem.For example, a ‘No Sugar Added’ label might make you think a product is sugar-free. Chances are it isn’t and the nutrition label will confirm that.
- Hang Out in the Produce Section – Fruits and vegetables are just about the healthiest food in the supermarket, so the more time you spend there, the healthier your shopping will be. Try to choose lots of different colours – each one represents different vitamin, mineral and nutrient content.
- Organic vs. Natural – There’s lots of confusion around what is ‘organic’ food and what manufacturers mean by ‘natural’. To be clear, food cannot be labeled ‘organic’ unless it meets the Canadian Organic Standards set out by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Unfortunately, there are no similar regulations around using the word ‘natural’ on food packaging. So ‘natural’ does not mean ‘organic’, or that the food has been grown, processed and/or handled any differently.
- Whole Grain vs. Multi-Grain – Again food manufacturers like to take advantage of our drive to be healthier. If whole grain cereal, pastas and bread are healthier, then multi-grains must be ‘multi’ healthier, right?Wrong. Multi-grain means many different grains, but not necessarily whole grains. Don’t be fooled.
We don’t want to paint a bad picture of the grocery stores or food manufacturers. No one is out to deliberately cause any harm. But remember, they are in business to make money. You should learn as much as you can about making healthier choices at the grocery store and your local Herbal One nutrition specialist is a great place to start.