The holidays are just about over, which means it is time to begin thinking about those New Year’s resolutions. If eating better is something you plan to do, then it is time to start making a grocery store shopping list. Grocery store shopping is where it all begins! Wait…first, you will want to plan a menu. Do you want the same menu every week or do you want a new menu for each week of the month? Once you have a healthy eating menu prepared, all you have to do is head out the door to the grocery and purchase supplies.
Keep in mind that healthy eating means adding plenty of fruit and vegetables to your list. This may require more than one trip to the grocery each week if you are buying fresh. However, frozen fruits and vegetables are delicious and healthy too, especially if you want to reduce the number of trips to the grocery store.
Tips For Healthy Menu Planning:
- Read food labels. Check the serving size and the calories, carbohydrates, and fats per serving.
- Choose lower fat food items when available. When a food still contains fat and is considered lower fat, it often retains good flavor, yet has less calories than the original full-fat variety.
- WATCH OUT for sugar content in foods. Labels can be deceptive in advertising, so check the sugar grams under the carbohydrate section of the food label. If a product contains a lot of sugar grams, you may find yourself craving more food, as too much sugar can cause unwanted changes in your blood sugar, which can leave you hungry.
- Buy seasonal produce. Prices are usually lower for in-season produce. (Check with the produce manager if you are unsure of seasonal produce.)
- Try one new vegetable each week. Vegetables are very important and provide a wonderful variety of healthy vitamins and minerals, which help protect us from diseases and build a good immune system.
- Eat more white meat without skin, such as chicken, turkey, fish, and shrimp.
