Ever confused how to shop for healthy food? It can be seriously tough to navigate through all the BS claims, to actually end up confident about what’s in your cart! Not to mention the never- ending nutrition controversy over meat, dairy, organic, GMO, sugar, etc. In this post, I will tell you exactly how I shop and my top 4 considerations when buying food.

The false and misleading claims found on food packaging and commercials are shocking. It angers me because these companies are taking advantage of consumers, who otherwise have no idea. The sad truth is most food and supplement companies have one interest, which is taking your money. They don’t care about what’s good or bad for you. It’s a win-win for them, if you think a convenient product is good for you and it tastes good. Being well informed is important to ensure you are consuming what you think you are.

Here are the top 4 things I look at when I’m grocery shopping, in order of importance:

1. Ingredients
   • What is this food made of? I don’t look at what the claims or nutrition facts are, unless I check the ingredients first. Not all ingredients you can’t pronounce are “bad.” Sometimes I do a quick google search to get a better understanding. Specific ingredients to avoid can differ depending on your health goals.
   • Here are some ingredients that I avoid if possible, due to their proven negative impact on metabolic function, the gut microbiome and/or cardiovascular disease: sucralose, acesulfame potassium, carageenan, carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate 80, Potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate, lecithins, guar gum, xantham gum
   • If we can’t avoid these above ingredients, we just do out best to reduce our overall consumption. The concentration consumed of the above ingredients is often directly related to how impactful they are on the body.
2. Processing
   • Here are some questions you can ask yourself, to determine how processed a food is:
     • Could I have made it myself at home? Would I have used the same or similar ingredients? How many steps did it take to make this food, from the ground up?
   • There are many levels of processing and not all processed foods are “bad.” I look for products that make my life easier and are less processed, if possible.
3. Quality of Ingredients
   • If the ingredients look good, the next aspect is to determine the quality of the food. Some considerations might be:
     • Organic vs. conventional. Personally, we choose to spend more money on organic or higher quality meats and dairy, vs organic produce.
     • Grass fed, pasture raised/ pastured, free range and wild caught. More on those definitions HERE. We often buy directly from a local farms, BJ’s or Costco. It’s important to us to support local farmers and small stores and/or companies who are ethically minded.
     • GMO likely ingredients. Scientific consensus is a bit mixed on this. There are no studies that directly show adverse health affects from eating GMO foods, but there are concerns about the quality and quantity of long term data.
       • Corn, canola oil, sugar, and soy are the top GMO ingredients. Buying food with the organic label, ensures they’re GMO free.
4. Nutrition Facts Panel
   • The parts of the nutrition facts panel I pay attention to the most are fiber, protein, carbohydrates and added sugars. Depending on your health needs, other aspects might be important as well.
   • Serving size. You need to know this so you can accurately compare products and determine what your intake will be. If one product has 12 grams of sugar per 3/4 cup, but the next has 10 grams per 1/2 cup, it might seem like the second option is better if you didn’t account for the serving size.

Some label claims that will likely deter me from even picking up and investigating a food are:

• Low Fat
• Fat Free
• Reduced Fat
• Sugar Free
• 0 Carbs
• Low Calorie
• Diet

These typically are devoid of important nutrients, or have added ingredients that aren’t optimal.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a perfect food eater! These are the general guidelines I use when I’m buying my everyday foods, or looking for new products. I definitely buy some random foods sometimes, that don’t have ideal ingredients. In fact, today I bought some “Hazelnut Cocoa Pillows” cereal, which I’ve never had and looked like an exciting snack. I don’t usually eat cereal, but this one looked really good and my diet is full of nutrient dense foods, most of the time. I don’t feel guilty or “bad” about buying or eating it, what-so-ever.