Grocery Stores Aren’t Scary

Who doesn’t have a complicated relationship with food? I sure do… what to eat; how much to eat; what’s “safe” and what isn’t; which labels should I look for and which should I avoid; is the generic okay or should I pay extra for the brand; organic or conventional… Going to the grocery store can be intimidating, no matter if you’re shopping for yourself or for your whole family.

Indiana’s Family of Farmers offered a wonderful opportunity for me (and a number of other bloggers) to take a tour of a grocery store with registered dietician Kim Galeaz. Let me tell you, that was one fun trip to the grocery store!

Kim’s overall message was that when you’re shopping, you should focus on foods you already like, then pump up the nutrition value where and how you can. Don’t force yourself or your family to eat something you don’t like, just because it’s supposed to be “better for you.”

Don’t like the way whole grain pasta tastes? Then try the part-whole grain kind. Still not working for you? Then go with regular pasta, bump up the sauce with an extra vegetable, and choose your whole grains somewhere else in your day. (The recommendation is that half your grains should be whole.)

Are you looking for a few more whole grain choices? Popcorn is a wonderful whole grain option! Every kind of popcorn is a whole grain – whether you get the extra buttery kind from the movie theatre, the low-fat microwave popcorn, or you pop it yourself on your stove, on your counter, or in your microwave. If you add oil, butter, or salt, just be aware of how much you are adding and how much of the popcorn you are eating.

Oatmeal is another great whole grain option. Every kind of oatmeal (instant, quick-cooking, old-fashioned, and steel-cut) is a whole grain. If your kids love the instant oatmeal but not slow-cooked steel-cut oatmeal, go ahead and let them eat it knowing that you’ve made a whole grain choice. Do you prefer the texture of old-fashioned oats? Then go for that! Punch up the nutrition value a little more by adding fresh or dried fruit or some chopped nuts.

Can’t find the fresh fruits or vegetables your family likes in season? Head on over to the canned foods aisle or the frozen food section. Canned and frozen fruits and veggies pack just as much nutrition as the fresh kinds, without the guess work of “is it ripe?”

Hate fat-free cheese? Then don’t worry about it. Use the reduced-fat, or even the full-fat kind if that’s what you and your family like. Everyone does need some fat in their diet every day. (Some vitamins and nutrients, like Vitamin E, can only be absorbed with fat.)

The produce section can be a scary place for a lot of people. Is it worth the extra money to buy organic produce? That’s up to you. From safety and nutrition standpoints, it’s not necessary. Organic produce has the same nutritional value as conventional produce. And if you’re worried about pesticide residue on your food, check out SafeFruitsAndVeggies.com. You can enter your age and gender, and see how many servings of a fruit or vegetable you would need to eat to be exposed to any significant level of pesticides. (For example, an adult woman would need to eat 529 servings of apples every day; a child would need to eat 175 servings of blueberries every day. That’s a lot!!)

Just be conscious of what and how much you are eating. Learn how to read a nutrition label. Pay attention to the choices you are making, but don’t obsess over them. Do you love to add flavored creamer to your coffee in the morning? Go for it… but make that a conscious choice, and compensate for the fat and calories you are adding somewhere else in your day if you need to. Maybe choose a reduced-fat yogurt instead of a regular yogurt, or go for a piece of fruit for a snack instead of a bag of chips.

Be aware of serving sizes. While one serving from that bag of chips isn’t a bad choice every once in a while, an entire bag of chips (which may be 7-10 servings or more) is probably not the best choice you could make. Leave yourself room for the occasional treat (like chips, crackers, chocolate, ice cream, or whatever is your favorite). Think about ways you could make that choice pack more nutrition for you. Pair some cheese with the chips or crackers. Go for the dark chocolate, and think about chocolate-covered fruit or nuts for some added nutrition. Top your serving of ice cream with some fresh fruit.

We also talked about some free resources that are available to help you make some of these choices. ChooseMyPlate.gov is a great resource. It even has a Daily Food Plan section, where you can enter your age, gender, weight, and activity level and it will tell you the amounts of fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and proteins you should be eating on a daily and weekly basis. (Here’s mine.)

Grocery stores and grocery shopping can be scary places, if you let them. What else do you want to know to help make food choices easier for you? Leave your questions in the comments below, send me an email, or comment on AgriCultured’s Facebook page. I’ll do my best to answer the questions as they come in. If the question is too complex, it could end up as a blog post here!

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