When many families think of healthy grocery shopping they often imagine spending a fortune at a high-end food market or stocking up on the latest health food fad of the day. While some folks may be impressed by the label on a shopping bag or by designer diets, real families do not have to spend a lot of money just to shop and eat healthy. Investing a modest amount of time in meal and shopping planning can make a difference in a family’s bank account and healthy eating habits. Check out these helpful tips to encourage families bring healthier habits home:
· Set a weekly food budget and keep track of spending. Keep grocery receipts and review how money is spent: track what you really spend or what percentage of expenses go toward non-essential items.
· Avoid “panic shopping” or shopping while hungry. It’s easy to give in to packaged foods, ‘treats’ for cranky kids and overspending.
· Engage the family in making a food plan and developing a weekly menu. Seek healthy alternative recipes to family favorites – reduce salt intake, switch to whole grain pasta, add pureed veggies. Remember to budget for fun like dinner out or a trip for ice cream. Knowing that a family ‘treat’ is scheduled for Friday can limit impulses during the week.
· Prepare a shopping list by categories and in order of sections of your usual store. Start in the produce aisle and move through the perimeter of the store. Venture only to the inner aisles for specific items like canned fruit and vegetables or multigrain pasta. In short, wandering equals impulse buys.
· Allow time to compare prices of various labels and package sizes. A few minutes spent checking the math in the aisles can add up to meaningful savings in the checkout lane.
· As a rule, the more families’ ‘make,’ the more they ‘save’ and are able to eat more healthfully. That means preparing meals for the day, later in the week, or to freeze for later in the month instead of cooking more expensive convenience foods that tend to be higher in fat and sodium.
For more information go to yexchange.org and search ‘healthy family home’.