Healthy Shopping

Shopping at the grocery store can be a confusing task if you don't know what to look for on food labels. Most food labels look very similar and are required by law to be included on packaged foods. Let's look at some of the basics of the Nutrition Facts label: the serving size, calories, and percentages as shown below.

Right under the Nutrition Facts label, and ingredient list will be included. The ingredients will be listed in decreasing order in the amount by weight found in the food item. Becoming familiar with certain ingredient items will help you identify healthier choices. For example, looking for the words "Whole Wheat" in the ingredients lists indicates that product contains whole grains. And the closer to the beginning the words "Whole Wheat" are listed, the better because that means there's more whole wheat flour than any other type of flour. Another key word to look for in the ingredients list includes "Partially hydrogenated oil." This term in the ingredients list indicates there is trans fat found in the food item, even if it is labeled as "Trans-fat free."

Which this brings up a confusing part of labeling. Labels can claim, "fat-free" or "trans-fat free" when that may not be the case. According to the FDA labeling law, if there is less than 0.5g fat (or trans fat) per serving, then the label can claim the term "fat-free." This is where you have to be careful about serving sizes. Because if an item has a small serving size, where you eat more than one serving, you have to remember you are adding up that fat that's not being listed less than 0.5g. For example, if a cookie has 0.49g fat per serving, which a serving size is one cookie. This item can be labeled as "fat-free." But now let's say you eat 3 cookies, you now have approximately 1.5g of fat intake So you have to be a smart consumer when you see on the label "fat-free." Look closer at the serving size and ingredients to really decode what's in the food.

Another term that labels will list, but doesn't have much meaning include "natural." The term natural isn't regulated, and doesn't carry much meaning on a label for a consumer who knows what to look for. So if granola bars says 100% natural, those granola bars can still contain preservatives and dyes, just so long as they fit into the vague category of "natural." There is no real regulation of this term, so again, be a smart consumer when you see the term "natural" on a label. Look closer at the ingredients to see what you're actually consuming next time.

Other simple tools to make a shopping trip at the grocery store healthier include:

• Making a list beforehand to help decrease purchases bought on a whim. If you plan to buy a set list of food and stick to it, you won't be inclined to indulge in unneeded purchases
• Shop the perimeter of the store when possible. The food found on the perimeter is in general fresher or less processed than the food found within the center isles.
• Don't shop for food while hungry.

So my challenge to you is the next time you go shopping for food, take a second to look at the label of a food item before you purchase it. Maybe even compare two different brands of the same item and see if you can find a difference. And follow as many of the above simple tools for your next shopping trip and see if that makes your shopping trip healthier.