Your Quick and Easy Shopping Guide to Heart-Healthy, Body-Healthy Grocery Shopping

Your Quick and Easy Shopping Guide to Heart-Healthy, Body-Healthy Grocery Shopping

Do you often have trouble knowing what items to buy when making your weekly trip to the grocery store? If so, you are definitely not alone! Many people feel overwhelmed with the options and variety that modern grocery stores and chains offer and find it difficult to make healthy choices. Below is a heart-healthy, body-health shopping guide with some quick tips to help you navigate the supermarket! 

Each food section is broken down by items to “choose” and “limit.” The “choose” items are ones you should pick more often, and the “limit” items should be chosen less often. Remember, don’t try to avoid the “limit” items, because we humans are interesting creatures who often want what we can’t have! Instead, try to make these items an occasional treat. Also, make sure to check out the tips listed after each food section. Healthy shopping!

Produce Items 

Choose – Vegetables and fruit in a wide variety of colors for health-promoting antioxidants and phytochemicals.?
Limit – No need to limit produce items, but remember to choose whole fruit over fruit juice for extra fiber and a more filling option.
Tips – Remember, half your plate should be veggies and fruit!

Deli Items

Choose – Low fat options such as turkey or chicken breast, roast beef, lean ham, and Canadian bacon.
Limit – High fat, high sodium meats like salami, bologna, and corned beef.
Tips – Get to know your local deli-person! Inquire about low sodium and low fat deli options. Larger grocery stores often carry many healthier meat options.

Breads & Cereals

Choose – Whole wheat and whole grain breads, enriched/fortified products. Try whole grain pasta & brown rice.
Limit – White breads, high fat and/or high sugar cereals.
Tips – The best cereal choices should have 2 or more grams of fiber, less than 8 grams of sugar and less than 2 grams of fat. Try a “high fiber” cereal or “double fiber” bread to increase your dietary fiber with little effort! Also, try your favorite pasta dishes with ½ whole wheat and ½ regular pasta for a fiber (and fullness) boost!

Canned Foods

Choose – Low sodium canned vegetables and soups, 100% fruit juices, and canned fruits packed in juice or light syrup.
Limit – High sodium canned vegetables and soups, fruit juice cocktails punches.
Tips – Many canned soups contain ¼ to ½ of the amount of sodium recommended in a day in only 1 serving (the typical can contains two or more servings)! Choose carefully and check the label if you are concerned about sodium content.

Packaged Foods

Choose – Lower fat cookie options such as graham crackers, ginger snaps, and fig bars. Also choose light popcorn and reduced fat and/or low sodium crackers.
Limit – Products containing saturated fat oils such as palm, palm kernel, and coconut oils. Also limit regular fat/sodium crackers and popcorn.
Tips – If portion control is an issue, try the new pre-packaged “100 Calorie” snack packs. These will help limit the amount of snacking you do while still fulfilling the craving. If cost is an issue, try making your own snack-packs by buying in bulk and portioning the foods in to small zip sandwich bags.

Fats, Oils, & Dressings

Choose – Tub or liquid margarine, light mayonnaise and salad dressings.
Limit – Stick margarine, butter, regular mayonnaise and salad dressings.
Tips – Try a margarine that contains plant stanols and sterols. Stanols and sterols can bind dietary cholesterol in the gut, helping to reduce the amount of cholesterol which enters your body. Just look for a heart symbol to identify products with these cholesterol-healthy compounds.

Dairy Items

Choose – 1% or skim milk, lowfat yogurt and cheeses.
Limit – Whole or 2% milk, regular fat cheeses and dairy products.
Tips – Substitute a small amount of plain, low fat yogurt for mayonnaise or sour cream. Also try using sharp cheddar instead of mild or medium cheddar in dishes for more flavor!

Meats, Poultry, & Fish

Choose – Choose skinless poultry and fish from deep waters such as salmon and tuna. When buying red meat, choose lower fat “Select” grade meats, lean and well trimmed cuts such as flank steak, round steak or roasts, sirloin, tenderloin, loin pork chops, and at least 85% lean ground beef.
Limit – Higher fat “Choice” and “Prime” grade meats, high fat or high cholesterol meats such as corned beef, hot dogs, sausage, bacon, and liver. Also limit high-sodium, heavily processed items such as chicken nuggets, patties, rolls, and breaded foods.
Tips – Substitute lean ground turkey in the place of ground beef for less fat and a very similar flavor! With this quick switch, almost all recipes can be made more heart healthy.

Frozen Foods

Choose – Plain frozen vegetables without sauces (which can be high in fat and salt), popsicles, sherbet, sorbet, frozen yogurt, and light ice cream. Try a non-fat fudge pop for all the chocolatey flavor you love and none of the fat!
Limit – Frozen vegetables with prepared sauces, regular ice cream and high fat desserts.
Tips – If you need convenient, health-friendly meal options for one, try a microwave meal that is “lean” or “healthy.” The best options will have less than 15 grams of fat, 400 calories, and 700 mg of sodium. Add a bag of pre-washed and chopped lettuce for a quick, easy meal!