How to Food-Shop So You Can Drop

Dear Fitness Coach,

I am a 28-year-old guy who has packed on about 30 pounds since college. I guess that eating out almost every meal almost every day is mostly to blame, because I am physically active otherwise. My overriding problem is this: I am like a deer in headlights when I walk into the supermarket. I am pretty overwhelmed with all the choices, and I do not know which foods I should and shouldn’t be eating. Inevitably, I end up in the frozen-food aisle in front of the pizza section. Can you pass along some tips on healthy food shopping?

Slow-witted Shopper

Dear SS,

The following is a quick overview for supermarket newbies. Comply with these five guidelines and not only will you drop those unwanted pounds, but also save significant amounts of cash by swapping eating out for eating in!

1. Shop the perimeter of the supermarket
   Dairy, meat, poultry and fish, and fruit and veg are always located against the walls. These food groups should make up 80% of the groceries you purchase.
2. Become a nutritional analyst
   Learn how to read food labels and know what to look for when reading them. Rule-of-thumb is pay close attention to the sugar, fiber and protein grams on the label. Aim for no more than 12 grams of sugar and no less than 5 grams of fiber and no less than 20 grams of protein per serving.
3. Stay away from prepackaged foods
   Whenever possible avoid added sugar, fat and sodium. Processed foods drive up the calorie count but do little for the nutritional value.
4. Wok out
   A quick and easy meal standby is stir-fry. Buy frozen vegetables (they are as healthy as fresh but less expensive and easier to keep), precooked grilled chicken breast strips, low-sodium soy sauce and single-serve microwave brown or multigrain rice.  Prep time is less than 5 minutes and in less than a half-hour you have a healthy, filling dinner.
5. Get a little help from your smart phone
   Fooducate is a great app that reads the barcodes on food products and gives them a rating from C (not so good) to A (guilt-free). It tells you what is in each product and offers healthy alternatives.