Most of the food we eat is prepared at home. And most of what’s at home has come from the shops! So it’s important to keep healthy eating in mind when you do your shopping. Here are a couple of tips to make the healthier choice the easy choice.
Before you go
Make a list. Think about what you and your family plan to eat in the coming week. Then write a shopping list, and try to stick to it as you shop. This will help you spend less on impulse buys. You’re also less likely to get distracted and pick up the less healthy foods or things you don’t need.
Try not to shop on an empty stomach. Shopping on an empty stomach is a bad idea – both for yourself and the kids. You’re more likely to rush things and make poor food choices when your stomach is growling. If you are hungry, try munching on a piece of fruit as you shop.
Don’t rush it! If you can, try to shop when it is less crowded. This way, you’ll have the time and space to read food labels properly.
On the way
Resist pester power. Be ready to say ‘no’ to any demands for sweets from your children. Talk to them in advance about what they’ll be allowed to have so they’ll know what to expect. Bring some fruit or homemade popcorn for the journey instead.
At the shops
Buy fresh foods more often than processed foods. Processed foods are higher in fat and salt and lower in other nutrients than fresh, unprocessed foods. So go easy on the ready-meals- Try to make home-cooked meals the norm most days of the week.
Choose lean cuts of meat like lean chicken, turkey, pork and beef more often than salted, battered or processed cuts like sausages, bacon, burgers, chicken nuggets or luncheon meat.
Stock up on tinned, dried and frozen fruit and veggies. All types of fruit and vegetables count towards your five-a-day. It doesn’t matter whether they're fresh, frozen, tinned or dried – they’re still full of goodness. So bring some home for your cupboard or freezer to have when you’re running low on fresh supplies.
Keep it lean. Ask the butcher to trim off any fat you can see from the meat you’re buying. Buying a smaller amount of lean meat means you get all the nutrients you need with less of the fat – plus you save money because it weighs less!
Love the labels. Start to read food labels when you shop. This will help you to make healthier shopping choices. Compare brands, and go for products that are lower in fat, salt and sugar. Learn more about food labels here.
Keep a healthy balance in mind. Check your trolley before you finish - is it mostly filled with wholegrain starchy foods, fruit and vegetables? Do you have some dairy foods like milk, cheese and yoghurt in there? And do your treat foods make up just a small proportion of your shopping? If not, then it’s worth taking a second quick trip around the store to restore the balance.
Stay safe! Avoid buying food with damaged or torn packaging, bulging or dented cans, and dirty or cracked eggs. These foods could be spoiled or could leak onto other foods.
Check ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates to make sure that you can keep the food until you intend to eat it. You will find 'use by' dates on foods that are very perishable, such as cooked meat products, prepared foods and salads. Foods should not be eaten after the end of the 'use by' date as this could be a health risk. 'Best before' dates are used for less perishable foods and give an indication of when food will be of the best quality rather that indicating its safety. So when the best before date runs out it doesn't mean that the food will be harmful, but it might begin to lose its flavour and texture. The exception to this is with eggs that should not be eaten after the 'best before' date.
Leave your food shopping until last. Also plan your journey in the shop, ideally buying chilled and frozen foods just before the checkout and then take them straight home to the refrigerator and freezer. Never leave food in a hot car
Buy products labelled “keep refrigerated” only if they are stored in the refrigerator and feel cold to the touch.
Only buy frozen foods if they are frozen solid. Frozen foods like corn, peas and berries should feel loose in the package. If they are one big lump, they may have been thawed and refrozen. Their quality will be poor.
Pack your food items carefully. Pack raw foods such as raw meat, poultry and seafood separately from ready to eat foods such as prepared salads and bakery products. You can ask the shop attendant to place raw foods in plastic bags to protect other foods from drips and leaks.
Try a new fruit or vegetable every week. When it comes to healthy eating, variety is the name of the game. So try to bring home a new fruit or vegetable every week! This is especially important if you have kids - the more new foods your children are introduced to, the more likely they are to eat a varied diet later on. It can take up to eight attempts before a child will start to like some things, so try not to give up easily!
Keep a well-stocked food cupboard. Rustle up a healthy meal in minutes with cupboard essentials like tinned fish, tinned tomatoes, pasta and dried herbs. Beans on toast are great too – super fast and protein packed! Stock up your food cupboard to include some of the following:
- Rice, pasta, noodles, porridge, breakfast cereals
- Tinned vegetables (e.g. sweetcorn, tomatoes), fruit tinned in its own juice, tinned soups
- Dried milk powder, evaporated or condensed milk (can be used if you run out of fresh milk), tinned rice pudding, ready-made or tinned custard
- Tinned fish (e.g. tuna, mackerel, sardines), baked beans, tinned peas, tinned pulses (e.g. kidney beans, butter beans, chickpeas, lentils)
- Stock cubes, gravy granules, tomato sauce and purée, dried herbs, pepper, tea, coffee, sugar or sweetener, cocoa/drinking chocolate, jelly, plain biscuits
Travelling home…
Don’t buy chilled or frozen food during your lunch hour unless you can keep it in a fridge or freezer until you go home.
Use a coolbag or coolbox to keep your groceries cold during transport, particularly in warm weather or if you have a long journey home.
When you get home…
It’s important that you unpack your groceries as soon as you get home to make sure that chilled and frozen foods do not warm up, which could raise the temperature enough for harmful bacteria to grow, especially in warm weather. For more information on how to store foods visit the storage section of this site.