Making healthy food choices at home generally starts with making the right choices at the supermarket. Healthy eating is easier if you plan what you buy then work hard to resist the temptations while walking the isles of your local supermarket.
Here are our 8 Tips to help you make the right choices next time you are food shopping.
- Make a list. Before you even leave the house write yourself a list to limit those impulse purchases.
- Buy leaner cuts of meat. If unsure, look for the Heart Foundation tick of approval and where possible opt for skin-off. Skin generally contains more calories and saturated fats.
- Low-fat and low-salt options. Try to select low-fat milk, cheese, yoghurt, salad dressings and low-salt butters and sauces. Also be decerning with the gimmicky “healthy” products; sometimes what they put in as a substitute is worse.
- Avoid processed meats. Limit your consumption of salami, ham, corned beef, bacon, smoked salmon, and so on. As delicious as they are they generally contain high amounts of salt and some toxins that can build-up in our bodies.
- Purchase fresh or frozen vegetables. Canned and pickled vegetables tend to be high in added salt.
- Look for food bargains. Bulk-buy nutritious meal ingredients at markets and supermarkets. Non-perishable options with long shelf lives include dried vegetables, beans, legumes and dried pasta.
- Limit ready-made and convenience foods. These are expensive, high in fat, high in salt and low in nutrition, and leave you hungry again a few hours after you eat them.
- Avoid some isles altogether. Fortunately for those of us trying to make healthier choices most supermarkets have some isles you can avoid all together. Lollies, Chocolates and Chippies are generally in the same isle – just don’t go down that ilse.
