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Shop smart for a healthy lifestyle
A big part of enjoying healthier eating is buying healthier
foods, and that means making smart choices where it matters most
- at the supermarket. Choosing the freshest, healthiest foods is
an important first step toward making healthy and delicious
meals your whole family will love.
In general, most supermarkets are laid out with the healthiest,
most nutritious foods around the perimeter of the store. That is
where most stores locate their produce section, their dairy
section, their meat counter, and the like. Of course, the middle
aisles of the grocery store also contain nutritious foods, such
as canned and frozen vegetables, whole grain cereals and more.
And of course each shelf of the grocery store also contains both
good and bad choices for healthy eating. For instance, the
cereal aisle is home to both the healthy, home grain cereal, and
those cereals that contain more sugar than corn. In many cases,
the difference will be obvious from the packaging, while at
other times you will need to read the nutritional information
carefully to ensure the food is healthy for your family.
As a matter of fact, learning to read nutritional labels is one
of the most important skills any health oriented shopper must
learn. This government mandated labels contain a wealth of
information if you know what to look for. Not only do
nutritional labels contain vital information on calorie counts,
fat grams and sodium content, but they contain detailed
information on the percentage of each vitamin an mineral a
serving contains.
When looking at nutritional labels, however, pay careful
attention to the portion size listed. This is particularly
important when looking at calories, fat grams and the amount of
sodium. For instance, a serving of juice is generally 8 ounces,
while the average juice glass at your home may be 12 or even 16
ounces. It is important to carefully look at serving size, and
to do the mental calculation necessary to reflect how much of
each product will actually be consumed at one sitting.
When shopping for healthy foods, it is usually better to opt for
les processed foods. For instance, 100% fruit juice would be
better than a fruit juice blend that may contain as little as 5%
or 10% fruit juice.
And plain frozen vegetables would be
healthier than vegetables in a butter sauce. When shopping for
meat, try to buy fresh meat whenever possible. Frozen meat
products, or those already seasoned, heat and eat products,
often contain unhealthy ingredients as well as preservatives.
When it comes to dairy products, it is best to buy low fat and
non fat varieties when at all possible. The one exception to
this rule is feeding babies and young children. Their growing
bodies need the fat and calories contained in whole milk
products, but adults and older children are better served by low
fat alternatives.
When choosing canned soups, there are a number of fat free and
low sodium varieties. Try to choose these soups for a healthier
lifestyle. Other high protein, low calorie soup choices include
black bean soup, lentil soup and split pea soup. These healthy
soups are good sources of protein, fiber and folate.
Ethnic foods, such as Mexican and Chinese, can be excellent
sources of healthy meals, and the traditional ways of preparing
such foods are generally very healthy. It is important to stay
as authentic as possible when choosing and preparing Mexican,
Asian, Middle Eastern and Italian food. This will help guarantee
both great taste and healthy eating. For instance, traditional
salsa is an excellent, low calorie, and nutritious dip, and the
traditional Mexican black bean dip is usually fat free.
Seasonings can be an excellent way to spice up healthy cooking
without adding additional fat and calories. Herbs and spices are
a great way to add zest to any meal, and starting an herb garden
of your own is a great way to save both time and money while
providing fresh tasting, healthy meals for your family. When
buying spices in the grocery store, be especially careful about
sodium content. Read the label carefully, since the first
ingredient on many bottled spices is actually salt (another
great reason to start that herb garden).
About the author:
Tony Robinson is a Company CEO, webmaster husband and dad. In
his busy lifestyle he has placed importance on health and
fitness. Visit http://www.eat-healthily.com for good eating tips
and techniques to assist you maintain a healthy lifestyle.
