The supermarket can be an easy place to make eating mistakes. Between the buzzwords on packaging, the temptingly low prices on processed foods, and the limited amount of time you have to read nutrition labels, even if you’re a professional shopper, you can end up making mistakes in your shopping cart. With a few tips up our sleeve, we firmly believe that shopping healthy is not that difficult.
We share the best tips for shopping in a healthy way
make a list
Go to the supermarket that you know best with a list of healthy foods to buy in the order of presentation they have in the supermarket. This will help you resist the temptation, and it will speed up your shopping because you are not wasting time in other aisles with unhealthy and processed foods.
Don’t shop hungry
If you go to the supermarket with a healthy plan in place, you are less likely to buy junk food. Try to do the shopping when you are satiated and not hungry, otherwise there are many impulse purchases you can do.
Buy more vegetables
Many of us buy few produce, with a lettuce, a broccoli stalk and a bag of carrots we try to supplement our vegetable intakes. But remember that we should eat five servings of vegetables a day . As a general rule of thumb, vegetables should make up at least a third, or even half, of all the food on your plate. Logically, this means that vegetables – fresh or frozen – should occupy at least a third of your shopping cart.
Store canned food in your pantry
Many shoppers overlook the canned food aisle because they don’t realize that canned fruits and vegetables can be just as nutritious as fresh and frozen. Also, canned foods are always available . Store canned vegetables, fruits, legumes, and broths in your pantry so you can prepare a healthy meal in minutes. Recent studies have found that meals prepared at home contain, on average, 200 fewer calories than restaurant meals, and that they are lower in fat and sodium. Having a well-stocked pantry can equate to pounds lost and money saved.
Consume original versions of products
The original versions of many foods and beverages, such as cereals, soy milk, yogurt, pasta sauces, and more, are often the most nutritious. That’s because as brands expand product lines, they move toward more decadent offerings that cost more and have worse nutritional profiles.
Buy some organic produce
One of the best recommendations to do the shopping in a healthy way is to buy products that are on the organic lists . Shopping entirely with organic products is not realistic for most people, especially because of their high price, but you can easily and affordably minimize exposure to pesticides when you buy products of this type.
