Grocery Shopping Tips

1. Don’t go shopping when you are hungry. If possible eat something before you go shopping or take a bottle of water with you to the grocery store. This will prevent buying unnecessary items on impulse.

2. Make a list AND a plan.
Decide what food you want to eat between now and the next time you go grocery shopping. If you grocery shop once per week then decide what you will eat for this week. Go through your cupboards and fridge and make a list of what you will need for the next week.

3. Shop around the perimeter of the grocery store first. Grocery stores strategically place items around the store. The healthier food is found around the outside and as you move towards the inside you find the canned/pre-packaged items. These have less nutritional value than the items found on the outside of the store.

4. Educate yourself on how to read food labels.
(typical food label will look like this)


Calories:
Fat:
Saturated Fat:
Trans Fat:
Cholesterol:
Sodium:
Carbohydrate:
Fibre:
Sugar:
Protein:

You have to remember that each food has different serving sizes and before deciding to purchase that particular food, ask yourself how much of that food do you consume at one time? Does “your” serving size match the serving size listed on the package?
When looking at the ingredients listed on the package, remember that items are always listed from highest to lowest.

5. Watch for hidden words or phrases. If an item listed on the ingredient list ends is “ose” you can be sure that it is a type of sugar. Other things to eliminate are Trans Fats, High Fructose Corn Syrup and oils such as coconut and palm kernel. In most cases, the less ingredients a product has, the better it is for you.