Grocery Shopping With Your “A” Game

Grocery shopping is one of the most important times for you to make good choices about how you will support good health through the foods you eat.

In the grocery store, you’re ‘game on.’ Your choices matter, and your potential for a successful week is riding on the decisions you make in the store. The food you put in your cart and bring home is the food that you will eat. Choosing the right foods sets the stage for the type of week you will have, and how well you will maintain a healthy lifestyle.

In a 2015 survey, U.S. consumers were asked how many trips they make to a grocery store every week: an average of 1.5 trips a week. With so much riding on our grocery shopping, it’s critical that we know how to make the best choices. We are willing to be educated about other areas of our lives – our careers, our hobbies, how to drive a car. Take the time to learn how to make good choices in the grocery store.

Do you have a typical routine for shopping at your local store? Do you shop for the same items in the same areas every time? Do you have a plan? Do you shop from a list? Do you read the labels and ingredient lists on the products you buy?

Or, do you go shopping on an empty stomach, without a menu plan, wandering through the store just scooping up items that look good? If this is you, invest in yourself and get educated on healthy selections in your grocery store. Learn how to make good choices for a healthier life.

Starting March 3, 2016, dietitians and pharmacists in your area will be leading “Eating Healthy with Diabetes” tours in your local grocery stores. This is a perfect opportunity to learn how to shop to better manage your diabetes. For a list of tours in your area, and to register, go to diabetesdigest.com/EHWD or call 1-877-728-6655.

Although these tours are designed for people with diabetes, anyone can learn by attending. Healthy eating is important for everyone, so take advantage of this great opportunity. Whether you have diabetes, take care of someone with diabetes, or are predisposed to diabetes, there is valuable information in these tours. 29 million Americans have diabetes, and 86 million have pre-diabetes, so there is good chance that you know someone you can help with what you’ll learn.

“Eating Healthy with Diabetes” tours are designed to be hands-on and fun. Each two hour tour will start with diabetes prevention, and then a registered dietitian will walk you through your store. You will learn how to best navigate the store and how to read labels, while you get nutritional tips and help on meal planning. This tour will help you make good decisions as part of overall better lifestyle choices. Take advantage of this opportunity and take better care of yourself and those you love. See you at the store.