Nutrition Column – Supermarket Shopping Guide: How to Shop for Nutritious, High-Quality Foods

Whether you are shopping for yourself, a family of 10 or somewhere in between, buying nutritious, high-quality food appropriate for your needs is important. Below is an aisle-by-aisle shopping guide with suggestions on how best to fill your shopping cart.

  • Produce department:
    • Think variety – choose several colors and kinds of both fruits and vegetables.
    • Look for indications of quality. Produce that is bruised or wilted may have been handled improperly and is likely past its peak.
  • Meat, poultry and seafood department:
    • Choose lean grades of meat. "Select" cuts of beef have the least amount of marbled fat, followed by "choice" cuts and "prime" cuts.
    • Buy well-trimmed meat. Fat trim should be no more than 1/8 inch.
    • Select freshly cut meat. Fresh beef is generally a bright red color, pork is usually grayish pink and lamb ranges from light to darker pink.
    • For poultry, select white meat for less fat.
    • Choose fresh poultry. Birds should have creamy white to yellow skin and be free of bruises and tiny feathers.
    • Select cooked shrimp, lobster, crab and crayfish that are moist and that have a mild odor and characteristic color.
    • Avoid buying cooked seafood that is displayed next to raw seafood.
  • Refrigerated case:
    • Make sure milk and other dairy foods are properly refrigerated. Select items from the back because they will likely be the coldest and the freshest.
    • Always check the "sell-by" date.
    • Open cartons of eggs before you buy them. Make sure they are clean and not cracked or damaged.
  • Freezer case:
    • Read the nutrition labels on frozen, prepared meals. Pay special attention to serving size, calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium.
    • Consider frozen yogurt, sherbet, or "light" ice cream.
  • Canned goods:
    • Look for labels on canned fruit that say "packed in its own juices," "packed in fruit juice" or "light syrup." These products contain less sugar, meaning they usually contain fewer calories.
    • For canned or bottled juice products, items that are "100 percent juice" are generally more nutritious than fruit drinks or juice cocktails.
    • Select canned vegetables that have no salt added.
    • To cut down on fat, choose tuna, salmon, sardines and other fish that are packed in water rather than oil.
  • Pasta, rice and other grains:
    • Choose whole-grain pasta. The fiber content is almost three times higher in whole-grain pasta compared to traditional pastas.
    • Compare different types of rice. Brown rice will have higher levels of trace minerals than polished rice. However, polished rice may be "enriched" with iron, thiamin, niacin and folic acid.
    • For other grain products, consider barley, couscous, bulgur, quinoa or other whole-grain products.
  • Breakfast cereals:
    • Look for cereals labels that say "high-fiber," "whole grain" or "bran." Check the Nutrition Facts label for grams of fiber per serving. Good fiber sources contain at least 2.5 grams of fiber per serving.
    • Look at the labels on "fortified" cereals. Some cereals supply 25 percent of the Daily Value for vitamins and minerals and some have as much as 100 percent.
  • Crackers and snack foods:
    • Consider crackers and other snack foods that say "less fat" or "less sodium." However, remember that low fat does not necessarily mean low calorie.
    • To avoid overindulging, buy chips, candy, and cookies that are in small, portion-controlled packages.