Healthy food shopping can save you money
By Marilyn Wiley
Making a shopping list of more healthful foods will help your family and can save you money, because the more costly supermarket items are often prepared foods with minimal nutritional value.
One healthy food shopping strategy is to concentrate on the perimeter of the store, skipping the center aisles. This is a simplification, because there are nutritious foods in those center aisles, although you have to seek them out.
As you enter a grocery store, the first outside aisle often features fresh fruit and vegetables, which are high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants as well as low in calories. Five to nine daily servings of fruit and vegetables are recommended, vegetables that everyone in your family will enjoy. Dried fruit such as raisins, dates, apricots, and peaches are usually found in the same area and contribute iron as well as other nutrients to your diet.
The next area will probably have fish, meat, and poultry. Choose lean meat and fresh or frozen unbreaded meat and fish. Avoid processed luncheon meats, sausages and hot dogs and prepared breaded deep-fried foods, because they are high in fat and sodium. Breaded items such as chicken nuggets will usually be three to four times as expensive as similar products made at home.
Dairy products, a source of calcium, protein, and Vitamin D, are usually in a far corner of the store. Purchase low fat milk, yogurt, and cheese. Some cheeses are lower in fat and taste nearly as good as the high fat cheese but most cheese is high in saturated fat, and so should not be a major part of your diet. Some soy and rice beverages can be good calcium choices - check the product labels. Orange juice may also be fortified with calcium. Eggs are an excellent source of protein, and are now recognized as an important part of your diet.
Breads and cereals may not be in the perimeter of the store so you will have to seek them out, but choose whole grain products, not those made with refined flour. The label will say 100% whole wheat or whole grain. Whole grain pastas and breakfast cereals are available and also contribute vitamins, minerals and fiber which are often lacking in modern diets. Just because a cereal is fortified with vitamins and minerals doesn’t make it a healthy food, since it may be high in sugar or refined flour.
Canned or frozen fruits will be found in the center aisles and can be included in your diet if the fruits are canned or frozen in their own juice or light syrup. Canned or frozen vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals, but buy those without sauces or butter, which add unnecessary calories as well as adding to the cost. Dried or canned beans are a good source of protein and minerals so look for them and learn to add them to casseroles. Peanut butter and nuts are also good sources of protein and can be added to your diet in limited amounts because they are high in fat and calories.
The foods you missed in those center aisles include soft drinks (high in calories and providing no nutrition), fruit juices with less than 100% juice, and sports drinks that are only useful to marathoners.
In general, for health and lower cost, choose the simplest foods you can find, those with the fewest ingredients. Remember that the food industry makes money on items that have been processed, and they have little nutrition. Avoid frozen pizzas, pocket sandwiches, deep-fried appetizers, breaded foods, canned spaghetti and ravioli products, and prepared salad dressings. Avoid the snack and cookie aisles completely; the calories, sodium, and fat you save will make you a healthier person.
If you are over 60 and would like to enjoy a nutritious and delicious lunch, with good conversation, join us at one of our 14 lunch sites located throughout the county.
Marilyn Wiley is a Registered Licensed Dietician and the Consulting Nutritionist for Elder Services.
