Kids & Company Blog

The Shopping List

Walking into the grocery store can be overwhelming, with so many choices it is easy to leave with more then what you came for! Grocery shopping is a way to take charge of the food that comes in your family home; if your children do not have access to sugary snacks they can’t eat them. The only way food can get in your home, and into your families tummies, is if you buy it! Grocery stores are designed to manipulate you into buying products that you really do not need. Shopping conscientiously will not only feed your family well, but sends a message to supermarkets that if they want your business; they need to start taking health seriously. Here are some recommendations on how to grocery shop like a pro!

Planning out meals before you shop is the key to a successful grocery trip. Sit down and plan the week, think about the days in which you will have time to prepare food or when dinner and other meals will be rushed. Be sure that two or three of your planned meals will yield enough for leftovers; this will save you on those busy nights! Make yourself a shopping list… and stick to it!
A great way to avoid temptation is create your list according to where foods are in the store. If you can avoid the aisle laden with sugary sweets and snacks, you will avoid the temptation to impulse purchase. If your list is short, grab a hand basket instead of a cart.  The smaller basket will stop you from over purchasing (and give you a great arm workout)! Learn how to read a nutrition label and recognize which words are important. Consumers will often hide additives and added sugars with misleading names. A general rule is, the fewer ingredients, the better! Last, but not least, stay strong at the dreaded checkout. This is where grocery stores stock impulse items like candy, pop and chips. Have a talk with your children about “checkout etiquette” to help deal with this supermarket trap!

 

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Cheers,

 Chef Lisa Ruscica

 Chief Food Ambassador

Posted on: Thursday April 9th, 2015

Posted by: Lisa Ruscica