Smart Food Shopping

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Smart Food Shopping

By Palumbo, R.D.

We're going to take an aisle-by-aisle tour of the grocery store to

help you the next time you do your shopping. First, when shopping,

keep in mind these general shopping tips:

Your best bet is to concentrate your shopping time around the

periphery of the store — the produce, meat, dairy and bakery

sections. But don't stop there. You'll find nutritious foods like

beans, whole grains and cereal in the middle aisles.

Read labels carefully and look for foods that are minimally

processed. Choose 100% fruit juice over a fruit juice blend; plain

frozen vegetables over those with butter sauces; fresh poultry or

meat over those already seasoned; whole fresh potatoes over prepared

French fries or scalloped potatoes.

Dairy products are an exception to the minimally processed rule.

It's better to buy versions where naturally occurring fat has been

removed, such as fat-free milk or low-fat cheese.

Let's take a virtual tour of a typical store and find some tips for

shopping wisely.

In the Produce Aisle

Color counts — bring home an entire rainbow of colorful fruits and

vegetables.

Save time by purchasing refrigerated jars of mango citrus salad,

grapefruit, tropical salad, pears and other fruit. Or select pre-cut

fruit like pineapple, watermelons or honeydew melons.

Other time-savers include freshly cut vegetables like baby carrots,

celery and bagged salads.

Buy small. Smaller sized fruits are often sweeter and more tender

than larger, more mature pieces.

Choose dark green salad items like romaine lettuce, leaf lettuce,

spinach, curly endive or radicchio. A little iceberg's OK for

crunch.

In the Cereal Aisle

Think whole grains! You can find whole grain in hot as well as cold

cereal. Examples of whole-grain hot cereal include Wheatena, oatmeal

and oat bran. Some whole-grain cold cereals include Wheaties,

shredded wheat, Frosted Mini-Wheats and Grape Nuts. Read Nutrition

Facts labels to find cereals that contain at least 5 grams of fiber

per serving. Check front labels for claims such as " whole grain "

or " rich in whole grain. "

Cereals such as grits, cream of wheat and cream of rice are highly

refined and offer little fiber.

Bread, Waffles, Crackers, Tortillas

Look for the word " whole " as the first ingredient on the ingredient

list.

Don't count on terms like " multigrain, " " 12- " and " cracked wheat " —

they can be deceiving. They're mostly refined flour with a touch of

whole-grain flour.

Some examples of whole-grain crackers include Rye Krisp and

Triscuits.

Pasta, Rice and Other Grains

Regular or quick-cooking brown rice makes a delicious side dish. The

quick-cooking type retains all the health benefits of regular.

Whole-wheat pasta takes some getting used to with its nutty texture.

Try to substitute it for plain every other time or make your pasta

half and half.

Whole-wheat couscous is available in health-conscious stores. Use it

(or regular) in salads and as a rice substitute.

Barley can be used in soups and stews and also works in hearty

salads, pilafs and casseroles. It's considered a whole grain.

Most rice and pasta mixes are too high in fat and sodium to be

considered healthful. You may be able to experiment with the

preparation to reduce the amount of either or both.