Shopping Smart at the Grocery Store

How to do smart Grocery Shopping

What you eat and how your shop can have a profound impact or your life, and many of the worst diseases and most foods we eat every day.

That is why it is so important for every individual to learn how to navigate the wilds of the grocery store. Sometimes it seems like the supermarket has been deliberately laid out to encourage us to overeat, and in fact that is often the case. Grocery store owners are smart people, and they know how to market their products very effectively. In order to combat those smart marketers you will need to be an equally smart shopper.

Shop the Perimeter

The perimeter of the supermarket is typically where the best and healthiest foods are located, so it is important to roam the outside aisles in search of healthy vegetables, fruits, and lean healthy meats and dairy products.  Filling your cart with fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the best things you can do for your health, and making those vegetables the base of your cooking can help you lose weight, control your blood pressure and reduce the risk of serious illness.

It is also helpful to look for recipes that are heavy on vegetables and light on fatty meats and other unhealthy ingredients. When planning meals it is helpful to take a page from the Asian countries, where meat is used as a Asian cooking the stars of the show are healthy fresh vegetables, with a few pieces of meat thrown in for flavor.

Learning to eat lower on the food chain has been shown to have significant health benefits, if you are going to gym and train several times a week, it is also a good idea to include at least one or two vegetarian entrees in your weekly meal planning.

Shop With a Note

Studies have shown that up to half of all grocery store are unplanned, and those spur of the moment purchases are often unhealthy, highly processed and sugar-laden snack foods. Falling prey to these unplanned purchases can derail even the most well-intentioned eating plan, so it is important to combat those temptations from the first moment you enter nearest grocery store.

Before you head out to your local market be sure to make a note, and follow that note once you arrive at the store. When writing out your grocery store note it is a good idea to follow the order of the grocery store aisles, since the longer you spend wandering the aisles in search of products on your list the more likely you are to grab an impulse purchase or two. Use your note to navigate your way around the grocery store, choosing the healthy products on your list, and avoiding those unhealthy options.

Be a Label Reader

In order to eat well and enjoy a healthier lifestyle you will need to leam more about the foods you buy and the meals you prepare. Learning to read labels is an essential skill for every grocery shopper, and it is important to Understand what each label means. Some of the most important things to look for on that food labels include the amount of sodium, the amount o carbohydrates and the amount of sugar each serving contains.

High sodium levels have been associated with heart disease, stroke, high blood for every individual to limit his or her intake of salt and sodium. It is also important to note that high levels of sodium can be present even in foods that do not taste salty. For instance two slices of white bread can have more sodium than a handful of potato chips. That is why it is important to read the labels carefully in order to determine what you are really eating.

It is also important to keep an eye on the amount of carbohydrates in the foods you eat, since those high carbs could put you at risk of weight gain, as well as increasing your risk of diabetes and other chronic health problems. Highly processed foods can also create health problems, so use them sparingly and always read the labels to make sure you are choosing the most nutritious products.

Low Fat is Not Healthy

When shopping for your favorite foods do not be fooled by labels like low fat and nonfat. While low fat and nonfat foods can indeed be healthy and good for you, the low-fat level alone does not guarantee a healthy meal. It is important to look beyond those often misleading labels to see what you are really getting in the package.

For instance some low-fat foods actually have higher levels of sugar and carbohydrates, making them anything but good for you. Some high-fat foods may also have high levels of sodium, so it is important to be careful, especially if you have high blood pressure.