Fitness Camp Lunch & Learn, Grocery Shopping 101

By Unite Fitness Retreat Dietician, Brooke Bouwhuis

Grocery stores are fortresses filled with choices.  Tons of choices. It can be daunting to navigate the isles in search for nourishment that promote rather than destroy heath.

The grocery store tour at our fitness camp is VERY helpful for our clients, we talk about a lot of different things as we walk around the store. Many clients take “notes” on things we talk about because it has been so helpful.  Here are a few of the topics we discuss while on a grocery store tour.

• Grocery stores are business, they need to turn a profit to stay in business.  I don’t argue that point at all, but did you know that 60% of what we purchase is in 12 inches of our eyesight?  Manufactures pay big bucks in slotting fees to get their products put in our eyesight – Often we have to look higher and lower on the shelf to find those products that are healthier for us.
• Close to 75% of all packaged food on a grocery store floor has sugar added to it.  Sugar is addictive, delicious and is very damaging for our health.  Check the label, check the label, check the label!  Look for the least amount of sugar possible in the category you are considering buying.  NO high fructose corn syrup and no artificial sweeteners either.  Sometimes the store brands are the cleanest and sometimes they aren’t, turn that product over, check the label and make the best choice available to you.
• Many people assume we check calories first, not at all.  First, check the ingredients – can I read it, say it, spell it, would my grandma know what this stuff is?  This is the Michael Pollan approach in simplifying the ingredients and it makes complete sense.  Those ingredients we can’t pronounce – our liver has to package them up and ship them out, so they don’t cause damage.  A healthy liver is a very big deal, the cleaner you eat, the better you will feel.
• Produce – buy frozen veggies and berries first, then fresh – you will pay less per pound and they won’t rot on you when you don’t eat them as fast as you had anticipated.  Establish solid habits with fresh and frozen veggies then add in more and more fresh choices as your taste buds and eating patterns allow.
• Juice – DON’T do it – its concentrated sugar that will do the same thing to your blood sugar as a can of soda. Eat the whole piece of fruit – the fiber, water, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients are what support our bodies on our quest for exceptional health.
• Cheese – do not buy shredded cheese – natamycin is sprayed on it as an antibiotic preservative (it’s the last ingredient listed on the package). Our gut microbiome does not need these low dose antibiotics – buy the block of cheese and grate your own.  String cheese, pre-sliced cheese and organic do not contain natamycin.
• Ice cream, cookies, chips, bakery items, candy – treat these foods like a SPECIAL OCCASION TREAT. They are to be used occasionally, with friends and other food, slowly and mindfully.
• Shop the perimeter of the store first, this is where you find your veggies, meat, and dairy.  The items with a short shelf-life, the items that should fill up your cart.  Head to the middle isles for the staples only (whole grains, healthy condiments, oils, etc.)

This doesn’t cover the entire store, but it outlines the process for many products we may put in your cart.  Spend a few extra minutes there the next time you go grocery shopping, slow down, turn the products over and read the label. You may be surprised by what you find.