5 Rules of Supermarket Shopping
The first step toward eating better in the new year? Navigating the aisles of the grocery store
A hundred years ago, food was simple. People didn't worry about trans fats in their cheese crackers or artificial colors in their fruit snacks. They didn't have to—they were eating real cheese and real fruit. And food companies used to focus more on making food than on enticing people to buy it. That's why supermarkets are so daunting today: It's easy to make a false move, even when you're trying to eat healthy.
In the first half of 2010, supermarket ad spending increased by 19 percent over the first half of 2009. "The influence of marketing on what Americans eat has been gigantic," says Frederick J. Zimmerman, Ph.D., chairman of the health services department at UCLA's school of public health. "We tend to eat 'typical' meals, but marketers are the ones who define what that is." It's time to follow our own rules.
In the first half of 2010, supermarket ad spending increased by 19 percent over the first half of 2009. "The influence of marketing on what Americans eat has been gigantic," says Frederick J. Zimmerman, Ph.D., chairman of the health services department at UCLA's school of public health. "We tend to eat 'typical' meals, but marketers are the ones who define what that is." It's time to follow our own rules.
Rule 1: Ignore the Packaging Billboards
Time for a turnaround. "The front of a food package is real estate owned by the manufacturer, whose goal is to sell you something," says Men's Health weight-loss advisor David Katz, M.D., M.P.H. Flip the package over to find the information you need on the one part that's well regulated by the FDA: the Nutrition Facts label.
Calories
A University of Minnesota study showed that 91 percent of shoppers often bypass the calorie count before buying an item. That's bad: If each meal exceeds your energy needs by just 170 calories, you can gain a pound a week.
Fat
Plenty of men still assume that if a food is low in fat, it's good for them and vice versa. Far from it, says Dr. Katz. A better approach: Seek out healthier omega-3 and monounsaturated fats to reap heart-health benefits.
Sodium
Some studies suggest that healthy men don't need to watch their sodium, but the more sodium a food has, the more processed it's likely to be. Rule of thumb: Don't buy foods with higher sodium counts than calories.
Protein
An average active guy should take in at least 115 grams of protein a day, saysMen's Health weight-loss coach Alan Aragon, M.S. Plus, protein-rich foods keep you full longer, so they may help prevent overeating.
Serving size
"Don't assume the amount listed is an accurate serving size for you," says Chris D'Adamo, Ph.D., a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Maryland school of medicine. Assess how much you'll actually eat, and judge the impact accordingly, D'Adamo says.
Fiber
The USDA recommends 38 grams a day for men. To reach that, be sure to eat grain products that contain at least 2 grams of fiber per 100 calories.
Sugar
We consume about 10 percent more caloric sweeteners today than we did 30 years ago, the USDA reports. In that same period, adult obesity has doubled. Coincidence? Keep the sugars below 10 percent of total calories—that's 2 1/2 grams of sugar per 100 calories, says Dr. Katz.
Calories
A University of Minnesota study showed that 91 percent of shoppers often bypass the calorie count before buying an item. That's bad: If each meal exceeds your energy needs by just 170 calories, you can gain a pound a week.
Fat
Plenty of men still assume that if a food is low in fat, it's good for them and vice versa. Far from it, says Dr. Katz. A better approach: Seek out healthier omega-3 and monounsaturated fats to reap heart-health benefits.
Sodium
Some studies suggest that healthy men don't need to watch their sodium, but the more sodium a food has, the more processed it's likely to be. Rule of thumb: Don't buy foods with higher sodium counts than calories.
Protein
An average active guy should take in at least 115 grams of protein a day, saysMen's Health weight-loss coach Alan Aragon, M.S. Plus, protein-rich foods keep you full longer, so they may help prevent overeating.
Serving size
"Don't assume the amount listed is an accurate serving size for you," says Chris D'Adamo, Ph.D., a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Maryland school of medicine. Assess how much you'll actually eat, and judge the impact accordingly, D'Adamo says.
Fiber
The USDA recommends 38 grams a day for men. To reach that, be sure to eat grain products that contain at least 2 grams of fiber per 100 calories.
Sugar
We consume about 10 percent more caloric sweeteners today than we did 30 years ago, the USDA reports. In that same period, adult obesity has doubled. Coincidence? Keep the sugars below 10 percent of total calories—that's 2 1/2 grams of sugar per 100 calories, says Dr. Katz.
Rule 2: Challenge the Cashier
Every industry employs tools that make routine tasks easier. For register jockeys, it's the UPC bar code. UPCs let the cashier become a brainless automaton that dutifully drags cans and boxes over a static scanner. Fruits and vegetables are the cashier's enemy—no bar codes. "I tell clients all the time to move from bar codes to bags," says nutrition consultant Mike Roussell, Ph.D. In other words, the harder your cashier works, the healthier your purchase tends to be. You'll reap the rewards when you step on the scale: A 2009 Journal of Nutrition study of nearly half a million people found that men with diets high in vegetables, seafood, legumes, fruits, nuts, and cereal grains—all foods typically purchased in bulk and without bar codes—had smaller waist circumferences.
Rule 3: Consider the Recipe
Twinkies, Pop-Tarts, French's Classic Yellow Mustard—they all have their recipes printed right on the package. It's near the Nutrition Facts label, buddy, under the word "ingredients." "If the contents cannot be placed in any part of the universe you're familiar with—animal, vegetable, or mineral—then step away from the box and nobody will get hurt," says Dr. Katz. Here are three companies that have come clean and eliminated certain mystery additives.
Eden Foods
WHAT IT ELIMINATES: Bisphenol A
U.K. scientists have linked BPA, a chemical used to line metal cans, with heart disease and diabetes. Worse, a CDC study detected it in the urine of 95 percent of Americans tested. Recently, Eden Foods became the first U.S. producer of BPA-free canned goods.
Hormel Natural Choice
WHAT IT ELIMINATES: Added nitrates and nitrites
A Harvard meta-analysis from 2010 linked processed meats (not red meat itself) to coronary heart disease and listed nitrates and their by-products as some of the likely culprits. Hormel's Natural Choice line uses a high-pressure processing method instead.
Oh Boy! Oberto
WHAT IT ELIMINATES: Hydrolyzed protein
Oberto's new all-natural jerky line skips this additive, which is chemically similar to MSG. That's good news: A study in Obesity found that people who consumed the most MSG were almost three times as likely to be overweight as MSG avoiders were.
Eden Foods
WHAT IT ELIMINATES: Bisphenol A
U.K. scientists have linked BPA, a chemical used to line metal cans, with heart disease and diabetes. Worse, a CDC study detected it in the urine of 95 percent of Americans tested. Recently, Eden Foods became the first U.S. producer of BPA-free canned goods.
Hormel Natural Choice
WHAT IT ELIMINATES: Added nitrates and nitrites
A Harvard meta-analysis from 2010 linked processed meats (not red meat itself) to coronary heart disease and listed nitrates and their by-products as some of the likely culprits. Hormel's Natural Choice line uses a high-pressure processing method instead.
Oh Boy! Oberto
WHAT IT ELIMINATES: Hydrolyzed protein
Oberto's new all-natural jerky line skips this additive, which is chemically similar to MSG. That's good news: A study in Obesity found that people who consumed the most MSG were almost three times as likely to be overweight as MSG avoiders were.
Rule 4: Call Your Rep in Congress
The average U.S. household kicks in about $1,500 in annual subsidies, and the foods we subsidize most are among the least healthy, says Thomas Kostigen, author of The Big Handout. Check out the foods (and nonfoods) your tax dollars support, and then raise hell over the 2012 Farm Bill, headed to Congress soon.
- Corn: $77.1 billion
- Wheat: $32.4 billion
- Soybeans: $24.3 billion
- Sorghum: $6.1 billion
- Dairy: $4.9 billion
- Tobacco: $1.1 billion
- Oats: $267 million
- Apples: $262 million
- Potatoes: $665,698
- Blueberries: $207,659
- Avocados: $6,984
- Tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce: $ 0
U.S. subsidies from 1995 to 2010, according to the Environmental Working Group
Rule 5: Master Your Impulses
Easy-grab items at the market tend to be built from bottom-of-the-barrel ingredients—sugar, starch, and cheap fats. Use these strategies to resist their siren song.
1. Grab a cart
A study in the Journal of Marketing Research shows that shopping with a basket instead of a cart makes you nearly seven times more likely to purchase vice foods like candy and chocolate. The researchers say that curling your arm inward to carry a basket increases your desire to embrace instant rewards—like sweet foods. With a cart, you tend to extend your arm—a motion associated with avoiding negative outcomes. That makes you more likely to shop smart.
2. Avoid lines
The longer you're exposed to tempting snacks at the checkout, the more likely you are to succumb to them, say University of Arizona researchers. Avoid the wait by shopping during off-peak hours, such as the middle of the week or late at night.
3. Leave the kids at home
"Children shouldn't have a vote in supermarket decisions," says Greg Critser, author of Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World. About 80 percent of parents report they'll probably buy snacks or frozen desserts if their kids ask for them at the grocery store, according to a 2011 Mintel report.
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