Be A Better Grocery Shopper

Sometimes you find yourself not noticing the hidden carbohydrates and the devious serving sizes. I will show you here how to navigate through the many aisles with ease and intelligence.

The secrets have been exposed. You will learn how to detect “healthy” foods that give you a bigger waistline and you will be given tips on food products that can be made into healthy meals.   

Three necessary items to take home:

 Get yourself non-fat Greek yogurt. It has more protein and contains less carbs than regular yogurt, helps the digestive system, and can be made into many different foods. It can be topped on a fruit salad or cereals. It can be used as an alternate for butter, milk and oils.

Grab pre-cooked proteins. Keep pre-cooked chicken breast or tuna in the refrigerator, or purchase pre-cooked frozen shrimp or fish.

Purchase frozen vegetables. Frozen vegetables hold just as many nutrients as the fresh versions. Frozen veggies last longer and can be steamed in just a few minutes.

Three items to avoid from your shopping list:

 Foods that tempt your sweet tooth. Having an infrequent high-calorie treat is all right. But every person has foods they cannot refuse. You should never bring those items home. 

Items with the words "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredient list. Partially hydrogenated oils are regularly found in foods stating to have "no trans fats" or be "cholesterol free." But those oils contain a lot of fat content. 

Products where it is tricky to find out portion size. Snacks are particularly sneaky when it comes to serving sizes. Do you know exactly how many potato chips are in a single serving if you buy a large bag? Children will be likely to eat an entire container of nuts, or a huge muffin. If you must buy snacks, you should divide them into single serving bags as soon as you get home.