Easy Tips to Healthy Shopping
If you are taking the leap into health foods, walking into Fresh & Natural Foods can be foreign territory. We often hear customers explaining how overwhelming shopping can be going from conventional to organic. Chances are you read something online about food additives or the maybe the doctor has encouraged you to make the change. Whatever the case, here are some easy steps to shop the store:
- A common misconception is that organic means natural! In fact sometimes the two are very different. The FDA has no restrictions on what can be natural and refuses to define it. “All-Natural” can sometimes be like the marketing gimmick “fat-free”. Many of us assume it is good for us if it claims “Heart Friendly”, “Lowers Cholesterol”…more marketing tactics. Put on your guard by learning more about the item.
- Spend less time looking at fat and more time focusing on the ingredients. Not all fats are created equal. The main concern is where the fat originates from.
- Just because it is at a health food store doesn’t mean it is a weigh loss food. Like everything else, moderation is key.
- Watch out for refined flours. If it isn’t “sprouted, whole grain or stone-ground,” it is refined.
- Learn to identify food chemicals. At Fresh & Natural Foods, we try to do this for you, but companies are constantly changing their ingredients. Here are some common ones: MSG, aspartame, nitrites, nitrates and high fructose corn syrup, to name a few.
- Shopping the perimeter is the easiest way to eat “clean.” The outer aisles are made up of produce, dairy, meat, seafood and other perishable items.
- Ask an employee at Fresh & Natural Foods what tastes good. They know! In fact, for most it is not just a job, it’s a way of life.
