LOOK BEFORE YOU BUY AT THE GROCERY STORE

Look in your cupboards to see what foods you actually use each week.

Debug your homes of tempting foods.

What tempting foods do you have around your house?  Get rid of all those higher fat, tempting foods from your cupboards. Why rely on willpower?  Make things easier on yourself.

Then plan your meals.

Sit down the beginning of each week and plan your meals.   If you plan your meals and have the foods on hand, you won't be as tempted to grab junk food or eat out at  fast food restaurants.  So be prepared and have nutritious food on hand.  Pull recipes that are tried and true, or try something new (be adventurous).  Take a trip through the aisles of the GetFIT Connections™ Grocery Store to help you stock your healthful pantry.  

If you don't like to plan meals, use the weekly menu planners.  Each week a new menu planner, with accompanying recipes and grocery shopping list will be featured.  

The GetFIT Connections™ Grocery Store

As we begin our grocery store tour, there is one thing that you need to know - and that's how to label read.  Click here for more information on how to read labels.

Do you like convenience in your lifestyle and meal planning?  Then  visit the different sections of the grocery store for convenience products to purchase, as well as tips on purchasing other healthful staples in your diet.   

Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta 

• Select as many whole grain breads and cereals as you can.  Fiber fills you up.    Aim for breads with 2 grams of fiber per slice and select a cereal with 5 grams of fiber per serving.  Label read when purchasing cereals.  Often granola-type cereals contain added oil and can be higher in calories.  Cereal can be a good snack.  Select a variety with bite size pieces, place in a plastic bag, and take with you to work as a midmorning or late afternoon snack.

• Try different pastas and grains.  As with breads and cereals, look for as many whole grain products as possible.  Whole grains have a rich, full taste of whole grains.    Look for flavored rice such as pecan rice or Texmati rice - they both have a nutty flavor.  Texmati rice smells like popcorn popping as it cooks.  Couscous is a grain that has a very different texture and taste, and cooks in 5 minutes!  Look for whole wheat couscous.  Select a new grain to try each week.

• Bagged salads are an easy way to add vegetables to your diet.  There is a wide assortment available - spinach, baby greens, Italian, European...and the list goes on.  
• Bagged veggies like baby carrots, carrot chips, broccoli, and cauliflower are convenient for snacks as well as for meals.  Depending on your preference, you can eat raw or cooked.  If you don't have to slice or dice to prepare, you will include them in your diet.
• Other convenient forms of veggies include sliced mushrooms, slaw mix, and some larger stores contain red skinned potato slices, celery sticks, and other convenient forms.  You may pay more for these, but if you throw out fresh vegetables each week, you will save money in the long run.
• Baking potatoes and sweet potatoes (often termed Yams) can be microwaved or baked for a snack or complete meal.  Bake, then cut in half, and add 1 teaspoon margarine, 1 teaspoon brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to each half.  Eat one half and save the other. 
• Fresh fruit can be purchased in a ready-to-use form - cantaloupe, pineapple chunks, and sliced strawberries.  Easier to use fruits include berries, bananas, and oranges.  
• Dried fruit - raisins, cherries, and cranberries are a high fiber and iron addition to cereal, yogurt, and muffin recipes.

Fruits and Vegetables
Canned

• If you don't like fresh fruits and vegetables, purchase canned.  Purchase canned fruits packed in their own juice. 
• Besides those that are you favorites, be sure to have tomato sauce, tomato juice, and stewed tomatoes on hands as toppers for pasta, rice, and  soup.  Tomato juice is a nice addition to soups. 
• Look for low-sodium or no-salt added tomato products and vegetables, if you are limiting the amount of sodium in your diet.
• If you like crunch in your diet, add canned water chestnuts to salads and stir-frys. 
• Apple and orange juice are great juices for breakfast as a fruit serving, but their use doesn't stop there.  Try them with rice or couscous.  
• Applesauce can be eaten as a snack and is now available in individual serving sizes/containers as well as other diced fruit.

Fruits and Vegetables
Frozen

• If you find you throw away fresh vegetables each week, then purchase frozen.  Frozen fruits are a good option to fresh in the winter months when good quality produce is not in season.  Frozen fruits are a nice addition to blend into yogurt and as a topping for low-fat pudding.

• Frozen mashed potatoes and hash browns are very convenient.

• Check out the frozen foods section of your grocery store for all types of frozen vegetables and fruits.  Special varieties of vegetables include stir fry blends that require the addition of meat and rice for a complete meal.  

• Pay special attention to vegetables that are packaged with pasta and sauces.  These products range in total fat and saturated fat content, depending on the sauce ingredients.  If the products include meat as an ingredient, then that will increase the calories and fat, but remember this is a complete meal.

Milk, Yogurt and Cheese

• Save calories and fat by using skim milk.  If you are used to whole milk, cut down on the fat by switching to 2%, then 1%, then 1/2% and then skim milk.  One cup of whole milk contains about 9 grams of fat and skim milk contains 0.
• Use sour cream on baked potatoes in place of margarine or butter. Regular sour cream contains about 30 calories per tablespoon and margarine contains about 90. Reduced-fat and fat-free sour creams are excellent substitutes for regular sour cream.
• Fruit flavored yogurts can be spooned over your favorite fresh, frozen, or canned fruit packed in water or juice.  Add breakfast cereal to your favorite carton of yogurt to add extra protein. Yogurt can be included in your diet at breakfast, lunch, or as a snack.  
• Fat-free cottage cheese also tastes good topped with canned fruit.  Individual packages of cottage cheese and fruit are a real convenience.
• Margarine and butter have the same amount of calories per an equal amount, but margarine doesn't contain cholesterol and butter does.  You can substitute a diet or lite version, but usually these have water, air, or gelatin added so you get less margarine per tablespoon.  Often they don't melt well and are not intended for baking, but can be used on potatoes or vegetables.  Check the expiration date on these products.  Some of them are made with milk solids and only have a 30-day shelf life.  Purchase margarine in the squeeze or tub form.  The softer the margarine, the easier it is to spread, and you will have a tendency to use less.  When selecting margarine, choose a margarine that is more liquid.  Make sure the first ingredient is liquid oil and contains 2 grams or less of saturated fat.

• If buttery flavor is what you are looking for, try one of the imitation butter sprays in the dairy case.  These work nicely on corn-on-the-cob or as a thin coating on vegetables, when just a touch of liquid buttery flavor is wanted.

• Check out the spice section of your local grocery store and look for imitation butter sprinkles.  These products won't replace the fat called for in a recipe, just the butter flavor.  Three fourths of a teaspoon equals the flavor in 1 tablespoon butter or margarine.  They are also available in assorted flavors.  If you are trying to cut down on butter, substitute these sprinkles for one half of the amount of margarine you normally would use.  Sprinkle this on baked potatoes, and vegetables after they are fresh from the microwave and still moist and hot.  If you are using them on popcorn, spray first with a butter flavored vegetable oil so the sprinkles will stick.  

• Use non-dairy creamer in place or regular cream in your coffee in the morning. 

• There are a variety of cheeses on the market from lite, reduced-fat, and fat-free.  Let your taste buds be your judge. In the past year or so, the taste of the fat-free products have greatly improved.  They still don't melt as well as the regular cheese.  Of the fat-free cheese, parmesan cheese in a can is good.  Use this rule of thumb when selecting cheese:  the more intense the flavor, the less cheese you need to use.  Romano is stronger than parmesan.  If you choose to use regular cheese, mozzarella cheese contains the least amount of fat per ounce, followed closely by feta.  Feta is another one of those strong flavored cheeses, so you can pack in the flavor with a small amount.  Look for cheese that contains 6 grams of fat or less per ounce. By the way, an ounce of cheese is about the size of a floppy disc. 

• Neufchatel cheese is a good substitute for regular cream cheese.  The product has the same taste and texture as regular cream cheese.  Neufchatel cheese also does well in baking.  

• Lite ricotta cheese is a good baked potato topper.  It can also be substituted for the regular version in Italian dishes. 

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs and Nuts
Meat, Poultry, and Fish

• Purchase non-fat ham, turkey, or chicken slices from the deli for sandwiches.  Put as many vegetables as you can on your sandwich - lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, red pepper slices, hot peppers, sweet sandwich stackers (sliced pickles). Just remember that deli meats can be high in fat, saturated fat, and sodium if you don't purchase reduced products.  
• Check out frozen grilled fish fillets and low-fat breaded fish sticks.  Boxed fish with toppings can be found that contain less than 6 grams of fat per serving. 
• You don't need to eliminate red meats totally from your diet, but limit the amount because they are higher in total and saturated fats.  Substitute turkey, chicken, seafood, and ground turkey breast.  Check with the butcher to make sure the turkey hasn't been ground with the skin on.
• When selecting beef, look for the select or choice grade and anything that begins or ends with round for a product with less fat.  Don't purchase prime.
• When selecting pork, look for the word loin in the cut section. 
• Look for ground turkey breast versus ground turkey.  Ground turkey may have skin and fat ground into the meat, increasing the fat content.  Ground turkey breast contains about 1 gram of fat in 4 ounces and ground turkey contains 9 grams of fat in 4 ounces.  White meat is lower in fat and calories whereas chicken thighs are the highest, with 9 grams in 3 ounces.  When you purchase ground chicken, it usually is ground thighs.  If you like ground chicken, ask your butcher to grind boneless and skinless chicken breasts.
• Canned tuna and salmon packed in spring water are versatile choices to have around.  Purchase solid white albacore to add to casseroles and to make tuna salad. Tuna can also be purchased in a reduced-sodium version.  If you purchase regular canned fish, place in a colander to reduce the sodium content by as much as 80%.
• Low-fat sausage can be sliced and added to bean soups, scrambled eggs, and pasta salads for a nice smoked flavor.

Dry Beans

• Beans, lentils, and split peas are a great source of fiber, protein, and iron.  They are also low in fat.  So add them to soups, salads, rice, and pasta dishes.  Purchase dried or canned.  Soaking beans is very easy.  Place in a large pan, cover with water, and soak overnight.  Or use the quick soak method on the back of the bag.  Canned garbanzo beans or kidney beans are a wonderful addition to salads (salad-in-a-bag, of course).

Eggs

• If you don't use eggs more than 4 times per week, purchase regular old fashioned eggs.  If you use more than this, purchase a cholesterol/fat-free egg substitute to reduce the cholesterol content of your diet.  Or better yet, use 2 egg whites for 1 whole egg.  If you are making a large omelet for 2 people, use 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites.

Nuts

• Nuts contain calories and fat, but in small amounts are nice to add to fruit salads.  Limit the amount that you use.  

• Most peanut butters are about 85 to 90 percent fat.  Even if the peanut butter claims less salt or sugar, chances are that the fat has not been reduced.  If you purchase ‘natural’ peanut butter, you’ll notice the fat at the top of the jar.  You can remove this to reduce the fat content.  The peanut butter may be harder to spread, so  microwave the peanut butter for about 10 to 15 seconds to soften it so it’s easier to spread.  Reduced-fat peanut butter can be purchased, but it is still considerably high in fat.  Be sure to measure the serving  size and don’t go over 1 to 2 tablespoons per sandwich.  Spread it on thin!  

FATS, OILS, AND SWEETS
Fats and Oils

• Fats come in several varieties:  saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated.  Saturated fats generally are solid at room temperature and are from animal sources such as butter, beef and poultry fat, lard, and cocoa butter.  Saturated oils include palm oil, palm kernel oil, or coconut oil.  Cream is also a saturated fat.  Saturated fats raise blood cholesterol levels.  Limit your purchases to use less of these products.

• Use the majority of your oils from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated sources.  Monounsaturated oils can lower blood cholesterol levels, if they replace the saturated fats in your diet.  Monounsaturated oils include olive oil, canola oil, and peanut oil (which has a high smoke point and is good for stir frying).  Often you can find flavored oils that pack in more flavor with just one tablespoon.

• Polyunsaturated oils include safflower, sunflower, soybean, cottonseed, corn oil, and sesame oil.  Sesame oil has a strong flavor, but is not good for sautéing or stir frying.  It is a flavorful addition to home made salad dressings and sauces.

• Mayonnaise can be purchased in a variety of forms that include fat-free, lite, reduced-fat and regular.  Label read to determine the actual fat in each of these varieties. Regular mayonnaise contains about 100 calories per tablespoon and has 12 grams of fat.  Lite mayonnaise can be combined with honey Dijon mustard and dill for a sandwich spread or as a fish topper.

• Salad dressings, like mayonnaise, also come in a wide range of fat contents.  Lite and fat-free dressings are excellent potato and vegetable toppers, as well as flavor additions to pasta salads.
   

Sweets and Pop

• Chocolates are generally going to be high in fat.  There are chocolates on the market that are reduced in fat and calories.  Hard candies such as Jolly Ranchers and licorice are usually fat-free.  Beware of health food candies such as yogurt raisins and carob.  These may still be high in fat and calories. 

• Watch out for candies with sugar alcohols - sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol - in large amounts these can cause diarrhea.  They also have the same amount of calories as foods with sugar.  The sugar alcohols are absorbed more slowly, but you eventually end up with the same number of calories.  

• Limit the amount of pop you drink.  Substitute water.  Carry the water with you in a bottle.

To find out more about flavoring your foods.

For more about herbs and spices click here.

For low-fat baking and cooking tips and ideas for using your new groceries, click here.

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