Grocery shopping: tips on buying food for healthful eating

How to buy healthy foods while sticking to your budget.

By Sandie Garcia

Personal trainer Chi Bang and a nutritionist Jeff Perricone walk the grocery store and talk about shopping for healthy and cost-effective foods. We recorded it all.

[Photo Credits: Sandie Garcia] 

It's one thing to grocery shop on a budget. It's another to shop healthy on a budget.

First, decide your budget. According to a recent article from Baylor University, most people spend an average of $30-$50 a week. Living in a more expensive area moves us closer to the $50 mark. For that reason, the sample grocery list is based on a $50 budget.

Five important things to remember when going to the store are:

·         Know what's healthy

·         Make a list

·         Never shop hungry

·         Shop the perimeter

·         Learn to interpret nutrition labels

Following these tips will help you make smarter food choices and keep you on a budget.

Know what's healthy

Fruits and vegetables provide you with numerous vitamins and minerals, few calories, and virtually no fat. If you have a sweet tooth, instead of candy, try having an apple. They are a good source of natural sugar.

Jeff Perricone is a staff nutritionist at Gold's Gym in Fenway. He says it's wise to choose fresh foods if you can. "Frozen and canned foods are loaded with preservatives that you don't want."

Proteins help to build lean muscle and keep your body fueled. Choose lean meats like chicken and turkey most of the time and enjoy lean cuts of red meat occasionally. Seafood and other vegetable proteins such as beans have little-to-no fat.

Whole grains provide quick energy and are a great source of fiber. Whole grain breads and starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes are great choices.

Nutritionist Perricone considers dairy to be optional. But when you eat it, choose low-fat options like 1% milk and cottage cheese.

Fat is essential to the body. Perricone says it helps protect organs and joints and is important for brain development and function. On most cuts of beef there are fat ratios on the package (ex. 90/10). This means 90 percent lean, 10 percent fat. Try to stick with 85-90 percent lean and no more than 10-15 percent fat.

Perricone says to stay away from trans-fats and saturated fats which are often found in processed foods like mayonnaise. "Instead of putting mayo in tuna, try using a little olive oil."

Avoid sodas, processed foods, and foods high in sugar. Your body does not need them and they may do more harm than good.

Make a list

And that means planning ahead. Knowing what you need helps to avoid impulse purchases and help you stick to what you need. You can also choose food items that are good for more than one meal. Try utilizing meats and vegetables that will double for sandwiches and main dishes.

Buying store brands and shopping seasonally are also good, cost-effective choices. Loose apples can cost up to $1.99 a pound, whereas a 5-pound bag of apples often costs $4.29. Buying a head of lettuce (maybe $3.00) is better than the prepackaged lettuce which can cost up to $5.50.

An example grocery list, with prices for a week, might include the following: generic cereal ($3.00), 20 flour tortillas ($2.00), one-pound low- fat ground beef/turkey or tofu ($4.00), one pound of sliced turkey ($4.00), some loose vegetables (ex. broccoli, bell peppers, onions) ($4.50), one bag of seasonal fruit (ex. apples) ($4.29), one pound of another fresh fruit (ex. bananas, cantaloupe) ($2.50), two cans of tuna ($2.00), a box of generic spaghetti ($1.00), 1 package lean chicken breasts ($5.50), one cut of fatty fish or white fish (ex. salmon or flounder) ($3.00), 1 head of lettuce ($3.00), quart of 1% milk ($2.50), ½ dozen eggs ($2.50), a box generic rice or couscous ($1.50), a loaf generic whole- grain bread ($1.50), one container of no-fat Greek yogurt ($3.00) : Total: $49.79.

Perricone says that it is important to begin by stocking up on the essentials.

"Making an initial investment on a five-pound bag of rice ($6.49), five pounds of loose sweet potatoes ($6.00), a pound of beans ($4.85), and a big bottle of extra virgin olive oil ($10.00) is smart because they're inexpensive, they last a long time, and you use most of these in all of your meals. They are essentials."

Once the basic items are in place, it is just a matter of pairing those foods with meats, fish, fruits, and vegetables.

Don't shop hungry

If you go to the store hungry, you are more likely to veer from your list or snack while you're shopping. With so many temptations at the store, neither of these things will yield good results.

Try having carrots with hummus or a granola bar to fill your stomach before heading to the store.

Shop the perimeter

The perimeter of the store -- along the outside walls -- is typically where the fresh vegetables and produce are. You will find the least amount of processed foods here.

Perricone says that most of the options in the middle of the store are foods that your body can live happily-ever-after without.

Know how to read nutrition labels

If you do navigate the inner aisles of a store, knowing nutrition facts is essential.

Percent Daily Value (PDV) is based on a daily diet of 2,000 calories a day. This may be exactly what you need, but it can be more or less.

The PDV is a list of percentages that the nutrition label provides. It tells you how much nutrients you should get each day. For example, a label may show that one serving of the food provides 30 percent of the daily recommended amount of fiber. This means you still need another 70 percent to meet the recommended goal.

One serving of food with 5 percent or less of the daily value is considered low. One serving of food with 20 percent or more of the PDV is considered high.

Perricone recommends limiting total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol in your diet. To do this, choose foods with a lower PDV for these nutrients. Eat more foods with a higher PDV for vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Perricone says that sodium is not bad in moderation, unless you have high-blood pressure.

Pay particular attention to serving sizes and servings per container. Many items have two-to-three serving sizes per container but are marketed to look like one.

Perricone says he cannot stress the importance of serving sizes. "Portion [control] is so incredibly important. You have to know what your specific body-type needs, and eat for that. I'm a bigger guy so I may need 2,000 calories a day, a smaller girl may need 1,500. Eating healthy foods is OK, but you have to know how much to eat."

Pay attention to sell by dates and expiration dates. If you do not plan to use a food before that date, then do not buy it.