I provided my grocery list in six areas: Fruit/Veggie, Bread, Frozen, Dry Goods, Meat, and Cold items (like dairy). As you will see, the list of foods that I buy could stand some improvement. Why not use this list as a springboard to make over your own grocery list, keeping in mind that the most important changes to your shopping list need to be both manageable, sustainable and will help you to be as efficient and healthy as possible – always a bonus for all of us!

See our Healthy Family Grocery Guide now. Download, print, and use to inspire your own grocery makeover!

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Get a Grocery Makeover with the Healthy Family Grocery Shopping Guide

More than half of consumers say they are more concerned about their eating habits than they were a year ago… yet:

• 70% say that healthful foods are harder to afford
• 53% say they buy less-healthful items because those items are cheaper (not necessarily, as I wrote about the price of salmon vs. hotdogs)
• 44% say their budget prevents them from eating healthful foods
• 34% of respondents say that they are choosing cheaper fast food over more-healthful options
• 9% are skipping breakfast and 3% are skipping lunch
  

To that, I say, this is totally unnecessary. People may think they are saving, but trust me, they are paying for it in their health. They’ll pay even more later whether it’s in some combination of weight gain, lower energy levels or poorer quality of life.

Instead, here are some tips to maximize your comfort with minimal strain on your pocketbook.

• Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast – have oatmeal, store-brand low sugar cereal or eggs and toast for breakfast at home. No matter what kind of deal you’d get in a drive-thru, it’s still cheaper to eat at home. All these options are under a dollar per serving.

• Have a healthier shopping trip – If you missed my blog and video on healthy grocery shopping, check it out here. The bottom line is you can save money by purchasing healthy canned foods like beans, tuna, and salmon or frozen veggies and fruits. Make your own pot of comfort chili with beans, crushed tomato, and spices. Compare prices and consider the store brands. Don’t snub coupons either. You could save some serious cash.

• Go for healthier comforts – There’s nothing wrong with wanting a little comfort food, be it the winter blues or the impact of the economy. But there’s a healthy way to do it. First, remember this: if the food did not cause the problem it won’t solve it either. Second, find balance in your comfort choices: If you’re eating out at fast food, just order the sandwich. If you are at casual dining, choose a healthy side dish to accompany the comfort main course. Make grilled cheese at home with low-fat cheese and reduced-sodium tomato soup.

You can save money and still eat healthy. Maybe you need to take some nutrition short-cuts. But don’t just trash eating healthy without first looking at smart ways to save your money. It might take more time planning and budgeting, but it’s worth it.

(via Chainleader)

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How to Afford Eating Healthy in a Comfort Food Economy

Below are some quick tips to help move your regular shopping list to a nutritious filled list:

Typical food items on shopping list:

• White Bread
• White Rice
• Salmon
• Chicken
• Vegetable Oil

Nutritious shopping list:

• Whole Grain Bread (not just whole wheat)
• Brown Rice
• Wild Salmon (not farmed)
• Free-Range, Antibiotic-Free Chicken
• Olive Oil or Coconut Oil

I would love to help make over your shopping list and am offering a free “shopping list intervention” to two lucky readers. For your chance to win, post this comment below – “I want a grocery list makeover” – by October 9th and I will reveal the two winners on this post that day.

Learn more about healthy grocery shopping:

• 10 Healthiest Grocery Store Food Choices
• Video: Grocery Tips from Wendy Bazilian
• 10 Healthiest Supermarkets
• Slash Your Grocery Bill and Avoid a Nutrition Recession

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Win a Grocery List Makeover for Healthier Shopping

Canned beans

Not just the “musical fruit,” beans provide complex carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. In fact, a one-cup serving provides one-third of your day’s protein needs, half your fiber needs, and 65% of your folate needs (an important B-complex vitamin that helps prevent osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, anemia, and homocysteine buildup in the blood). For less than a dollar a can, you can-not go wrong! Try cannelini beans, black beans, kidney beans, lentils and black-eyed peas. You can buy them with no salt added, low sodium, or rinse them before use to remove about half the salt.

Recipe ideas: add to salads, home-made bean dip, three bean chili, and breakfast burritos.

Frozen fruits and veggies

I’d love to highlight one particular fruit or vegetable, but the bottom line is they are all good choices! Frozen fruits and veggies are picked and minimally processed at their peak freshness. Freezing does not diminish the nutrition quality. Fruits and vegetables are “very good to excellent” sources of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber that help keep your body healthy. They are very low in calories too, so they help you lose weight without having to eat tiny portions. One cup of most fruits and veggies have less than 50 calories! Think about that, how full are you going to get from two cups of fruit and veggies versus the “100 calorie packs?” There’s no comparison.

Just glance at the nutrition facts label and ingredients list. Look for frozen fruits with no sugar added and look for veggies with little to no salt added. There are some great frozen veggies that come with a light sauce, just make sure the fat and sodium don’t diminish the health benefits.

Recipe ideas: thaw frozen corn and mix with canned beans and canned diced tomatoes for a quick side dish, steam broccoli and top with lemon zest, make breakfast or dessert smoothies with a cup of frozen fruit and a half-cup of low-fat milk or plain yogurt.

Canned fish

Canned fish is a low cost way to gain a lot of heart-healthy nutrition. The American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least twice a week because it’s a good source of protein and low in saturated fat. Fatty fish, including trout, sardines, tuna, and salmon, are also high in omega-3 fatty acids, which may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Recipe ideas: toss canned salmon in with scrambled eggs and serve over half a whole wheat English muffin with a side of fruit for a balanced breakfast, mix canned tuna with low-fat plain yogurt, celery, and onion for a quick and low-fat tuna salad served in a pita with tomato.

What are some of YOUR favorite canned and frozen food finds and how do you use them to eat healthier and manage your weight?

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Affordable Nutrition in Frozen and Canned Foods

The basic premise couldn’t be more simple. Qualifying foods are stamped with a green check mark, which is designed to help a shopper make the healthiest choice within a particular category. (All fresh fruits and vegetables are automatically included – but they don’t get a green check mark because they are grown on a farm and not represented by a company.) If you are buying peanut butter, the green check mark container might contain the best choice in terms of health.

Or it might not. That’s the trouble with program. I think that the concept is great. It’s designed to help shoppers alleviate some of the angst that many feel standing in the grocery aisle surrounded by multiple products. How do you decide which to buy? It’s confusing to pick the healthiest food and if it could be done successfully, I’d be one of the most fiercest advocates you’d ever meet.

The program is designed to help those with limited shopping opportunities – maybe the elderly or poor without transportation – who are unable to shop in big supermarkets or drive long distances to multiple stores. With a limited selection, a shopper could still feel confident that they’d made a good choice. If executed correctly, it could conceivably speed up your shopping process – no more pondering labels – just pick the green check product and go!

My problem is that the food that is the healthiest choice does not always receive the green check. Case in point: Peanut butter. Skippy Creamy has received the green “Smart Choices” label. It’s understandable – peanut butter is a great food, high in protein and yummy. This particular version of Skippy is not one that I’d buy, as it contains hydrogenated oils. If I was shopping for Skippy, I’d buy the Natural Skippy, because it is simply peanuts and salt with no hydrogenated oils. But Skippy Natural doesn’t have a green check.

Don’t get me wrong – I think that the program is a great first step. I’m concerned that it doesn’t go far enough, though. A food can be granted the label if it shows that it is superior in one aspect – say, Lucky Charms, which has a high level of calcium – but it doesn’t take into account the other ingredients that may make that food a poor choice – Lucky Charms also has a high amount of sugar.

I’m skeptical of the program, but hopeful that some of the kinks can be worked out so as to benefit the public.

I was not paid to attend the launch, but my travel expenses were paid. I was under no obligation to write a positive review of the program or the trip, or even to write a review at all.

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Smart Choices Program May Not be Overly Smart for Shoppers

We’d also like to keep food costs down, which is not always easy, but increasingly important in this economy. But I worry that the economic recession is going to drive well-meaning people into a nutrition recession, too. Don’t let this happen to you. It is possible to save money on your grocery bill without sacrificing nutrition and I’m going to tell you how in this video.

• Put fresh produce first. In-season fruits and vegetables are inexpensive and they have the best nutrition for the calories. Think of all the different ways you can enjoy the bounty of the season. Summer vegetable soup (corn, zucchini, onion, tomatoes, black beans, and vegetable stock) or try grilled peaches for a healthy dessert. Ice cream novelties are $1 a piece, but you can get fresh fruit for less than 20 cents – now, which is the bargain?
• Save money on protein purchases. Canned tuna is a lean, healthy protein you can often find on sale. Use tuna in lunch sandwiches or salads. Beans are a very inexpensive food and they are a great source of protein. I buy black beans, chick peas (garbanzo), kidney beans, and white beans at every trip. I keep rinsed beans in the fridge for salad and wrap toppers. I also look for frozen seafood like shrimp and salmon fillets. You can stretch out your protein by making it the “side dish” in a meal – salad toppers or mixed in with rice and veggies.
• Buy in bulk. If there is a special deal on large portions of healthy foods, stock up! For example, a sale on grape tomatoes can have you putting garden salad starters and fresh tomato basil pasta dinners on the menu. Grape tomatoes also make a great snack. So don’t hesitate to take advantage of the larger portions of healthy foods. Just make sure you don’t waste it.

What money-saving grocery shopping tips work for you?

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Slash Your Grocery Bill and Avoid a Nutrition Recession

Watch her tips now and then read on to learn about the giveaway!

Wendy’s simple tips are:

• Don’t shop the perimeter: She encourages us to make a smart shopping list, shop the aisles, then perimeter so that perishables get home sooner.
• Balance Super Foods: Get plenty of fresh produce, fat-free dairy and lean proteins.
• Have fun: Every time you buy a convenience food, match it with a whole food.

I was also gifted with two autographed copies of her new book The SuperFoods Rx Diet.

Want to win a copy? Leave a comment here sharing your best grocery shopping tip. Two winners will be selected at random and contacted via the email left in the form. Drawing will be held Friday, August 28, 2009.

UPDATE: Congrats to our winners Jade and Cori!

Good luck and I look forward to reading your great grocery tips!

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Grocery Tips from Wendy Bazilian and SuperFoods Rx Diet Giveaway

In these economically challenged times, the competition for our food dollars is fierce.  In addition, with large corporation failures, Wall Street tumbling and foreclosures at record highs, there is an ever increasing need for us to tighten our belts and be frugal with our food budgets.

Here are some suggestions on how to live on a shoestring and make wise choices while pinching pennies:

• Visit your farmer’s market or street side stand to purchase the freshest fruits and vegetables of the season.  The further you get into the growing season, the more plentiful the produce and the greater value you can find.
• Check out the frozen fruits and vegetables; sometimes they are less expensive than their fresh counterparts.
• Watch the weekly ads at your local supermarket and plan your menu around those items.  If you don’t get the paper showing you the advertisements, you can usually obtain a copy at the courtesy counter.
• Managers also have many in-store specials.  Here are a few to watch for:
  - Take a stroll to the meat department and watch for items priced to sell quickly.  Just use them quickly or pop them in the freezer and they’ll be ready to use when you are!
  - Scope out the produce department as markdowns are made when items reach the ready-to-eat stage.
  - Stores that have their own bakery typically have an area designated to sell day-old items.  This is an excellent time to buy some whole wheat, 7-grain or rye breads.  Don’t forget that you can store them in the refrigerator, which makes them last longer
  - Quite a few deli departments roast chickens and have them ready to eat.  Near the end of the day, you can find them marked down for a quick sale as they will not hold them over for tomorrow.  You can take it home; put it in the refrigerator and use for sandwiches, a meal, or in place of cooked or canned chicken in many recipes.
• Drink water and plenty of it.  Not only is it very good for you, but it save lots of money!
• Buy foods in bulk packaging, divide into portions and freeze or store the remainder for future use.  Items are usually less expensive when purchased this way.
• Avoid most processed foods as they are usually more expensive and not as healthy as cooking the natural ingredients yourself.
• Don’t go to the grocery store hungry!  It’s too easy to buy too much and be tempted by foods better left at the store.
• Consider buying store brands or shopping at discount grocery stores.  Many generic items taste just as good and are less expensive than the pricier national brands.
  Pack your lunch and avoid the temptation of fast food, increased calories and high prices.

Living on a shoestring is not only possible; it is what must be done if we are to diet successfully in this economy.  The old saying, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way!” has never been truer than now.

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Guest Blog: Living on a Shoe String While Dieting