When you do your weekly shopping, healthy foods should outweigh the indulgences that carry too many calories and too little nutrition. If they do, you'll fulfill your daily nutritional needs and avoid diseases related to overweight or malnutrition. If they don't, you'll overload on the salt, fat, sugar and cholesterol that the USDA says threaten most American diets. Nowhere are your eating habits more starkly displayed than on your grocery list. For a healthy diet, keep nutrient-dense food sources at the top, not the bottom, of your list.
Fruits and Vegetables
Pears, berries, apples, spinach and sweet potatoes belong in a healthy diet. These and other fresh, canned and frozen fruits and veggies with the least added sugar and salt should find their way into your shopping cart more often, according to the USDA. These plant-based food sources keep you from suffering deficiencies in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals, the consequence of getting too many detrimental nutrients, or "empty" calories.
Whole-grain Products
Healthy eating habits should include brown rice, whole-wheat bread, popcorn, oatmeal and enriched breakfast cereals more often than refined grain products. Whole grains contain greater fiber and other nutrient content, and many grain food sources add iron, calcium or B vitamins. The American Academy of Family Physicians advises choosing whole-grain breads and pastas, and brands of cereal that are the lowest in sugar and fat.
Dairy and Alternate Choices
Low-fat milk, yogurt, soy milk, enriched rice drink and tofu can satisfy your calcium and vitamin needs as part of a healthy diet. The American Heart Association suggests honing your eating habits to include the lower-fat versions of dairy products as a rule. By reducing fat when you can, you make more room in your diet for greater nutritional benefits and for the occasional indulgence in rich foods or sweet desserts.
Protein Food Sources
Buy enough salmon, rockfish, tuna, clams and sardines to enjoy at least twice a week, the AHA says. Getting your protein from these and other types of seafood helps you reduce fat and add variety to the essential nutrients than you get from meats and poultry. Extend this fat limitation to your other selections of animal protein foods. Lean beef round steak, pork loin, chicken thighs and ground turkey or lamb can take a place on your shopping list for a healthy diet. Eating habits that include lower-fat meats and poultry most often, the USDA counsels, will allow you to enjoy higher-calorie selections, such as duck and any organ meats, occasionally for their nutritional boosts.
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