1. Stocking a Healthy Pantry: Navigating Options at the Grocery Store
Joan Plummer RD LMNT CDE
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

2. Healthy Shopping Skills
Know your store
Bring a list
Use the Facts
Healthy Shopping Skills

3. Know Your Store – food groups often grouped together
Fruits
Often located in produce aisle, canned goods, freezer aisle, salad bar
Best choices are fresh, frozen and canned with no sugar, and dried fruit
Know Your Store – food groups often grouped together

4. Know Your store- food groups often grouped together
Vegetables
Often located in produce aisle Unknown, canned goods, freezer aisle, salad bar, pasta, rice and bean aisle
Best choices are fresh, frozen canned with no salt added, dry beans, peas, and lentils
Know Your store- food groups often grouped together

5. Know your store- food groups often grouped together
Grains
Often located in bakery, bread aisle, pasta and rice aisle, cereal aisle, frozen aisle for waffles, pancakes etc
Best choices are whole grains for at least half of choices
Know your store- food groups often grouped together

6. Know your store- food groups often grouped together
- Milk, yogurt and cheese
Located in dairy case and refrigerated aisle
Choose skim or 1% milk, fat free evaporated milk, plain yogurt, low fat and fat free cheese, fortified plant milks
Know your store- food groups often grouped together

7. Know your store- food groups often grouped together
Protein foods
Often located in deli, meat and poultry case, seafood counter, egg case, canned goods, dry bean aisle, salad bar,
Choose lean meat( round, loin), skinless poultry, fish, legumes(dried beans and peas), soy crumbles, veggie burgers, natural nut butters, unsalted nuts and seeds
Know your store- food groups often grouped together

8. Bring a list! Plan meals ahead of time
Have family involved in meal planning
Include a variety of healthy food groups
Write your list to match the groups to the layout of the store
Most healthy foods are located in the perimeter of the store
Use phone apps for making lists
Check weekly ads for specials
Stick to your list
Bring a list!

9. Look for more fiber, vitamins and minerals
Use Nutrition Facts label to help determine healthy nutrition information
Keep the food item low in saturated fat, trans fat, fats, cholesterol sugar and sodium
Look for more fiber, vitamins and minerals
rule-3 g fiber, <3 g fat,<300 mg sodium
Use the Facts!
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

10. Use the Facts

11. Read the ingredient list!
Ingredient list listed in order of predominance
Reduce processed foods
Avoid foods that have more than five ingredients or ingredients you can’t buy in the grocery store
Avoid cereals that contain sugar as 1st or 2nd ingredient
Look for whole grains as the first ingredient
Read the ingredient list!

12. Save money at the grocery store!
Shop with a list
Plan meals ahead of time using foods on hand
Use store ads and coupons
Buy fruits and vegetables in season, consider frozen when not in season
Check unit pricing
Don’t shop when hungry
Avoid distractions
Shop only one to two times / week
Limit empty calorie beverages
Save money at the grocery store!
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

13. Enjoy food shopping while exploring different foods
Plan more meatless meals
Look for a variety of color and textures
Try new recipes with more whole foods
Shop for minimally processed foods if convenience is needed
Enjoy!