Tipsheet: Healthy Eating Starts With Healthy Food Shopping

Using a shopping list and keeping a well-stocked kitchen can help reduce the time you spend cooking healthy meals. Read the labels as you shop, and pay attention to serving size and servings per container. Compare the total calories in similar products and choose the lowest calorie ones.

So, shop for quick, low-fat food items, and fill your kitchen cupboards with a supply of lower calorie basics like the following:

Fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, and cottage cheese
Light or diet margarine
Egg whites/egg substitutes
Whole-wheat sandwich breads, bagels, pita bread, English muffins
Soft corn tortillas, low-fat flour tortillas
Low-fat, low-sodium crackers
Plain cereal, dry or cooked
Rice, pasta
White-meat chicken or turkey (remove skin)
Fish and shellfish (not battered)
Beef: round, sirloin, chuck arm, loin, and extra-lean ground beef
Pork: leg, shoulder, tenderloin
Dry beans and peas
Fresh, frozen, canned fruits in light syrup or juice
Fresh, frozen, or no-salt-added canned vegetables
Low-fat or fat-free salad dressings
Mustard and catsup
Jam, jelly, or honey
Herbs and spices
Salsa

Healthy Weight Tip

Prepare a list of the groceries you need ahead of time, and stick to the list when you go to the store. This will keep you focused and can help prevent any spur of the moment, high-calorie purchases.

Looking for suggestions for healthy ingredients?

Check out the ingredient list on the Keep the Beat™: Deliciously Healthy Eating Web site. The Web site features downloadable recipes, a searchable database, healthy shopping and cooking tips, an online community, videos, and information for the media.