I like to say “You have to buy food anyway. You might as well buy the healthy stuff.” Here are some tips to buying the best foods.

Fruits & Vegetables

• When it comes to fruits & vegetables, it’s important to shop and eat the “rainbow.” That means buy different colored items because they provide different nutrients.

• Buy local, especially from a farmer’s market. You’ll get the freshest stuff and probably some choices not available in your local supermarket. If you like what you bought, build a relationship with the farmer so you can learn more about his offerings.

• Buy in season for the best quality and nutrition. It can be tricky to know what’s in season due to the fact that grocery stores import out-of-season food so we have fresh food year round. Check out this great seasonal food chart.

• Appearances count! When you’re looking at a piece of produce, you want it to have smooth, unwrinkled skin. Wrinkled skin is a sign of old produce. Inspect for damage. You don’t want to see mold. Dirt is okay because you’re going to wash it.

• Fresh vs. Frozen vs. Canned

Fresh:  love it if the produce is in good shape and hasn’t been sitting on a delivery truck or in the store for too long.
Frozen: love it, especially when fresh produce doesn’t look good. Frozen food has lots of nutrients and is very convenient.
Canned: do not love it. Too much sodium (vegetables) or syrupy sugar (fruit).

Meat & Dairy

• Animal products can be very high in saturated fat, so that’s a concern when you’re buying them. Stick with chicken breasts (skinless), ground chicken & turkey breast (ground thigh is the same as 93% lean ground beef – not terrible, but could be better), and pork tenderloin. Red meat can be a good choice if you stick with the leaner cuts such as top sirloin, top loin, and tenderloin.

• Buy nonfat milk products (we used to call these skim milk products). I tend to reach for one of the products farther back in the cold case because I think it’s been kept colder than the items right in the front.

• Read the date on the label! Buy the freshest item you can (this may mean reaching all the way in the back of the cold case).

Fish

• You can’t fake fresh fish. Your nose will tell you right away. Shop at a reputable fish market that has high turnover. Ask what’s the freshest that day and what they recommend. You may spend more, but you will get a better product.

Grains

• You want to buy whole grains. Period, end of story. It’s not enough for a label to say “wheat” or “multi-grain”. You want to see that it’s whole wheat or oats, or whatever the grain is. That means it’s been processed less and retains more nutrition. I always say you should read the ingredient list, and that’s especially true for grain products.

Snacks and Treats

• Ignore the marketing claims on the front and read the ingredients and nutrition facts on the back. Avoid trans fats, which are identified as “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils. Avoid high fructose corn syrup. Buy items that have ingredient lists you can read and understand.

Healthful Tip:  Pay For Convenience
Here’s a secret: you don’t have to make everything from scratch. If it fits your budget, pay for the convenience of food that’s already cut up or prepped. Most supermarkets offer a wide variety of prepped foods. See what your market offers the next time you shop.

Tell us what tips and strategies you use to manage the grocery shopping.