Grocery shopping for a family takes time, effort and money. Filling that cart with healthy foods everyone will enjoy is even more challenging. Keeping in mind the basics provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's My Pyramid, focusing on grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, beans and lean protein and oils, will help provide well-balanced meals and healthy snacks. Kids Health website suggests focusing on the outside perimeter of the grocery store when shopping. Produce, meat and fish and milk products are often found on the outside, where processed, higher calorie and higher fat content foods are found in the aisles. Use a list while shopping to keep on task and avoid purchasing processed, high-calorie foods, high-fat foods.
Vegetables and Fruits
According to the fruits and veggies more matters website, vegetables and fruits may reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and some cancers. The USDA recommends people ages two and older eat anywhere between 1 to 3 cups of vegetables a day based on age, activity level and gender; 1 to 2 cups of fruit are recommended daily. Choose a variety of colors and types of fruits and vegetables.
Choose fruits that are easily portable; bananas, grapes, apples and oranges work for on-the-go days. Purchase melons, pineapple, mango or kiwi and make them easily accessible by cutting them and leaving them in the fridge for easy eating.
Milk
The USDA includes milk foods that retain their calcium, cheese, yogurt, milk and milk based desserts like pudding in the milk food group. Foods that are not included are cream, cream cheese and butter. Choose milk products that are fat-free or low-fat when shopping. Include low-fat milk snacks like low-fat string cheese or low-fat tube yogurts.
Lean Proteins
All meat choices should be low-fat or lean cuts, chicken breast without the skin, lean ground turkey or extra lean ground beef. Fish, nuts and seeds are also considered lean proteins by the USDA, they contain healthy oils and fish such as salmon, trout and herring contain omega-3 fatty acids. Eating omega-3 fatty acids may reduce your risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease, according to the USDA. Add fish twice a week to a weekly menu, and add one meal a week that is meatless, using beans, nuts and seeds as protein. Adding nuts and seeds to your shopping list to be used as snacks is another way to incorporate these healthy foods into a well balanced diet.
Whole grains
A staple in the family's diet should be whole grains. Purchase breads, cereals and crackers that are made with whole grains. Brown rice is favorable to its white counterpart, and whole grain pasta contains more fiber than its refined white partner.
Member Comments