Simple ways to identify healthier choices when food shopping: Part One of a Three Part Series
Identifying Healthier Choices
Part 1
Welcome to the first of a three part series, helping you to navigate a healthier grocery shopping experience while better understanding food labels and the long list of ingredients we are faced with.
How can we avoid unhealthy ingredients? The first step is pretty simple...eat less processed and packaged foods. Sure, this is easier said than done, especially when trying to make informed decisions regarding healthier food options. In fact, reading food labels can surely overwhelm our shopping experiences, raising many questions such as: Is "enriched wheat flour" healthy? or What is high fructose corn syrup?
But consider this; we are mindful of putting the right type of fuel into our cars in order to perform efficiently and extend the life of our vehicle? Therefore, shouldn't we give that kind of attention to the fuel (food) we put into our body's?
In our fast paced, on-the-go society, quick and easy is the main focus. Yet, drive thru visits and fast food purchases do not optimize healthier options. Great! What about convenience foods being offered at grocery stores to make our lives easier? Again, this efficiency is often loaded with sugar, salt, unhealthy fats and ingredients to help extend the shelf life of the food, shortening the shelf life of us!
Perhaps you think an item must be healthy because of the "healthy claim" lable imprinted on the package, such as NO TRANS FATS. But, in truth, many convenience foods we love and have trained our tasted buds to crave contain ingredients that are NOT the best choices for achieving optimal health. When was the last time you read all the ingredients on a food label? When was the last time you understood or were able to pronounce these ingredents?
Many pre-packaged, convienent foods are highly processed. These are known as "non-nutrient dense" foods among nutritionist. A non-nutrient dense food is exactly what it sounds like. A food product that does not provide the body with enough proper nutrients. In simple terms, it's just not a healthy choice. Diets high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats have been shown to increase risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Many pre-packaged, convienent foods are highly processed. These are known as "non-nutrient dense" foods among nutritionist. A non-nutrient dense food is exactly what it sounds like. A food product that does not provide the body with enough proper nutrients. In simple terms, it's just not a healthy choice. Diets high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats have been shown to increase risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
As mentioned on the Second Day of Wellness Blog, nutrient dense foods fight chronic disease and non-nutrient dense foods (ie: packaged convenience foods) contribute to development of chronic disease. Hence, we really want to fill our carts with as many nutrient dense foods as possible.
How can we effecetively change our shopping experience and gain health benefits?
Choose to eat more "whole foods".
Whole foods are unprocessed, unrefined OR at the very least processed and refined minimially before consumption. Consuming FRESHLY PREPARED fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, whole grains, FRESHLY PREPARED chicken, beef and fish are some examples of nutrient dense - whole foods. Therefore, a baked potato is a whole food, BUT french fries ARE NOT. Homebaked chicken is a wholefood, chicken nuggets are not. FRESH fruits ARE, processed fruit juice IS NOT. In fact, eating more whole foods automatically minimizes the purchase of processed foods AND therefore all those confusing food labels.
Some tips to help integrate more whole foods...
Tip #1: Shop the perimeter of the supermarket and limit time spent in the center aisles.
The inner or center aisles of the supermarket contain processed foods such as cookies, crackers and frozen dinners. Shopping the perimeter will help you fill your cart with a variety of nutrient dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, nuts, whole grains as well as lean meats, poultry, and fish. However, keep in mind that some inner aisles do contain healtheir options, but you need to put your detective hat on. We will talk more about this in part 2 of this series.
Tip #2: Plan your meals and snacks, keep to a minimum of 3-4 days at a time.
You don't have to love cooking to eat more nutrient dense whole foods. Embrace the art of food preparation! Whole foods are in their simplest form, not overly processed or packaged; hence, maintaining many valuable vitamins, minerals, and fiber. AND fiber plays a major role in chronic disease risk reduction! Examples include fruits, vegetables, nuts, yogurt, cheese (free of preservatives), whole grains such as oats and brown rice, met, poultry and fish.
People can be apprehensive to take the time to plan and prepare meals. What I hear the most is, "I don't have time to eat healthy". This leads me to respond with "do you have time to manage a potentially chronic health condition?"
Here are just a few meals using whole foods with minimal preparation:
Breakfast: Yogurt with a tablespoon of flax seed, fresh berries, and sliced almonds.
Lunch: Tuna sandwich with lettuce and tomato on whole grain bread with a side salad
Dinner: Black bean and veggie soup with a dollop of guacamole and Greek Yogurt.
Tip #3: Prepare a list before you go food shopping. Keep in mind the whole foods menu you planned for the next 3 to 4 days.
Preparing a list as you hit the supermarket will help you stay on task. Once you get home, take an hour to clean, cut, and store your produce. This is also a good time to prepare any dishes such as the black bean soup or organize indiviudal zip lock baggies full of cut veggies.
Stick around and we will provide further information and strategies to implement these healthy habits.
How can we effecetively change our shopping experience and gain health benefits?
Choose to eat more "whole foods".
Whole foods are unprocessed, unrefined OR at the very least processed and refined minimially before consumption. Consuming FRESHLY PREPARED fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, whole grains, FRESHLY PREPARED chicken, beef and fish are some examples of nutrient dense - whole foods. Therefore, a baked potato is a whole food, BUT french fries ARE NOT. Homebaked chicken is a wholefood, chicken nuggets are not. FRESH fruits ARE, processed fruit juice IS NOT. In fact, eating more whole foods automatically minimizes the purchase of processed foods AND therefore all those confusing food labels.
Some tips to help integrate more whole foods...
Tip #1: Shop the perimeter of the supermarket and limit time spent in the center aisles.
The inner or center aisles of the supermarket contain processed foods such as cookies, crackers and frozen dinners. Shopping the perimeter will help you fill your cart with a variety of nutrient dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, nuts, whole grains as well as lean meats, poultry, and fish. However, keep in mind that some inner aisles do contain healtheir options, but you need to put your detective hat on. We will talk more about this in part 2 of this series.
Tip #2: Plan your meals and snacks, keep to a minimum of 3-4 days at a time.
You don't have to love cooking to eat more nutrient dense whole foods. Embrace the art of food preparation! Whole foods are in their simplest form, not overly processed or packaged; hence, maintaining many valuable vitamins, minerals, and fiber. AND fiber plays a major role in chronic disease risk reduction! Examples include fruits, vegetables, nuts, yogurt, cheese (free of preservatives), whole grains such as oats and brown rice, met, poultry and fish.
People can be apprehensive to take the time to plan and prepare meals. What I hear the most is, "I don't have time to eat healthy". This leads me to respond with "do you have time to manage a potentially chronic health condition?"
Here are just a few meals using whole foods with minimal preparation:
Breakfast: Yogurt with a tablespoon of flax seed, fresh berries, and sliced almonds.
Lunch: Tuna sandwich with lettuce and tomato on whole grain bread with a side salad
Dinner: Black bean and veggie soup with a dollop of guacamole and Greek Yogurt.
Tip #3: Prepare a list before you go food shopping. Keep in mind the whole foods menu you planned for the next 3 to 4 days.
Preparing a list as you hit the supermarket will help you stay on task. Once you get home, take an hour to clean, cut, and store your produce. This is also a good time to prepare any dishes such as the black bean soup or organize indiviudal zip lock baggies full of cut veggies.
Stick around and we will provide further information and strategies to implement these healthy habits.
Posted by Jenn West and Jeannine Capria at 1/6/2010 
Categories: general nutrition, receipes, processed foods, nutrition, Food Shopping
Categories: general nutrition, receipes, processed foods, nutrition, Food Shopping
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