Healthy Grocery Shopping

Come Prepared: Make a list, and only stray from it if the item is a healthy one. Also try to shop after you have eaten, and, if possible when you're in a calm stable mood.

Hit the Walls: Shop the perimeter. The fresh whole foods items are located along the outside whereas the more processed food are located it the aisles.

Beware of "Innocent" Foods: Supermarkets have a sneaky way of placing the caramel apple dip right next to the stack of juicy red apples. This is their way of enticing shoppers to think that these foods are linked together as "innocent by association"

Choose Select Meats: Choose select cuts, which are the leanest, most healthful, and most affordable meats you can find. Also ask the butcher to package the exact amount you need to help with portion control.

Skip the Beverage Aisle: More than 10 percent of the calories Americans consume com from a combination of soft drinks and juice, and food companies are making it easier to guzzle your calories.

Know There's No Free Lunch: Avoid free samples of items that are bad for you. "If you don't want a food in your house, don't sample it."

Rethink Fresh Foods: Time your fish buying according to your market's schedule. Try not to buy fish on Sundays; there aren't many deliveries over the weekend.

Be a Cheese Whiz: Most markets have two sections for cheese: one with domestic cheese and a second with a wide variety of imported and fancy cheeses. Shop the imported  section as that cheese has more flavor so you don't have to use as much.

Look High and Low for Health Food: Some products are placed right in front of your face for a reason. You will need to look high, low and around corners to find healthier alternatives. 

Avoid Health Food That Isn't: "When you're buying a high-calorie, low-nutrient product and it's organic, you shouldn't be consuming so much that the difference becomes significant." If it's cake, it's still cake.

Read Labels: When going through the freezer section it is important to take your time and look at the labels to find out what ingredients are going into these products.

Check Yourself Out: 20% of customers succumb to last-minute impulse buying while they're in line and, no surprise, there are no Brussels Sprouts on display. Try burying yourself in a magazine or attempt the new self-check out system instead. 

Did you know?

Chiropractic helps keep the stomach and intestines functioning properly for optimum absorption of food.

For guidance on how to be a smarter shopper, Prevention Magazine enlistd Lisa Sasson, RD, a clinical assistant professor at New York University, a mother of two, and a twice-a-week shopper to help with everyone's most dreaded task: grocery shopping. Above are some of her rules to shop by.

*Article by Prevention Magazine*