SUPERMARKET STRATEGIES - Printer Friendly

SUPERMARKET STRATEGIES

Save time, money and calories with these smart shopping tips.

Written by Anna M. Apoian, R.D. | Illustrations by Kathryn Adams

On your mark, get set, go! One of the many challenges we face today is finding the time to prepare and eat healthy meals. It may seem easier to head to the drive-thru and suffer through another dry chicken sandwich or tasteless salad, but our shopping and food-preparation strategies will help you prepare "fast food" at home that will taste better and be better for you!

1. Shop the Perimeter.
For health, start by shopping the outer sections of the supermarket. Buying whole foods the grocers stock on the outer aisles of the store is the easiest way to keep sodium, fat, sugar, preservatives and nitrates to a minimum. It also balances out any convenience foods you select from the inner aisles. This is the way to shop to get the most nutrition for your calories and dollars!

2. Buy seasonal produce.
For a nutrient-rich diet, fruits and vegetables are imperative. Yet sometimes the prices are high, and the produce may go bad before it's eaten. Our strategy for fruits is to look for seasonal choices to keep the cost down. An alternative is to stock up on dried fruits, canned fruit in its own juice and 100% fruit juice.

3. Avoid Juice Lookalikes.
Stay away from fruit drinks that say cocktail, punch, beverage, ade or drink. These drinks have added sugar, not just natural sugar. Cool down with a 100% frozen fruit bar for a refreshing snack. Use frozen fruits in milk shakes and smoothies for a quick breakfast.

4. Pasta Power.
This is another healthy, fast food. Buy a variety of pasta shapes and textures, dried or fresh. They don't take any longer to cook than prepackaged noodle mixes. Add different low-fat sauces for variety. Enhance nutrition and save time by cooking frozen vegetables in the same pan as the pasta.

5. sample soy.
Use soy milk and soft tofu for smoothies. Slice firm tofu into cubes and add it to a stir fry for extra protein.

6. Stock Up On Staple Vegetables.
Add freely to the bagged lettuce. Buy frozen vegetables, but stick to basics, not sauced-up types. Frozen vegetables heat up in minutes in a microwave, and since the vegetables are pretrimmed, there's no waste. Purchase a microwavable steam dish that will allow for heating in the microwave, draining and then serving at the table. This cuts down on preparation and clean-up time.

7. Purchase Prepared Produce.
Quick vegetable strategies include buying bagged salads or prepackaged salad-bar items. Add precut fresh or canned fruit, toasted nuts and crumbled or cubed cheese. Pepperonchinis and olives also add flair to meals.

To turn a side salad into a complete meal, add chopped low-fat or fat-free deli meats. Top with flavored vinegar and olive or canola oil, or use a low-fat bottled salad dressing. The combinations are endless.

8. Can It!
Canned foods are always handy and have a long shelf life, but watch out for the salt. Choose canned products that are low in sodium or, when possible, have no sodium. Stock up on canned broth, salsa, sun-dried tomatoes, beans and low-fat pasta sauces. Avoid high-fat soups.

9. Go With the Grain.
Take advantage of the vast array of breads and grain products, preferably whole-grain. Keep one or two loaves of bread handy in the freezer.

10. Got Milk?
The dairy aisle is stocked with ready-to-consume fast foods. Look at our grocery list to see the healthiest, low-fat choices you should stock. Nonfat cottage cheese and yogurt are loaded with nutrition and mix with many flavorful additions.

11. Buy the Dozen--Eggs, That Is.
They cook up quickly into a frittata, omelet or quiche. Keep a frozen pie shell for the latter. Add precut vegetables and shredded low-fat cheese to any of these entrees. If you need to watch your cholesterol, use egg substitutes or mostly egg whites.

12. Protein Quick.
Meats, poultry and fish can be fast foods, too! Choose lean protein foods with less than 3 grams of fat per ounce; something with less than 1 gram of fat per ounce is extra-lean. Nutrition labels will help you.

Fresh fish takes only 10 minutes per inch of thickness to cook - that's quick! Top any kind of fish fillet with salsa and broil. Skinless chicken breasts bake up quickly, or purchase chicken strips and stir fry in minutes. Pork tenderloin is another quick cooker. Ground beef can be browned or boiled, then drained and frozen ahead of time for future use.

13. Squat or Reach.
When shopping the inner aisles, don't just grab what's at eye level. Sometimes the healthiest and least-expensive food items are an arm's reach up or a squat down.

14. Pizza Party/Wrap Party.
Two grain foods, pizza crust and tortillas, are great fast foods to have on hand. Linda Gassenheimer, author of Dinner in Minutes (Houghton Mifflin) and Vegetarian Dinner in Minutes (Chronicle Books), suggests the following for a quick pizza or wrap: "It's good to have a pizza base, such as Boboli, ready. I keep it in the freezer. Then clean out the refrigerator and make a pizza. Add cheese and you're done--it's faster than sending out!

"The other thing I like to keep on hand is tortillas. You can make a wrap, tostada or quesadilla. For a wrap, buy deli roast beef or turkey breast, vegetables such as lettuce and prepared salad dressing. Put in the middle and roll up. Serve as a supper or snack.

"You can also make a shrimp Caesar salad wrap. Buy cooked shrimp in the fish department, and use the tortilla on hand. Buy ready-to-eat romaine lettuce already washed and light Caesar salad dressing. Add Parmesan cheese. Serve cold.

"Another idea is to put salsa, lettuce, Monterey jack cheese, precooked chicken and fajita sauce on one tortilla. Place under the broiler and warm through a couple of minutes."

15. Cereal Madness.
With boxed breakfast cereals, seek fiber while you minimize sugar. Luckily, both are listed on the label. A little sugar would be okay. For cereals with dried fruit, such as raisin bran, the sugar listing will be higher, which is fine if the sugar comes mainly from fruit. If in doubt, check the ingredients label to make sure processed sugar in its various forms (such as corn sweetener) isn't the first or second ingredient.

For fiber, look for at least 3 grams per serving. You don't have to worry about added fat with most cereals, with the exception of regular granola. When you check for sugar and fiber, look at the fat figures, too. More than 2-3 grams per 1-ounce serving is too much. Don't think you're home-free with low-fat granola; it probably isn't low in sugar.

16. What a Crock!
A roast in a crock pot is a true time-saver. Simply put chopped vegetables on the bottom, add browned meat and 1-2 cups of liquid with seasonings. Turn on the crock pot and go to work. Come home, set the table and eat!

17. Deep Freeze.
Frozen foods are another great mainstay, especially when you choose items without sauces or added fats. Look for complete meals in a bag that simply need to be stir-fried, such as Skillet Sensations. Precooked frozen shrimp or chicken just needs reheating. Also look for flash-frozen chicken halves and individual ground-meat or ground-poultry patties so you can use what you need for one meal without defrosting an entire block of frozen food.

18. Plan Your Menu.
Think of the basic plan: lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and fruits and/or vegetables in each meal, with 2-3 servings of low-fat milk products included each day. Put simply, eat for nutrition.