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Shopping Smart

Buying and stocking healthy foods in your home is a great way to ensure nutritious options are within arm's length when planning meals or reach for a snack. With so many products on the market, its often challenging to know what's really in your food.

Reading Labels can help you understand what's in your food and whether it's a good food choice for you.

A great place to start making nutritions decisions is at your local grocery store. When shopping for groceries, always Work Your Way From the Outside In!

The Goal...to leave the store with a variety of performance foods that are high in carbohydrate, low in fat, have adequate protein, and a balance of nutrients! Try some of these food shopping tactics.

Shopping Layout

The Strategy...work your way from the outside in. Almost all grocery stores put their freshest foods on the outside aisles. Fresh foods are where you find many of your nutrients. Fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meats, and often breads...usually on the store perimeter.

THE PERIMETER: The Outside Aisles

BREAD
Bread is loaded with carbs and not much fat. Choose mostly whole grain items.

  • english muffins
  • bread sticks
  • tortillas
  • bread
  • bagels
  • pita
  • rolls

DAIRY

  • Milk: Skim and 1% milk are the performance choices. Lower in fat than whole milk by 6 grams a glass.
  • Yogurt's not all the same. Look for low- or nonfat yogurt for a high protein, high calcium snack.
  • Lowfat spreads can cut the fat. Butter, margarine and cream cheese come in lowfat versions.

MEAT

  • Chicken and turkey without the skin. Low in fat, high in protein.
  • Beef: look for cuts graded "SELECT." It means less fat. "CHOICE" and "PRIME" mean higher in fat. The more it is marbled, the more fat.
  • Ground beef labeled 90% fat free. Or try ground turkey for lower fat burgers.
  • Look for Meats with less fat: Flank steak, round steak, roasts, sirloin, tenderloin, loin pork chops, lean ham.
  • Avoid Meats with more fat: Corned beef, pastrami, rib eye roast, marbled steak, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, some ham. Compare fat contents on hot dogs.

FISH AND SEAFOODS

Fish and Seafoods are high in protein, low in fat.

DELI

Many lunch meats and cheeses are clearly marked with fat content. Look for 95% or more fat free.

SALAD BAR

Lots of good choices at the salad bar. Get the ones without creamy dressings, including mayonnaise. Put the dressing on the side and dip your fork.

FRUIT

Fresh fruit: sweet carbs. Good for restoring energy during a hike. Dried fruit: easy to pack for a performance snack on the road.

THE CENTER: The Inside Aisles

FROZEN FOODS
Read the labels on prepared foods.

  • Look for dinners with fewer than 15 grams of fat.
  • Get frozen vegetables without the sauces. They add fat.
  • Ice milk, sorbet and lowfat frozen yogurt are lower in fat than ice cream. If it's hard to resist eating the whole quart of ice cream in one sitting, get ice cream bars or popsicles instead.

CANNED & PREPARED FOODS

  • Tuna: Get water packed. Oil packed adds fat.
  • Canned and dried beans: For soups, chili, salads. High in protein and carbohydrate.
  • Stew, chili, soup: Read labels on prepared foods like these. Some of them are high in fat.
  • Pasta and rice: PRIMO for CARBS. Any shape will do. Whole grain has even more vitamins, minerals, & fiber.
  • Pasta and rice sauces and mixes: Read the label. Could be high in fat and sodium.
  • Refried beans: Good carbohydrates. Vegetarian style has less fat.

COOKIES, CAKES & CANDIES
Check labels on all packaged goods.

  • That cream filled cupcake after lunch could backfire during the afternoon. Check the fat content.
  • Sugar is not a good performance food. Sugar might give you a quick boost of energy but drops you just as fast.
  • If you can't resist the candy aisle. Try yogurt covered raisins, jelly beans or licorice. If you must eat a candy bar, eat a mini-bar...and eat them sparingly.

SNACKS
Carbs can be found here, but lots of fat is lurking in the aisle. Read Labels.

  • Look for snacks that are baked instead of fried.
  • Good Bets: pretzels, baked corn chips, air popped popcorn, fig bars, dried fruit, graham crackers, fruit bars, rice cakes, stone ground or whole wheat crackers.
  • Microwave popcorn? Get the kind labeled "Lite" or "Lowfat."

DRESSINGS, JAMS & TOPPINGS

  • Go with light or lowfat mayonnaise and salad dressings.
  • Good Bets: mustard, ketchup, salsa, relish, vinegar, jam, jelly.

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