Back to School: Healthy Shopping

Hello readers! For those of you who do not have the luxury of having a meal plan, you will most likely rely on grocery shopping for your meals. Now, we all know that Ramen has become a staple in many college students diets but that does not mean that you have to indulge in it as well.

1. Don't shop hungry. You will be distracted and will tend to buy foods that appeal to you at the moment, instead of foods that you can eat all week.
2. Make a list! For the first month or so, this will be be a challenge since you do not know what staples you need. Don't go out and buy pounds of apples and bags of brown rice because you know that it is healthy. You will only end up wasting money on foods that you will not use. If this is your first time going shopping on your own, then think of foods that you liked eating back home or some of your favorite foods to eat at restaurants.
3. Shop the perimeter of the store where the healthy, unprocessed foods are
4. In the produce section, choose from three different color groups for a variety of nutrients.

• Red- apples, pomegranates, strawberries, tomatoes, bell peppers, watermelons
• Orange- oranges, grapefruit, sweet potato, peaches
• Yellow- pineapples, bananas, corn
• Green- spinach, red leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, green beans, avocados, kiwis, asparagus, zucchini,broccoli, cucumbers
• Blue/Purple- berries, grapes, eggplant 

5.Watch for the sugar amounts in dairy products such as yogurt and flavored milks. Choose natural or Greek yogurt for high amounts of calcium and vitamin D. Flavored yogurt brands such as YoPlait or Dannon are high in sugar and low in necessary nutrients. 

6. Assume all deli and sandwich meats are high in sodium.

7. Choose lean cuts of meats such as round and loin over ground beef. Chicken breasts and fish such as salmon and tuna are great options! If it is fried, breaded, or smothered then stay away from it!

8. When it comes to grains, whole wheat versions often times cost the exact same as their white counterparts. 

• Bread- whole wheat=more fiber and read the label for high fructose corn syrups and bleached flours.
• Whole wheat pastas cost the same as white pastas and brown rice costs the same as white rice. 
• Ramen is high in sodium and low in nutrients. Instead of stocking up on this useless "staple" try boiling angel hair pasta. 

-Eating Clean in College