The grocery store can be overwhelming! You desire to purchase healthful foods, yet are bombarded by advertising that pulls you in different directions. Below you’ll find my top 4 considerations when selecting a packaged item for purchase.
The easiest and most nourishing way to shop is on the perimeter of the store where labels and marketing is nearly obsolete – produce! Whole, plant foods provide you with countless nutrients and no additives, making shopping much less confusing. However, we all need packaged items at times, so let’s make sure you feel confident selecting the best available option!
1. Skip the Advertising – Ignore what the front of the package is trying to communicate. A product may say it is “100% natural”, but what does that mean? Is it the same as a label that reads “100% organic”? The answer is no, they are not the same. Companies have a lot of freedom regarding what they can communicate in their advertisements. Rather than allowing them to tell you what is best, use what you’re about to learn to make a well-informed decision.
2. The Ingredients List Matters Most – When pulling a product from the shelf, I immediately go to the ingredients list before anything else. Ingredients are listed on the label in descending order based on weight. The ingredient taking up the most weight in the product will be listed first. I have two rules for whether I’ll purchase a product:
- Can I pronounce every ingredient? What is Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate? Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters? If its not real food, I don’t want to eat it!
- Does it have more than 5 ingredients? This is a good rule of thumb, however, it not always definitive. For example, a label for my favorite crackers is below. They have 9 ingredients, but they are all whole foods and herbs!
3. Sodium Content – After identifying that you can pronounce every ingredient in the product and it has minimal ingredients, then consider the sodium content. Ideally a product will have a 1:1 ratio of calories to milligrams of sodium. If it has 100 calories per serving, it’s best to select a product with 100mg of sodium or less. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but an important general guideline.
4. Serving Size – Always be aware of the serving size of a product. You’ve worked hard to identify that it’s a nutrient-rich product and the bag may not look that big, however a serving size may be ¼ cup and the bag contains 16 servings. Without being aware of serving size you could easily consume 8 servings in one sitting. Keep in mind that the company selects the serving for their product. The serving size represented on the package is not necessarily the “recommended” or “best” amount.
I hope next time you’re buzzing through the grocery store you’ll feel more confident making choices as to what is most nourishing for you and your family! If you live in the Raleigh area and are in need of further assistance implementing these tips and more my Clean Sweep Kitchen Consult and Grocery Store Tour are excellent options for getting you fully prepared for success!