Choosing foods for a healthier you

Guiding Albertans through the grocery store

Having thousands of foods to choose from can make grocery shopping feel overwhelming.

But the expertise of AHS dietitians can help.

“We can help make Albertans savvier grocery shoppers,” says Medicine Hat dietitian Alexa Ferdinands. “Healthy grocery shopping starts at home. Make a plan of what to eat, then write a grocery list and bring it with you to the grocery store.”

In addition to grocery shopping advice, dietitians have created a meal planner and shopping list to guide Albertans—including AHS staff—toward healthier choices.

Ferdinands suggests enlisting family members to make a plan using these tips:

• Once a week, sit down with the family to decide what meals everyone likes and will fit the family’s schedule. On busy days, aim for simpler meals. Make sure each meal includes all four food groups from Canada’s Food Guide.
• Make a master list of all the ingredients required for each meal that week. Teen and adult family members can help by preparing the list for the recipe or meal they chose. Use our meal and grocery planner to help with this.
• Compare the master list to the ingredients you already have at home. Cross off ingredients already on hand. Everyone can help with this, even younger family members. You can save and copy the master grocery list to use again.
• Buy groceries for the whole week at once. Stick to the grocery list to save time and money. Shop when you’re not hungry, so you are less likely to buy extra items that you don’t need.
• When possible, plan to prepare some foods ahead of time. Extra chicken from one meal can be part of a recipe another day. Cook extra whole grain pasta or rice and freeze it for a quick reheat. Prepare a large batch of ground beef or meatballs and divide into smaller amounts to freeze for another meal. Plan to cook a larger quantity at supper so you will have extra to use for lunches the next day.

“At the grocery store, label reading is key,” adds Edmonton dietitian Ivonne Sanchez. “First step is to check the label to ensure food is within the ‘best before’ date. Reading the Nutrition Facts table will help you decide whether the item is a healthy choice.

Our handout ‘Label Reading the Healthy Way’ has tips for making healthier choices.”

Here are some more tips from AHS dietitians on what to look for when navigating the grocery store: 

• Choose whole grains like oatmeal, barley, millet, brown rice and quinoa.
• Read labels for safe and nutritious foods.
• Choose dark green or bright orange vegetables such as kale, broccoli or squash.
• Keep sodium amounts low. 5 % or less Daily Value (DV) on a label means low sodium.
• Include foods that have healthy fats like walnuts, seeds, canola oil and olive oil.
• Choose plain yogurt and flavour it yourself with fresh, canned or frozen fruit.
• Pick foods that are higher in fibre such as beans and lentils