10 tips for healthy shopping

June 25, 2:07 AMPortland Holistic Health ExaminerAqiylah Collins

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Healthy shopping at People's Food Coop

Demystify grocery shopping with these helpful tips.

1. Shop the perimeter. This is where you will usually find the produce, bulk foods, meat, fresh dairy, and avoid most of the packaged foods.


2. Choose dark, leafy greens. Collards, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, and mixed salad greens are best.


3. Think of the rainbow. We tend to eat the same 5 fruits and 5 vegetables over and over again. Include foods from the full spectrum of the rainbow – brown, orange, red, green, purple, white, yellow, blue – to take advantage of a wide variety of nutrients.


4. Buy organic or local when possible.  If you cannot afford or find organic all the time, grow your own. At the very least, carry the newest Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in your wallet. It’s a handy list to help you remember what to buy organic. There’s even an iPhone app!


5. Go for the whole grain. Brown rice, whole-grain breads and crackers, oatmeal, multi-grain cereals, and pasta contain abundant fiber and more nutrients than their white counterparts.


6. Include nuts and seeds. Add to salads or meals and have on hand for snacks to boost protein, healthy fats, fiber, and balance blood sugar. Consider almond and hemp butters as healthy alternatives to peanut butter.


7. Use cold-pressed or expeller-pressed oils. These methods preserve the integrity of the nutrients. Always choose oils in dark colored bottles and store in the refrigerator after opening as light and oxidation destroy the value of the oils.


8. Add sea vegetables. Seaweeds like dulse, nori, and kombu are mineral rich. Most can be added to soups. Use kelp as a healthy salt substitute.


9. Choose your meat consciously. Seek out hormone-free, antibiotic-free meats, rBGH or rBST-free dairy products, and eggs from grass-fed and free-range chickens when possible. Opt for raw cheeses or those made with vegetable rennet or microbial enzymes.


10. Buy foods in season.  Not only do they taste better but also in-season foods are more likely to be grown locally instead of “force grown” with fertilizers.

Remember to make a shopping list. It helps to plan ahead for meals, stay on budget, and reduce the frequency of impulse buying. Then take it and several grocery bags with you. The results: prepared meals, fewer trips to the store, money saved and a helping hand for the environment.

For more info: Qi To Wellness