Healthy Grocery Shopping Tips

Plan Ahead

• Plan your meals and make a list of the ingredients.
• Consider ordering pick up or delivery to help avoid ‘impulse’ shopping.
• Look at the sale items when planning your meals.
• Plan to use the same ingredients in multiple meals.
• Freeze foods you aren’t going to use to avoid waste.

Fruits and Vegetables

• The produce that is in season is usually the freshest and cheapest.
• Frozen or canned fruits and veggies are still nutritious! They also tend to be cheaper and last longer. Make sure to buy them in their whole forms (eg: not with added sugar or in 100% fruit juice) and rinse off the foods to get rid of salt.
• Rinse, prep, and store produce properly so it lasts longer and is ready to use when you want.

In Your Cart

• Your grocery cart should mainly be fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins. Try to avoid highly processed snacks and convenience foods. 
• Most of the food we need is in the outer part of the grocery store. The aisles can be filled with junk foods.
• Choose canned foods that say “low sodium”, “no salt added”, or “packed in water”. If not, make sure to rinse the foods before using.
• If you are on a budget use canola oil instead of olive oil. Canola oil is higher in omega-3 fatty acids.

Salt

• Salt is hidden in a lot of foods. Looking at the label for the amount of “sodium” can help identify salty food.
• Look out for seasoning blends that have a lot of “sodium”. Try to buy the spices separately and make your own blend.
• Try to only add salt to taste at the end of cooking.
• There are many spices that add flavor without salt like basil, bay leaves, pepper, Cajun seasoning, cayenne, cilantro, cinnamon, cumin, curry powder, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, parsley, sage, thyme, turmeric, red pepper, and rosemary.
• Using fresh lemon, mustard, hot sauce, or fresh herbs is a great way to add flavor without salt.