Watch Healthy Food Shopping-Fox News

Fox News Video

Tune in this Saturday and Sunday, 4pm, Eastern time, August 2nd and 3rd, 2014 to A Healthy You, With Carol Alt on Fox News. I will be perusing the food market with Carol Alt and sharing tips on what to put into your shopping cart to stay healthy and fit!

No doubt about it, compared to Europeans, we Americans must be on close guard when it comes to food shopping, otherwise the odds are against us and we are doomed to find ourselves caught in a trap of buying food that may be doing us more harm than good. If we can dodge the maze of foods laced with GMO’s, pesticides, additives, chemicals and preservatives and instead reach for natural, organic and local foods, we’ll be sure to stay ahead of the food industry’s game of hooking us into buying deceptively advertised unhealthy food. Europeans don’t have to contend with this problem because their supermarket shelves are stocked with more natural and less processed foods.

Even though our food labels tout more health claims than you’ll find on European food labels, there are ingredients lurking inside those packages that you would not want to ingest. That low fat, low sugar pound cake might sound healthy but it is likely full of highly processed white flour and artificial sweeteners. The claims make us believe that “it’s good for you” but buyer beware! Do you really want to pay for empty calories and laboratory produced ingredients? Because our food industry is more of a free for all and marketers are crafty, it’s easy to fall prey to bogus advertisements full of misleading and meaningless names like “Skinny Chips” and “Vitamin Water” that are often no better than regular chips and sugary beverages.

Lately, every tweet and Facebook post is telling us what to buy, what to eat and what to cook for dinner. Those behind the messaging are likely not registered dietitians and in fact may be getting paid for endorsements with other interests at heart, not yours! Europeans don’t have these dilemmas because they stick to buying more fresh food. They are not easily swayed by the newest energy drink or trendy cupcake store. Let’s take a look at how we can best tackle the task of making sure that what we choose is not detrimental to our health and instead safe, nutritious and delicious.

1. Merge Your Style: Fresh with Convenience

While Europeans have access to more fresh foods, we Americans have access to more “convenience” and packaged foods. Convenience is what we thrive on, but it’s to our benefit to choose those that are fresh and natural, like yogurt, pre-cut veggies, apples, bananas and baby carrots. For more elaborate foods like soups and salads, try the “Grab & Go” section in many of the natural food markets.

2. Shop More Frequently

Take the time to explore and get to know your neighborhood stores and markets that sell fresh food. Make it a point to visit them as needed and don’t overstock. Remember, quality food tastes best when it’s fresh! While the thought of a daily trip to a food market sounds a bit excessive (most of us do a weekly run to Costco), more regular food shopping ensures that vegetables and fruits don’t get old and lose their nutritional value. It also helps us cut down on that bad habit of throwing food away when it’s been sitting around too long.

3. You Get What You Pay For

Convenience and processed foods are costly and the reality is you don’t get quality in return. Instead you pay for packaging, laboratory additives and marketing. Mass produced foods often lack freshness because they are pumped up with shelf life stabilizers and preservatives. The secret to getting the most for your money lies in buying wholesome, organic ingredients in bulk, which are less expensive than their canned, conventional counterparts.

4. Prepare a Shopping List

Europeans shop almost daily for food but that habit doesn’t typically fit into an American lifestyle. Therefore, we have to be organized and plan what we “need” before going to the grocery store. And we must be armed with a shopping list to avoid the temptations of buying unnecessary items! Before you go to the market, decide what you plan to eat for the week and write out a list so that when you get to the store you are not tempted to buy what’s on sale or what’s being promoted. It’s fine to have flexibility in choosing what’s fresh and in-season, just don’t be fooled by the tricks of the industry. For example cross-merchandising whipped cream near the strawberries is a way to get you to buy the whipped cream when you only planned to buy strawberries. If you are tempted to buy that box of cookies piled high at the entry, instead buy the ingredients to make a healthier version at home.

5. Read Your Labels: Ingredients Count Most

Read it before you eat it! In the U.S., the nutrition information on a label is called a Nutrition Facts Panel, but in Europe it’s just called Nutrition Information. Health claims like low fat or low calorie on food packages are unpopular in Europe because Europeans are mostly concerned about ingredients. This follows the European trend of being both proud and selective about the quality of food they eat. The list of ingredients is the best indicator of how healthy and wholesome a food is. If what you are buying contains more than five ingredients, or a lot of unfamiliar, unpronounceable items, you might consider leaving it behind. Ingredients are listed in descending order of amount in the food. If fat, salt, sugar and/or refined flour are one of the first three ingredients, chances are the product is unhealthy. Use common sense, as this rule doesn’t apply when you are buying a fresh bottle of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, which is 100 percent fat.

6. Patronize Markets With Fresh, Organic and Local Foods

I encourage you to look for farmer’s markets wherever you live. You will come to recognize the growers as you go week after week: talk to them, find out about their business, and the methods they use to grow and produce their products. When I’m in New York City, I visit the Union Square farmer’s market on 14th street. I love how I can be in the middle of one of the most densely populated cities, and still get to mingle with and buy from local growers coming from upstate New York and Long Island. Buying from farmers’ markets supports the environment and helps maintain open space for the local farm industry. Shopping at local and natural food markets will make it easier to identify artisanal, quality food. Turn weekends into a family activity to explore these markets, selecting food to experiment with for the week to come. It’s a fun family outing, and everyone will come to enjoy seasonal, pesticide-free food and properly fed and raised meat.

7. Become a Fresh and Healthy Food Advocate

Talk to the store managers who are involved in ordering foods for your food market. I can tell you from experience, having worked as a director for a supermarket chain for 20 years, they listen. Comments cards are read at weekly meetings. Supermarkets want to please their customers by giving you the foods that you want. Be a voice that is heard, you can make a difference! Choose whole, unprocessed, local and organic foods when available. Be a food advocate and demand transparency from the food companies you do business with. Shop in the edges of supermarkets (produce, meat, fish and dairy) and stick to foods in their own natural wrappers.

For recipes and information about how to adopt a healthy diet without giving up the enjoyment of delicious food and to learn about the habits of the three healthiest countries in Europe, including an aisle by aisle shopping guide, check out my book Beyond The Mediterranean Diet: European Secrets Of The Super-Healthy and sign up for my blog at http://www.WorldRD.com. Bon Appétit! Layne