5 Nutritional Food Tips for Getting The Most Out of Your Grocery Shopping

Now more than ever, there is an abundance of products you can find at your local supermarket. It can be challenging to navigate the overflowing aisles and decide what’s healthy and what’s not. This nutritional food tips guide will help you make smart choices at the source - your grocery store!

Make a List

It almost sounds too obvious, but making a grocery list will help you avoid forgetting food you need and keep you focused on only purchasing the necessities. When making your list, be sure to include items from each food group, especially produce. The more variety of foods you have the better, and you can even check your store’s flyer to incorporate products on sale into your list.

Choose unprocessed foods

When reading food labels, there’s a few key terms you should be on the lookout for. Unprocessed foods usually have a full percentage on their label, such as “100% juice” or “100% whole grain.” Whole grain is preferable to whole wheat because it is less processed. Also avoid additives whenever possible.

 Stock up on (healthy) fresh and frozen fruits and veggies

Frozen fruits and vegetables are great for the winter months when fresh produce may not be as readily available.. Frozen does not always mean the food is less nutritious, but the trick is to make sure you’re purchasing the healthiest option (so no veggies pre-packed with things like processed cheese sauce.) Go for organic whenever possible.

Consider the ingredients

In addition to taking into account a product’s nutrition facts, be sure to check out its ingredient list. Avoid purchasing anything with ingredients you can’t pronounce and anything artificial. The longer the ingredient list, the more likely it is that the food contains unnecessary preservatives, sugars and other additives.

Shop the perimeter of the store

Most of the sections that contain the foods you need - like dairy, produce and meat - will be located on the outer parts of the store. You’re most likely to find processed junk food in the center of the store. Check the signs above the aisles so you know exactly where you need to go to find the products on your list and avoid impulse buying.