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Week 12 Monday Meeting (March 22)
Topic of the Week: Savvy Supermarket Shopping
By now you most likely have your weekly grocery shop down to a science, and as you’re following the South Beach Diet, you already know where all the fresh, wholesome foods are. But what else does it take to be a smart, savvy shopper? For starters, you should check out the nutrition labels of foods you’re eating, be cautious with how you maneuver around the grocery store, and learn how to shop without breaking your wallet. How do you save money at the grocery store? Share your money-saving shopping tips with other members on the boards.
Today's guest is Jennifer Giffune, a registered dietitian and a licensed dietitian and nutritionist. She has been in practice for more than 20 years. Jennifer’s areas of expertise are widespread to accommodate a diverse audience, including weight management, diabetes, wellness and disease prevention, heart health, cancer prevention, menopause, osteoporosis, and allergies and hypersensitivities. She is a freelance writer and a frequent public and corporate speaker. Welcome, Jennifer!
Thanks, Teresa!
Making the most out of supermarket shopping
You’ve made great strides in learning about healthy eating and weight management. Now you need to follow through by becoming a savvy supermarket shopper. This skill will help you to choose healthy foods for life. This week’s challenge is to help make your next trip to the market a success. To get you started, check out these tips for before, during, and after your trip to the supermarket:
Before you go:
Do your homework. For items that are purchased repeatedly, read the labels at home before you shop.
Plan ahead. Determine next week’s meals and print out the site’s weekly shopping list menu. Making your own menu? Remember that to re-use foods: Tonight’s roast chicken leftovers can be used in next week’s soup.
Be adventurous. Try a new food each week, or at least one you think you dislike. Check the site’s recipes for ways to try that food anew. Taste buds change over regularly, so you may be surprised!
Organize your shopping. Arrange your list to match your supermarket’s layout.
Set a budget. Save money by shopping big-box stores and bulk shopping centers. If you can store large sizes or split bulk purchases with friends or relatives, you’ll save money. And don’t forget your coupons!
Have a bite. Shopping when you’re hungry is one of the biggest pitfalls that people working on weight management encounter. If you don’t have a healthy snack beforehand, you’re more likely to make impulse purchases.
When you step through the doors:
Shop the perimeter. This is where you find most of the whole, fresh, healthy foods. The aisles are home to processed foods that are loaded with refined sugars and trans-fats.
Start in the produce section. Fresh produce is chock full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals. If you can't find the fresh produce you need, frozen is a healthy alternative; it keeps longer and has locked-in nutrients.
Read the label. Check the ingredient list for healthy items (i.e., whole grains), which you want listed first. You want unhealthy ingredients to be listed last (or not at all). Then scan the nutrition facts for balanced, nutrient-rich foods.
Keep foods safe. Shop for refrigerated foods last, such as fish, poultry, meats, dairy and frozen foods. In summer, keep a cooler in your car for groceries.
When you get home:
Get to work. Keep produce fresh by washing and cutting it up. Keep the veggies in ice water (changed daily) for your own home-made convenience food.
Get cooking. Make time to cook a double batch; eat one tonight, and freeze a meal for later. It saves time and money, and a pre-made meal is a true luxury after a day’s work.
I hope you have some ideas about how to make supermarket shopping a success. I’m open to hearing your comments and answering your questions, so let’s talk!
Question:
When looking at labels if I am choosing between brands, what are things I should consider?
Amount of fiber?
Amount of sodium?
Amount of carbs?
Amount of fat?
Are we to choose low sodium, high fiber, low fat where ever possible when chosing between brands?
I pretty much buy what I need and tend to buy too much and throw away and I know the reason for that is that I don't want to lock into planning my meals in advance so I buy this because it looks good and buy that because I might want it without a real plan for using it.
So in a way, I am a poster child for behavior NOT to emulate in the grocery store!
A bag of 3 romaine hearts ($2.79 elsewhere)
Fresh Cauliflower ($1.88 is the cheapest elsewhere)
Fresh Broccoli
3 red/orange/yellow bell peppers (90 cents each elsewhere)
bag of red or yellow onions
bag of limes or lemons
grape tomatoes (at least $2.50 elsewhere)
blackberries/blueberries/strawberries
Some days, the selection is not that great, so I leave and try another day. Last weekend, they had nonfat greek yogurt for 49 cents - the size that is $1.79 at Super Target.
We also had a new store open this weekend with good prices - Aldi.
I find that I end up going to the store a bit more often now, but I'm wasting less, which is nice. This is because I imposed a rule on myself...I try now to never buy more than 2 of something...and what I can eat in the next 3 days.
One money saving tip for me is to buy blueberries and strawberries when they are two for one and freeze them. I do the same with great meat sales too.
This weekend, I did a freezor inventory and now have a written list of everything that's in my freezor. That's going to save me time AND money!
P.S. Did you notice TL just had to rub it in about the 99 cent store? : )
I try to buy things with expiration dates that go out for a week or so. I guess if you have the pocket book for it, buying pre cut veggies or things easily packaged work for me both in the fact there is an expiration date on them so I can see when I need to use them by or from a food preparation standpoint.
I tend to buy celery/onion mix already cut up, baby carrots or celery in individual packaging but it definitely NOT a budget saver.
I have the tupperware produce storage containers that work too but I rarely have the room in my refrigerator for them with all the SBD staples I have in there now.
Interesting topic - funny, SBD-smart shopping was on my mind this weekend. I am going to -slightly- disagree with you, Jennfier on one point. Shopping at big-box stores can theoretically save you money, but the truth is, the aisles are full of high-calorie, low nutrient items that seem like such screaming deals, you can't pass them up. Once they get into your house, they get into your belly. Not to mention the nice ladies who kindly offer you bites of chicken pot-pie and the like as you try to navigate by them. Oh, you can get good deals on meat and vegetables, but you have to have a will of iron to get to them because the cookies and candy are between the entrance and the aisles with healthy food. Not to mention the delicious smell of fresh-baked pizza and churros that get into every inch of the store. Frankly, if I had that kind of willpower, I wouldn't have allowed myself to gain fifty extra pounds.
I shop at locally-owned stores where the prices are a bit higher, but the vegetables and meats are top-quality and there are fewer junk-food distractions. I shop at Farmer's Markets as much as possible and, please, if I can get good produce at Farmer's Markets in Alaska, anyone else can surely get them them where they live in more temperate climates.
Don't make eye contact with anyone offering free samples unless they are in the product department serving a SBD approved fruit/veggie - LOL
Used to be the highlight of my grocery shopping to try all the different dishes and products in my Wegman's but now, I avoid those sample tables like they are serving up salmonella!
1) I've always planned my menu in advance and made a list -- this prevents having to run to the store so often for something that I forgot or didn't buy because I hadn't planned on using it. Doesn't always work -- the best laid plans......
2) I NEVER take my husband -- it takes twice as long and costs twice as much and I end up with a houseful of stuff we don't need!
Turning50in10 wrote: "When looking at labels if I am choosing between brands, what are things I should consider? Amount of fiber? Amount of sodium? Amount of carbs? Amount of fat? Are we to choose low sodium, high fiber, low fat where ever possible when chosing between brands?"