If you want to change your eating habits and better manage your weight, healthy foods need to make it from the grocery store to your kitchen… and then to your stomachs.
But because that weekly grocery shopping trip is often squeezed in between work and family responsibilities, you may not be giving it the attention it needs so that you get the weight loss results you desire.
Before you head to the market again, bone up on the following healthy food shopping tips – and make them the foundation of a sound weight management program:
1. Use Post-its. You don’t need an extensive organizational system to keep track of your grocery list week to week. As long as you stock your kitchen counter with those brightly colored Post-its, you’ll be able to keep track of your food stock. When you run low on milk, yogurt, orange juice or any other staple food, just jot it down on a large Post-it. Encourage family members to add to this running list. Each week, make a special effort to add the ingredients for 1 or 2 new healthy recipes. This tactic will help you approach each new week feeling more in control and on program.
2. Know label-reading basics. It’s important to know the three most important label features. First, look at the “calories per serving size.” Snack calories should be less than 200 and meal calories should fall between 400-600. Also, if you eat double the listed serving size, you need to double the calories. Second, look at the fiber. You want to choose products that are a good fiber source (they contain 2.5-5 grams per serving) and high-fiber source (contain more than 5 grams). Third, look at the unhealthy fats: saturated and trans fats. You want to limit your intake of saturated fats to 10% of you total calories. That means no more than 15 grams of saturated fat for someone on a 1,500 calorie diet. You also want to limit your intake of trans fats. Some new products have labels that say “trans fat free” to make it easier for consumers to identify products made without trans fats. Certainly, other label features may also be important depending on your particular health needs like diabetes, high cholesterol or hypertension. Feel free to email me with your specific health concerns and questions.
3. Color your world. The perimeter of the grocery store offers you the most colorful array of fresh fruits and vegetables. You want to fill your cart with these good-for-you, low calorie foods that help you fight chronic disease in addition to helping you manage your weight. If you’re not sure which apples are the tastiest, ask the grocer. Many stores will offer you a free taste! Red apples, blue blueberries, orange mangoes, yellow squash, green spinach and red cabbage are some of the examples of colorful produce that will help you stay on the healthy weight loss track. Check out the Diet.com recipes for new ideas of how to prepare them.
4. Think meals in minutes. Be sure that you are stocking your cart with foods that can help you make meals in minutes. Spaghetti sauce, whole grain pasta, rotisserie chicken, canned tuna or salmon, light cheese slices, canned soups, frozen veggie burgers, vegetarian baked beans, bagged lettuce, cut-up vegetables, frozen fruits or vegetables and Lean Cuisines are some of the items you’ll want to keep on hand. Side salads, pizza bagels, tuna melts, black bean burritos, veggie burgers or spaghetti can not only offer your family a tasty quick dinner, but these foods are also much healthier and less expensive than take-out.
I hope these four tips will help you become a savvy shopper and get the most out of your weight loss program.
|
