Shopping tips for healthy food

Have you noticed the growing amount of nutrition information in your grocery store these days? Here are a few things you can do to make your next trip a little easier.

• Create a meal plan for the week around the four food groups: vegetables and fruit, whole-grain products, lower-fat milk products and alternatives and lean meat and alternatives such as fish, beans, nuts and soya.
• Make a shopping list with the foods you’ll need for the week’s meal plan. This will help you avoid impulse decisions and high fat, high salt temptations.
• Spend the maximum amount of time shopping in the outer aisles of the grocery store where youll find the vegetables, fruit, bread, meat and milk.
• Divide up your cart into four quarters, based on the four food groups. Fill half the cart with vegetables, fruit and whole grains, one quarter with lower-fat dairy products and the other quarter with lean meat and alternatives such as fish, beans, nuts and soya products.
• Read the Nutrition Facts table on most food packages. Choose products lower in salt, saturated and trans fat. Look for products that have 2 grams of fibre or more. 

Last reviewed: April 2011
Last modified: October 2014