Healthy Eating: Making Healthy Choices When You Shop

Healthy eating starts with smart food shopping. These tips will help you get started.

• Plan ahead. Before you shop, decide on the healthy meals and snacks you want. Make a list of the ingredients you will need to buy.
• Have a snack before you shop if you need to. It can be hard to make healthy food choices when you're very hungry.
• Make healthy choices.
  • Check the food labels on packaged foods. Choose foods that have less saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.
  • Look for foods that make it easy to prepare a quick and healthy meal. These are things like prewashed and cut fresh produce, frozen fruits and vegetables, low-sodium canned beans, and canned tuna or salmon.
  • Limit drinks with added sugar, such as soda and sweetened iced tea. Instead, try to drink more water or buy sugar-free drinks or drinks with little or no added sugar.