Grocery Shopping While Dieting

Food shopping can be dangerous when you're trying to lose weight. It is easy to buy impulsively. Arm yourself with these top ten survival skills.
  1. Plan ahead. Prepare a weekly menu, including regular meals and snacks to minimize impulse buying.

  2. Make a list before you go shopping, and stick to it. Let your list be a compass that guides you on a safe course through the supermarket. And be sure to make up the list at home -- after you've eaten!

  3. Choose a nutrition-friendly grocery store. Look for a store with shelf-labeling, nutrition booklets, recipe cards, and a variety of healthy foods at reasonable prices.

  4. Keep your shopping trips to a minimum -- once a week, if possible. This saves time and limits temptation.

  5. Get into the label-reading habit. Check the serving size, calories, and fat per serving so you know what you're getting.

  6. Bypass the danger zones: aisles filled with your "problem" foods and tasting islands with free food samples.

  7. Shop when you're well-rested and well-fed. You're more likely to purchase high-calorie junk food when you're hungry.

  8. Do not overbuy or become coupon driven. Avoid the economy size of "problem" foods. If you have trouble controlling your portions, buy single-serve containers.

  9. Take your groceries home unopened. Don't nibble on food in the store or on the way home.

  10. Ask your local grocery-store manager to stock any items that you can't find. The wider variety of lower-calorie foods on your supermarket shelves is largely due to customer requests.
Scrutinize Food Labels

Food labels give you the information you need to decide how a particular product fits into your calorie budget and your diet plan. Follow these five steps to scrutinize a food label. They will become second nature in no time.

Read food labels carefully to decide if it fits into your weight-loss diet plan.
Publications International, Ltd.
Read food labels carefully to see if the food fits your diet.

  1. Size up the serving. The nutrient information on food labels is for the serving size listed, so be sure to compare the serving size to how much YOU actually eat. (For instance, a can of soup that you consider one lunchtime serving may actually contain two servings if you consult the label.) If you eat more or less than the serving listed, you'll need to adjust the nutritient information up or down.

  2. Look over the Daily Values. Daily Value information at the very bottom of the label is a handy reminder of the suggested daily amounts of key nutrients for two different calorie levels: 2,000 and 2,500 calories. Some Daily Values identify the maximum daily amounts, such as for fat, cholesterol, and sodium, while others -- carbohydrate and fiber -- are target amounts. Remember, if your calorie needs are less than 2,000 calories, these maximum daily amounts will be lower.

  3. Rate your choices with the % Daily Values. The % Daily Values make it easy to judge the nutritional quality of a food. As a quick guide, 5% Daily Value or less is considered low, and 20% Daily Value or more is high. For nutrients you need to limit, such as fat and sodium, choose plenty of foods with 5% Daily Value or less. For nutrients you need more of, such as calcium and iron, look for foods with 10% to 20% Daily Value or more.

  4. Rely on the adjectives. Descriptors on food labels, such as "low," "high," and "free," have legal definitions. This means that a food product must contain a defined amount of the specific nutrient before the label can boast about the food's nutritional merits. For example, a low-fat food can have no more than three grams of fat in the serving size noted on the label.

  5. Browse the ingredient list. It displays the food's ingredients in order by weight and is useful for finding out the main ingredients.
We've given you a lot of proven strategies for maintaining the diet you've chosen for yourself. Feel free to review these often -- everyone needs a little reminding. Good luck!



This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.