Doing a regular shop at the grocery store for the family instead of buying take-away food can save you money and improve your family's health. Use the steps below to help you shop smart and shop healthy this week.
When we don’t have food in the pantry at home, we often settle for convenience and take-away food that costs the family more and contains too much salt, saturated fat and sugar. By planning a regular shop, once a week, you can keep your pantry full of delicious food and avoid last-minute impulse buys.
Having healthy food ready in the house also makes it a lot easier for your family to put together a healthy snack or meal and develop healthy eating habits.
Small step: Plan a day this week to do a shop at the grocery store. Maybe take the kids along to teach them what kind of healthy food is available.
Without a shopping list, we often end up buying foods we’re craving or that our kids ask for, instead of foods that are actually good for our family’s health.
When you are buying packaged food – like cereal, dairy and canned food – you can use the Health Star Rating to see which is the healthiest. The Health Star Rating compares the nutritional value of many packaged foods to help you choose the healthiest products while shopping. Ratings range from half a star to five stars. The more stars, the healthier the choice.
Frozen and canned vegetables and fruit are also nutritious and are a quick addition to bulk out any family meal.
Choose canned fruit and vegetables that come in their own juices or water, rather than in syrup or sauce, and check that there is no added salt or sugar.
Explore more tips for making your food go further.