Shopping smart is key to change

I've talked about this topic many times before but I'm going to repeat it here because IT'S SO IMPORTANT!

Imagine you're going on holiday somewhere. In order to make your trip successful and do-able, you must plan it, right? So you get your flight tickets, book your hotel and plan your stay.

Now, let's compare that to getting healthy. If you want to get healthier, you will need to do a few things beforehand in order to make that journey successful.

This is where today's topic fits in ... health starts at the supermarket. Shopping smart is like purchasing the holiday ticket, nothing can be done without it.

One of the biggest obstacles to healthy eating is a cupboard full of sweet and chocolates. So, when people tell me that their healthy eating plan went out the window when they gave in to a chocolate binge from the kitchen cabinet, I say 'why was the kitchen cabinet full of chocolates in the first place?'

You can give me all kinds of excuses about why you buy chocolates, Maybe your kids like them or your spouse wants you to buy them. Or maybe you think you're buying them for the 'occasional' treat that is not so occasional.

Whatever your reason for buying unhealthy food, the fact still remains that the person in the household who does the grocery shopping is responsible for his/her own health as well as the health of all the people in that household.

So with that comes a responsibility that many people don't know what to do with. If you are like most people, then you probably want to be healthier, but don't know what products to buy or avoid.

Here are some tips.

First of all, take a precise shopping list and stick to it. Do not wait until you are at the supermarket to decide what to buy. If you do that, you will be more likely to buy on impulse and fall for promotions and erratic choices.

Second, do not shop while you're hungry. Shopping while hungry is just about the worst decision you can make.

Most importantly, try to shop the perimeters of the supermarket, avoiding the inner aisles. That way, you'll be circling the supermarket and passing the fruit/veg aisles, the meats, the grains, the beans/pulses, etc. And that way, you can avoid the inner aisles, which usually contain all the refined and processed foods that you're trying to avoid.

And, last but certainly not least, you must act like a smart shopper and start reading the ingredients labels on your purchases. All products in the supermarkets should have their ingredients listed on the packaging. If you spend a few extra minutes during your next visit and find out which products you would prefer to have, you'll have a healthier kitchen as a result.

On the ingredients/contents list of each product, you should be looking out for sugar, salt, colourings, additives, flavour enhancers, and hydrogenated oils.

Do not buy products that contain these!

Avoid products that contain food colouring such as Red #40, food additives such as E102 and other E numbers, or flavour enhancers such as MSG (monosodium glutamate). Also, avoid products that contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.

Don't be afraid to compare products. For example, if you are used to buying a specific brand of jam, look at it's contents then compare it to another brand and see which one is healthier.

Remember that products are listed in order of quantity, so the first item on the ingredients list will be the highest in content. So, if a product lists sugar as its first ingredient that means it contains more sugar than anything else!

Most people know what they do wrong in the supermarket. All it takes is a conscious decision to change that. Most manufacturers care about making the product taste and look good, and how they can make it last on the shelves as long as possible. They do not have your health in mind.

Your responsibility to yourself and to your family is to be a smart consumer. Take responsibility for your own health and start finding products what will help you lead a healthier lifestyle.

Better yet, try to fill your kart with foods that are not packaged! Buying fresh fruits, vegetables, salads, whole grains and beans should be on top of your shopping list every time.

Once you're done grocery shopping, look into your kart and see whether it resembles health or not. Be honest with yourself and make any changes before you join the line at the till.

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