We asked expert Tanya Zuckerbrot, RD, author of the weight loss book The F-Factor Diet, to guide three women through the supermarket to show us how it should be done. What they learned can make reaching your own healthy eating goals easy.
Lisa Perkins, 43
GOAL: Get healthy prepregnancyOBSTACLE: A preference for high-fat foods [sidebar]HER CART Although Lisa does buy plenty of fruits and veggies, her cart has too many saturated fat-filled dairy products and meats, like cottage cheese and sausage. Switching just a few to lower-fat versions will help her maintain a healthy weight. She’d also benefit from better carb choices—the white bread and cornflakes she eats are too low in fiber and high in sugar. HER NEW STRATEGY Seek folate-rich green: Adequate folate intake will help prevent birth defects, should Lisa get pregnant. The best sources are dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and brussels sprouts (frozen is fine, too)—and she should try to eat some every day. Choose fiber-rich cereal: Fiber One, Kashi GoLean, or any type with 5 g or more of fiber per serving is a good choice. “By slowly incorporating fiber into her diet to reach the recommended 25 g a day, she will help reduce the likelihood of pregnancy-related problems, like hemorrhoids and gestational diabetes, later,” says Zuckerbrot. Look for low-fat dairy: Whole milk has 8 g of fat per serving; Lisa has several servings a day. “When I told her to choose products labeled low fat, she grimaced,” says Zuckerbrot. “She doesn’t always have to choose the light version; even once in a while would be an improvement.” Low-fat milk has all the nutrients of whole, and low-fat American, goat, and ricotta cheeses taste as good as their regular versions. To help Lisa make the switch from thick-and-creamy-style yogurt, Zuckerbrot suggested low-fat Greek-style yogurt, which is strained so it has a thicker texture, without the extra fat and sugar. Try healthier bacon: “Lisa didn’t want to drop bacon from her diet, but she was willing to compromise,” says Zuckerbrot. “I told her to save the regular kind for special occasions, and buy bacon labeled reduced fat, Canadian bacon, or turkey bacon the rest of the time.” For each slice of turkey bacon she swaps in, she saves 1 g of fat and at least 12 calories. DID IT HELP? “I loved that the suggestions were doable. Switching to turkey bacon was pretty painless; my boyfriend and I had already tried it, so now we just eat it more often. I’m not yet convinced on the low-fat cottage cheese—the texture doesn’t seem right to me—but I’ve resolved to buy lower-fat yogurt and high-fiber cereal the next time I go grocery shopping.” “I thought I was being healthy by choosing ground turkey, but because it contains dark meat, it has as much fat and calories as beef. The fix was easy, though: Look for ground turkey labeled extralean that has no more than 4 g of fat in a serving.” [pagebreak]
Jeanne Achille, 51
GOAL: Fast, healthy mealsOBSTACLE: A finicky family HER CART Like most moms with hectic schedules, Jeanne needs dishes she can throw together in 5 minutes. What she doesn’t realize is that fast food can be healthy, if you make the right choices. The boxed macaroni and cheese she buys is too high in calories, but her bagged salads and ready-made sushi combos are better. What makes grocery shopping especially hard for Jeanne is that she has many different palates to please: Her 17-year-old avoids carbs, but her husband loves them. The key is finding a happy medium, which for her family are meals with high-fiber carbs and protein. HER NEW STRATEGY Make to-go meals healthier: For lunch, Jeanne often heads to the hot food bar for fried chicken and rice. And she makes her way back for dinner—which is either ready-made pasta or Chinese noodles. Sometimes it’s a frozen Thai chicken dish from the freezer section—which is loaded with fat and sodium and contains virtually no fiber. Zuckerbrot reroutes her to the deli counter for both meals. Sliced turkey on whole wheat has only about 225 calories; her frozen dish has 500. And a precooked rotisserie chicken makes an easy dinner for three—just remove the skin and pair it with a deli salad tossed in a light vinaigrette, such as asparagus salad or carrot-and-raisin slaw. Or shred the chicken with a fork and mix with a few tablespoons of barbecue sauce—“kind of like pulled pork, but with healthier chicken,” says Zuckerbrot. Pick precut and no-cut veggies: Peeled baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, and hearts of celery are easy additions to prewashed salad greens. Frozen and canned vegetables are good for omelets, pasta sauce, or a stir-fry—all meals that take about 10 minutes to cook. “You really have no excuse not to eat veggies,” says Zuckerbrot. “All the work is done for you.” Do a carb swap: “You can eat carbs and lose weight,” says Zuckerbrot. “What’s important is the quantity and the quality.” Stick to the recommended portion sizes, and trade processed breads, pastas, English muffins, and tortillas for whole grain versions—they offer additional nutrients. “If her hubby objects to whole wheat pasta, she can opt for a blend of white and wheat, like Barilla Plus,” says Zuckerbrot. For a fast and delicious pasta dinner, blend mixed-wheat pasta with low-fat cheese, or add some tomato sauce and part-skim ricotta. Go dark with chocolate: “The darker, the better,” says Zuckerbrot. “It contains more antioxidants.” Jeanne, who eats chocolate every day, might try Hershey’s Kisses Special Dark. Zuckerbrot likes its built-in portion control, which is perfect for when those too-big chocolate candy bars call Jeanne’s name. DID IT HELP? “Tanya showed me that all I had to do was swap a few foods on my grocery shopping list for their healthier versions. Frozen veggie burgers are my new fast, favorite meal, and instead of frozen broccoli and cheese as a side dish, I pick up Birds Eye Steamfresh frozen broccoli or cut green beans. I love that I can cook them in the microwave in just a few minutes-, without even removing them from the bag. My husband did raise his eyebrows at the idea of switching from regular to whole wheat pasta, but we’re working on it. And while I was a little skeptical that one dark chocolate kiss would curb my cravings, it really worked!” “I had no idea the cream-based salad dressings I always used had 16 g of fat and more than 150 calories per serving. Now I spray greens with olive oil (to help me control how much I use), drizzle with balsamic vinegar (thicker because it’s aged), and top with a little grated Parmesan for extra flavor.” [pagebreak]
Karen Quinn, 51
GOAL: Lose 10 poundsOBSTACLE: Her two teenagers who love junk food HER CART Karen’s cart was loaded with processed and refined foods such as corn chips, brownies, and white bread, and was way too light on fruits and vegetables. I was happy to see fat-free milk (she needs the calcium to keep her bones strong), but the “diet” snacks she favors, like reduced-sugar chocolate chip cookies, won’t satisfy her sweet tooth—and will end up doing her diet more harm than good. HER NEW STRATEGY Head straight to produce: “This should be stop number one if you want to lose weight,” says Zuckerbrot. “Fruits and vegetables fill you up with few calories.” It took a little digging, but eventually this veggie avoider conceded she didn’t mind salad greens, avocados, mushrooms, apples, and berries—so that’s exactly what she should buy and add to her diet any way she can—in omelets, as snacks, or grilled as a side dish. “But go easy on high-cal avocados,” advises Zuckerbrot. “One-eighth—or two slices—is a serving.” Trim fat at the meat counter: “Pass on rib eyes and pick up much-leaner tenderloin fillets or flank steak,” suggests Zuckerbrot. Karen’s kids love chicken made with Shake ’n Bake; if she removes the skin before cooking, she’ll save over 4 g of fat and about 50 calories. Trade white for wheat: Karen’s son won’t go near whole wheat bread, so she should try Wonder’s version, which looks white but is actually whole grain, says Zuckerbrot. “Kids won’t know the difference.” The whole grain is healthier, and the fiber will help Karen feel fuller longer. Whatever brand you buy, check the label: “Avoid those with more than 15 to 20 g of sugar or 200 calories per serving,” says Zuckerbrot. Skip “diet” snacks: Karen hadn’t bought regular peanut butter in 20 years, but the fat in it is actually heart healthy. Because her family likes desserts, Karen buys the low-fat versions for herself—but their less satisfying texture and taste may encourage munching. She may have more success curbing cravings with fruit or small portions of the real thing (like one fresh bakery cookie). DID IT HELP? “This was a life-changing experience. Tanya not only helped me rethink my food choices but also figured out how many calories I should eat daily to lose weight (about 1,200). Admittedly, her tip to eat berries with a little Splenda and lemon juice didn’t go over well with my daughter—she thought it tasted funny. But I made my son a sandwich with whole grain ‘white’ bread, and he ate it without saying a word! I now eat high-fiber cereal with berries and fat-free milk for breakfast, and I’m barely hungry by the time lunch rolls around!” “When Tanya told me frozen fries are full of fat, my jaw hit the floor. I didn’t realize they were fried in oil and then frozen! Now I make my own: Slice up a regular potato, coat with cooking spray, and bake. I save up to 100 calories and more than 6 g of fat.” [pagebreak]
Your 4-Step Strategic Grocery Shopping Plan
Whatever your diet goal—be it weight loss, having more energy, eating more nutrients, or keeping your heart healthy—follow these grocery shopping tips from Tanya Zuckerbrot, RD:
- Fuel up before you go Hunger is the number one reason women buy food they know they shouldn’t. Have a 100- to 200-calorie snack containing some fat, protein, and carbohydrates about 30 minutes before you hit the store. A good choice: crackers with peanut butter and a piece of fruit.
- Load good foods first The initial items you put in your shopping cart should be those that meet your main dietary goals—that way if you run out of time or get impatient and leave quickly, you’ll already have what you need most in your cart and ready for checkout. If your goal is fast, healthy dinners, pick up the ingredients for a stir-fry before moving on to cereals.
- Always do a quick label check Taking 5 seconds to read the nutrition information can save you hundreds of calories and dozens of grams of fat. Even if you’ve purchased it in the past, ingredients change, so it never hurts to look.
- Shop for snacks last If your cart is full, you’ll be less likely to buy a half dozen varieties. And look for portion-controlled snacks in 100-calorie packs. They cost a bit more, but the calories you’ll save are worth every penny. More from Prevention: 7 Ways To Lose Weight At The Grocery Store
