Kids Cuisine

Since releasing over 45 pounds of excess weight, I’m constantly asked,

Q: What is healthy food and how do I shop for it?
A: The definition of healthy food will vary from one person’s interpretation to another’s. My core explanation of healthy food is food that is minimally processed (fresh fruit vs. canned) and offers a high quality content (90% lean beef vs. 85% lean beef). Learning how to identify healthy foods while grocery shopping is easy to do when you know some basic tips.

Grocery List
Always shop with a list of groceries that you need (ran out of eggs, orange juice is almost empty, etc.). When people shop without a list, they typically overspend on impulse purchases (but the ice cream was on sale, I had to buy two containers). Our family knows that if one of us consumes the last item of something, we write it down on the grocery list that is kept by the kitchen telephone. That way, when I go shopping, I don’t have to take a complete inventory of my cabinets to see what we have or don’t have. As we developed our habit of utilizing a grocery list, the complaining of “Mom, why didn’t you buy more… ?” quickly decreased because of my response, “Did you put it on the list?” Using a grocery list will streamline your shopping trips because you will know exactly what you need to buy.

Lay of the Land – Perimeter Shopping
If you shop at a traditional grocery store (Publix, Kroger, Safeway, etc.), the usual store configuration locates fresh fruits and veggies at a far side wall, bakery on the opposing wall, and the dairy section along the back wall. In the middle of traditional stores is a plethora of items. Highly processed foods (soda, chips, boxed cake mixes, etc.) are usually shelved in the interior section of the store, while minimally processed foods are located on the exterior walls. The healthy food sections are typically located near the fruit and veggie area.

As you transition your grocery shopping toward healthier foods, you will probably discover most of your items are located on the perimeter of the store – perimeter shopping. Does this mean you will never venture into the middle aisles of a grocery store again? No, because coffee is smack dab in the thick of it! If you happen to live near a Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or a farmer’s market, you won’t have to be as concerned about highly processed foods. These stores offer an abundant variety of healthy foods. Be sure to take advantage of local farmers markets!

More tips after the jump!

Reading Food Labels
Learning how to read food labels is crucial to your success in identifying healthy vs. unhealthy food items. Just because the front of the package claims to be “Healthy” or “All Natural” does not always mean the food labels are comprised of healthy ingredients. The next time you are in the store, read the food label on a bag of Doritos (can you pronounce half the ingredients?) and then read the label on a bag of Guiltless Gourmet baked chips in the healthy food section. Surprised? Sure, these items taste different, but would you rather feed your body high levels of salt and chemicals found in the highly processed chips or would you enjoy the real taste of a corn chip baked with only a handful of ingredients (5 to be exact)?

A good example is the difference between a run-of-the-mill macaroni and cheese product compared to Annie’s brand macaroni and cheese. The average mac and cheese product (a highly processed item), is usually shelved in the middle of the store and is about $.60 cents per box with a food label a mile long. Look in the healthy food section for Annie’s mac and cheese and you discover a shorter food label and a product that offers a much better flavor. The price is a little bit more; however, quality takes precedence over cost.

Learn how to read food labels at: http://goldensummitinc.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=128&catid=2

Focus on Quality not Cost
If your current grocery shopping philosophy is “buy the cheap stuff,” remember, you get what you pay for. Create a mindset focused on quality and not cost. There is a direct correlation between the foods we eat and the impact on our physical and mental state of health. Think of food as an investment and not an expense.

There are numerous ways to choose better quality foods:

• Always purchase 100% fruit juice. The percentage of fruit content is listed above the food label. A lot of juices on the market are nothing but sugar water. Be careful not to drink several glasses of juice in a day because the calories can add up quickly, especially for children.
• Select leaner cuts of meat such as turkey or chicken breast, pork loin, fresh fish, and 90% lean ground beef. I found the 93% lean beef is too dry, and it does not have as much flavor as the 90% lean.
• Introduce fresh fish into your meals, grilling or baking.
• If you have a penchant for tortilla chips (like my two chip-monsters Jeremy and Lizzie Marie), introduce baked chips.
• When buying canned tuna, I prefer albacore packed in water instead of packed in oil.
• If certain veggies are not available fresh, look for frozen veggies that are not packed in any sauce.
• Use 100% fruit spreads for toast (read the label for fruit content)
• Applesauce is a terrific snack as long as no sugar has been added. Use applesauce as a healthy replacement in baking recipes that list vegetable oil in the ingredients.

Buy One Get One Free
Grocery stores frequently offer sales of Buy One Get One Free (BOGO). These can be great deals if the items offered are healthy items I normally eat. If sugar-laden cereal is offered BOGO, don’t buy it just because a second box is free. Do healthy items go on sale? Yes, but not as frequently as unhealthy foods. If I see a healthy bread I normally buy on sale, I’ll buy two loaves and place them in the freezer. If you notice a BOGO of healthy foods, but you truly cannot consume two packages, donate the free package to a local church or food bank.