Thrifty Thursday: Shopping Tips for Health

Today I want to share some general ideas on shopping healthy.  These are ideas for anyone trying to be healthy but also ideas for someone who has specific health concerns like diabetes or heart health.  In all cases of health concerns, it is a great idea to talk to your doctor about a proper eating plan and lifestyle that will keep you living happier and healthier.

Make a list and stick to it.  Be sure to go shopping when you aren’t hungry.  Stock up on produce, and healthy dairy and lean meat items.  Read food labels--this helps you to compare items and know which one packs more nutritional punch.  One time when I did this I found the store brand cereal I was buying had better nutritional facts than the name brand cereal!  While looking at these labels look for high fiber, low sodium foods and the good kind of fats, go for more poly/mono unsaturated fats than saturated fats.  Think of the source of the carbs--are they highly processed/sugary carbs or whole grain carbs?  Choose lean proteins instead of high fat ones.  

When choosing food & drink items for a diabetic, whether yourself or another, it is important to learn what amounts of specific types of food/nutrients you should have, discuss this with the doctor.  The doctor or dietician can help you determine how much sodium, cholesterol, carbs, etc. you should have or shoot for.  When making changes, some you can immediately implement--like lower sodium/cholesterol foods, others you should make gradually--like if you need to increase fiber.  Be sure to shop for balance--you want a balance of fiber, protein and carbs.  Some foods & drinks will affect blood glucose more than others, so learn which are better to have and which to limit.  Nuts are an example of a high protein food that helps you feel full, but also doesn’t make your blood glucose go nuts.

General guidelines for fiber and sodium:  20-35 grams of fiber a day; less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day.  Talk to the doctor to find out what amounts to shoot for and follow that guideline.  Check your local hospital/doctor for more information and tips for maintaining control over diabetes (or other diseases), they may even have programs that would be helpful to attend like:  making low-sodium & low-cholesterol foods, or how to shop/cook for someone with diabetes.