“Foraging” in the Modern Supermarket

There’s good news at your local grocery store. “You should walk into a supermarket with a very positive attitude,” says Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, director of Tufts’ HNRCA Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory and executive editor of the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter. “The availability of healthy and affordable foods has greatly expanded in recent years. There are a lot of options now throughout the store that are really good choices.”

License to Indulge?

When foraging for healthy foods in your favorite supermarket, beware of what marketing and psychology experts call the “licensing” effect. That pitfall was most recently explored in a study by University of Pennsylvania researchers who outfitted shopping carts at a large supermarket with motion-tracking radio-frequency devices. When shoppers’ movements through the store were compared with purchases, it was clear that buying healthier foods made shoppers feel they had “license” to indulge. The more “virtuous” products people put in their carts, the greater the temptation. As a New York Times story about the findings put it, “Drop a bunch of kale into your cart and you’re more likely to head next to the ice cream or beer section.”

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy the kale in the first place, says Tufts’ Alice H. Lichtenstein. “In long-term studies, the overwhelming evidence indicates that people who report dietary patterns higher in fruits and vegetables, presumably classified as ‘healthy’ food choices, have better health outcomes vis-à-vis heart disease and cancer. What is causing the discrepancy with these ‘licensing’ studies? Probably differences in short-term versus long-term behaviors.

“It would be unfortunate if the bottom line were interpreted to mean that ordering a salad makes us choose a triple burger with bacon and cheese. Maybe a few forays into ‘less healthy’ food options will satiate one’s appetite and in the long term improve dietary patterns.”

Ironically, though, even as supermarket shopping has gotten healthier, more people are turning instead to convenience stores and warehouse clubs—where they’re buying more salty snacks, pastries and sugary sodas. A new University of North Carolina study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, reports that from 2000 to 2012, US households bought more food at mass merchandisers (up from 13.1% of total food volume to 23.9%), warehouse clubs (up from 6.2% to 9.8%) and convenience stores (up from 3.6% to 5.9%). Though still the majority of food purchases, grocery stores’ share declined (from 68.8% to 51.5%) as others’ rose.

Purchases at convenience stores were highest in sugar, with more than 35% of calories coming from gum and candy. Warehouse club purchases had the most sodium. On the other hand, foods bought at grocery stores had the lowest calories and better nutrient density.

So maybe it’s time to rediscover your favorite supermarket. A smart strategy of “hunting and gathering,” Lichtenstein says, can fill your cart with nutritious, budget-friendly items that can be turned into healthy meals with minimal fuss. (For more on how to incorporate “processed” foods into a healthy diet, see our October 2015 Special Report.)

MAKING A LIST…: The first step in nutrition-wise “foraging” at the grocery store is to make a shopping list. Making a list and sticking to it insures that you’ll buy only what you really need for meals and helps you reduce waste and avoid impulse purchases.

Next, says Lichtenstein, it’s time to drop as outdated the idea of shopping only the perimeter of the store. “You shouldn’t oversimplify,” she explains. “Many stores have reorganized their layouts, and frozen fruits and vegetables are now in the middle.”

Frozen produce, typically picked and frozen at the peak of ripeness, is at least as nutritious as fresh and sometimes more so, and usually has great value for the dollar. To minimize thawing before you get home to your own freezer, though, you should shop the frozen-foods section last.

Start instead with the fresh produce section. Lichtenstein advises, “Fill up your cart with seasonal fruits and vegetables, which will represent the best quality at the best price, as well as fruits and vegetables that are on sale. Because produce that’s on sale moves fastest in volume, the quality will be higher.”

Just make certain that you have a plan for anything you purchase. Also have a fallback option: For example, if it looks like you have too many fresh vegetables to use up before they go bad, consider making a quick soup and freeze in small portions. This rescues the vegetables and provides a quick meal on busy days.

It’s OK to pay a little extra for convenience if that means you’re more likely to consume healthy produce. Consider pre-cut “baby” carrots, prewashed lettuce and other salad greens, and cut-up butternut squash (also found frozen).

WHOLE-GRAIN WISDOM: Healthy choices can be found inside the perimeter of the supermarket, too. In the bread aisle, for example, whole-grain options have gained shelf space. “To make sure bread or rolls are really whole grain, read the label,” Lichtenstein says. “You don’t need to do this every time you shop, just one time to identify whole-grain choices you enjoy. Don’t be fooled by terms like ‘multigrain,’ which doesn’t necessarily mean bread is whole grain, or by color. Darker bread does not equal whole grain; pumpernickel, for example, is very dark but not typically whole grain.”

Similar smart shopping applies in the cereal and cracker aisles. Look for whole-grain choices as well as fortified cereals. Avoid very sugary cereals. Common sense can usually tell you which cereals are high in sugar (don’t be fooled by “honey” in the product name, as honey affects the body similarly to sugar). Otherwise, check the ingredients to see if sugar by any name is among the first things listed.

“Pick something you’ll enjoy,” Lichtenstein adds. “Fortunately, there are now lots of good options in most categories.” Whole-grain pasta, for another example, now comes in almost every shape and style.

NUTRITION IN A CAN?: Even the canned-goods aisles contain healthy choices, especially if you choose foods like canned beans. Nutritionally an excellent choice—and a protein alternative to meat—canned beans are far more quick and convenient than cooking dried beans. Draining and rinsing significantly reduces the sodium.

Tomatoes are another wise canned choice. Lichtenstein notes, “Sometimes they are more flavorful than fresh because they are processed at the peak of ripeness. Canned tomatoes may also include varieties that are more flavorful but that don’t ship well as whole, fresh tomatoes.” A bonus: The lycopene in canned tomatoes and tomato sauces is more accessible than in fresh, uncooked tomatoes.

Reduced-sodium soups have become more widely available, too, improving options in a section of the supermarket that was once a sodium-laden disaster zone. The same section offers reduced-sodium and no-salt-added stocks and broths. Says Lichtenstein, “You just have to read the labels once. And the reduced-sodium broths make a great soup base for those extra vegetables in the bin.”

DAIRY DO’S: In the dairy aisle, shopping for reduced and no-fat milk, yogurt, sour cream and other products can save significant calories. One cup of skim milk, for example, has only 83 calories compared to 149 in whole milk.

Pick cautiously among the burgeoning rows of yogurts, Lichtenstein says, because many are high in added sugar. Again, check the ingredients list and Nutrition Facts panel: One cup of plain yogurt contains about 10 grams of natural sugars—not a concern. But numbers much higher than that indicate added sweeteners. A healthy alternative that’s also kind to your budget is to buy larger containers of plain yogurt and then customize with your own toppings.

NEXT TO LAST: Going lean is also smart in the meat area, avoiding saturated fat as well as calories. “There are a lot of lean cuts available,” says Lichtenstein, “and you can find choices that dramatically cut down on preparation and cooking time, like boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs.”

Ground beef and even turkey are sold in a wide range of lean-to-fat proportions. Even though less-fatty choices might cost more, Lichtenstein points out that you’ll lose less in cooking. “There are also good vegetarian options,” she adds. “Try those that are their own unique foods, not merely hamburger wannabes, often found frozen.”

(When you are choosing leaner cuts of meat and low-fat dairy products, Lichtenstein adds, it is important to pick up some healthy forms of fat. These include liquid vegetable oils for use in food preparation and foods prepared with them if that is what you enjoy, such as salad dressings—watch the sodium­—and marinades.)

Take advantage of the plastic bags that have popped up along the meat and poultry counter to safeguard your groceries against possible leakage from meat and especially poultry. Cross-contamination from raw poultry juices can cause foodborne illness.

When shopping for fish, seasonality and availability should be your guide, substituting similar varieties in recipes as necessary. Frozen fish can also be a good option, as it’s typically flash-frozen right on the boat when it’s caught and thus fresher than fish sold as “fresh.” Thawed fish marked as “previously frozen” is fine, too, as long as you plan to serve it within a day or two. (Look for our complete guide to smart supermarket shopping for seafood in the March newsletter’s Special Pull-Out Supplement.)

Hit the dairy and meat and seafood sections near the end of your shopping, to keep these foods colder and shorten the time before you check out. (You can even place them under frozen fruits and vegetables as you purchase these.)

FROZEN GOODNESS: Finally, in the freezer section, stock up on fruits and especially vegetables. “The options are phenomenal,” says Lichtenstein. Frozen peas, for instance, are available year-round rather than as a seasonal, labor-intensive specialty.

But don’t think of frozen veggies only as side dishes. Convenient bags of frozen vegetables make easy, nutritious additions to soups, sauces, stews and stir-fry dishes, ramping up the number of vegetable servings you’re getting. “Don’t think of it just as ‘sneaking’ extra vegetables into your meals,” Lichtenstein says. “Frozen vegetables can make your dishes more interesting. Cut-up multicolored peppers, for example, add different tastes and textures and make food more pretty to look at.”

AISLES TO SKIP: As you head for the checkout in our hunting and gathering tour of the supermarket, you may notice we haven’t mentioned the aisles for savory snacks, candy, desserts or sodas. Leave these off your list, Lichtenstein advises, and consider them only as occasional indulgences.

But when you do indulge, she says, make sure it’s a treat you really enjoy that will satisfy your cravings. Better to enjoy a few really good bites than a whole serving of a snack or dessert that’s only marginally less bad for you.

At the checkout, you may be pleasantly surprised by the total that’s rung up. Smart “hunting and gathering,” it turns out, can be as good for your budget as it is for your body.

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