Healthy Shopping and Eating Tips for 2007

Sally Barclay, MS RD LDNutrition Clinic for Employee

Wellness

Grocery Shopping

• Do you dread it?• Can be daunting and time consuming!• Average suppemarket-40,000 items with

43 new items added daily!• Eating healthy begins with bringing

healthy selections and ingredients home• Buying groceries and cooking at home

gives you more control over your eating!

General Shopping Tips

• Eat first! Shopping while hungry leads to impulse purchases

• Make a list-check it twice! Plan menus to save trips to the store! Organize list by layout of store. Keep master list of food you use regularly.

• Shop alone-you spend 10-40% more with kids along and most of that is not healthy food!

General Shopping Tips

• Shop the “perimeter” -outer aisles of store as these contain less processed foods-produce, seafood, lean meat, low fat dairy

• Frozen foods are cheaper than fresh and won’t wind up in the trash before you can eat them!

• Pause and read labels and compare choices!

• Beware of deceptive marketing—ways to entice and fool the consumer!

General Shopping Tips

• Scout for foods with color-produce, marinara sauce, frozen veggies

• Be kind to your wallet-buy store brands, foods in season, frozen seafood

• Buy condiments to add flavor and health-herbs and spices, flavorful oils, mustard, vinegar

• Make wise snack choices-don’t bring trigger foods into your home!

Label Lingo

Focus on important information on Nutrition Facts label:

• Serving size- in common household measurements and by weight--compare this to the amount you actually eat!

• Servings per container-note carefully! Sometimes even small packages contain more than one serving!

Label Lingo

• Calories-how much energy you get from one serving-eating excess calories over what is needed for body’s activity is linked to weight gain

• % Daily Value-a quick way to size up the nutritional value of a food-shows how this food fits into overall daily intake

% Daily Value

What nutrients will one serving of this food contribute?

What percentage will it contribute to daily recommended amount?

• Based on 2000 calories• High if 20% or higher• Low if 5% or less• No % DV for sugars, protein, some

types of fat

Nutrients to Limit

Limit total daily intake to no more than 100%

• Total fat-eating too much increases risk for heart disease, cancer, obesity

Also get Saturated Fat (% DV) and Trans Fat (no % DV) content- these are most linked to poor health outcomes

Sometimes get polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat (no %DV)-add sense of fullness but also calories

Other Nutrients to Limit

• Cholesterol- linked to cardiovascular disease (less than 300 mg/day)

• Sodium-linked to hypertension and heart disease (less than 2400 mg per day)

For all of these nutrients-limit intake to no more than 100% for daily intake

Nutrients to Encourage

You want to get 100% or more of these each day to improve your health and reduce the risk of disease:

• Potassium-BP control, muscle conduction (3500 mg/day)

• Dietary Fiber - helps with blood sugar control, bowel regularity, may lower cholesterol, helps you feel satisfied (aim for at least 25 grams/day)

• Vitamins A and C- antioxidants, health benefits• Calcium- prevention of osteoporosis, BP control• Iron- proper oxygenation of tissue, prevent

anemia

Ingredient List

• Listed in descending order from highest to lowest amount by weight

• Main ingredient is listed first, ingredient present in least amount is last

• See if fats used are healthful or harmful?

• Is product truly made with whole grains?

• Sources of sugar used?

Health Claims

• FDA has strict guidelines on how these food label terms can be used

Low calorie-less than 40 calories per serving

Low cholesterol-less than 20 mg of cholesterol and 2 gm or less of saturated fat per serving

High fiber-5 or more grams of fiber per serving

Health Claims

Light- 1/3 fewer calories or ½ the fat of the usual food

Reduced- 25% less than usual productLean (protein)-10 grams of fat or less, 4.5

grams of saturated fat and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per 3 ounce serving

Healthy-decreased fat, sat fat, sodium and cholesterol and at least 10% DV of vitamins A, C, iron, protein, calcium and fiber

Look at products

• What is serving size? How many servings are in this package?• How much total fat is in one serving?

Does this product contain any harmful fats?

• How much fiber is one serving?• Does this item contain good sources of

any other nutrients? (%DV of 20% or more)

Nutrient Rich Shopping List

• Whole grain breads, cereal, pasta, tortillas, rice, crackers, quinoa, barley, couscous

• Deep, rich colored fruits and vegetables—go for variety!

• Fat-free or low-fat dairy: cheeses, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese

• Plant proteins: tofu and soy products, legumes, nuts, seeds

• Lean proteins: fish, beef, pork, poultry• Healthy Fats: canola, olive• Healthy Beverages: water, coffee, tea

Dairy

• Skim or 1% percent milk, buttermilk• Nonfat or low fat yogurt• Lower fat cheeses (ideally less than 5

grams of fat per ounce-remember this is sat fat)

• Low-fat cottage cheese, ricotta cheese• Trans fat –free tub margarinesBeware of products with hydrogenated fat

listed as one of first three ingredients

Protein Foods

• Lean cuts of beef and pork (loin and round)

• Skinless chicken and turkey • Fish and shellfish-fresh, frozen or

canned in water• Eggs• Dried or canned beans, lentils, peas

(legumes)• Nuts of all kinds• Soy products

Whole grains

• Oatmeal, whole grain cereals• Whole rye-breads and crackers• Whole wheat, cracked wheat-

cereals, breads crackers, pasta• Whole grain corn-tortillas, cornmeal,

popcorn• Brown Rice, Wild rice• Barley, including pearled• Quinoa

Fruits and Vegetables

• Fresh- the deeper the color the more nutrition

• Frozen- without sugar or added cream or cheese sauce

• Canned-packed in juice, no salt added• Dried- without added sugar• Juices-100% juice--without added

sugar

Fats and Oil

• Peanut butter and other nut butters• Tub margarine with no trans fats• Olive, Canola and Peanut oil (higher

in monounsaturated fats)• Corn, sunflower, safflower, soybean

oils- higher in polyunsaturated fats• Non-stick cooking spray• Reduced fat mayo, salad dressings

Condiments

• Herbs and spices• Fresh garlic, ginger• Mustard• Vinegars• Lemon, lime juice• Salsa • Chutneys

Beverages

• Water is still the best!• Fat free or 1% milk• Soy milk• Tea• Coffee-watch additives

Things to Limit in your Cart!

• Refined sugars• White flour• Hydrogenated or Partially

hydrogenated oils• “Empty calories”—food with low

nutrient density that provide mainly just calories without any nutritional value