Tips for Eating and Shopping well

1. Waste Not, Want Not

Plan meals with ingredients that can be used in multiple ways. For example; roast a chicken (pg. 15) and save the bones to make chicken broth (pg. 16). Save your vegetable scraps for the week and make a wonderful vegetable broth.

EAT YOUR LEFTOVERS FOR LUNCH! If you are interested in saving money and eating healthier…a great way to start is by avoiding eating your lunch at a restaurant. For this reason we decided to leave lunch recipes out of our cookbook and encourage you to eat your leftovers. If you do decide to eat your lunch at a restaurant you might try these tips:

• Make half of your plate fruit and vegetables. • Get half of your lunch to-go and enjoy the meal the next day. • Make it a treat by getting something you have truly been craving. • Save money and make a healthy choice by choosing water with your meal instead of sweet tea or soda.

2. Buy in Bulk

Buying larger portions can usually save you money per serving size. Look at the image below to learn how to tell if you are getting a good value buying in bulk .

The image below shows two different price tags. In the first one, the retail price is $1.62 for one 32 oz. yogurt. The unit price, in the red box, is $0.05 per oz. In the second one, the retail price is $0.72 for one 6 oz. yogurt, but the unit price is $0.12 per oz. Based on the unit price, you can determine that the larger, 32 oz. yogurt is the better buy because you are getting more for your money

3. Shop Around the Outside Aisles of the Grocery Store

This will help you avoid a lot of processed high sugar, high fat, low nutrition foods. If you keep to the outside aisles you can find your veggies, fruit, meat, and dairy without venturing into the tempting aisles of processed foods.

4. Plan meals using the My Plate method

5. Read Nutrition Labels Even For Foods You Think May Be Healthy

Ingredients and nutrient content can vary a lot. When there’s more than one choice, compare labels. Choose the item with the lowest amounts of sodium, saturated fat and added sugars.

Start with the Serving Information at the Top

This will tell you the size of a single serving and the total number of servings per container (package).

Next, Check Total Calories Per Serving and Container

Pay attention to the calories per serving and how many calories you’re really consuming if you eat the whole package. If you double the servings you eat, you double the calories and nutrients.

The next section of information on a nutrition label is about the amounts of specific nutrients in the product.

Limit Certain Nutrients

Check key nutrients and understand what you’re looking for. Not all fats are bad , and total sugars can include both natural and added sugars. Limit the amounts of added sugars , saturated fat and sodium you eat, and avoid trans fat. When choosing among different brands or similar products, compare labels and choose foods with less of these nutrients when possible.

Get Enough of the Beneficial Nutrients

Make sure you get enough of the nutrients your body needs, such as: calcium, choline, dietary fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins A, C, D and E.

Understand % Daily Value

The % Daily Value (DV) tells you the percentage of each nutrient in a single serving, in terms of the daily recommended amount. If you want to consume less of a nutrient (such as saturated fat or sodium), choose foods with a lower % DV (5 percent or less). If you want to consume more of a nutrient (such as fiber), choose foods with a higher % DV (20 percent or more).

Here Are More Tips For Getting As Much Health Information As Possible From The Nutrition Facts Label:

• Remember that the information shown in the label is based on a diet of 2,000 calories a day. You may need less or more than 2,000 calories depending upon your age, gender, activity level, and whether you’re trying to lose, gain or maintain your weight.

• When the Nutrition Facts label says a food contains “0 g” of trans fat, but includes “partially hydrogenated oil” in the ingredient list, it means the food contains some trans fat, but less than 0.5 grams per serving. So, if you eat more than one serving, you could end up eating too much trans fat.

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the Nutrition Facts label seen on packaged foods and drinks. In 2016, the FDA released changes to the label to make it easier to see how many calories and added sugars are in a product and to make serving sizes more realistic. These changes are still being implemented throughout the food industry, so for now you may see the redesigned version shown here or the old original version.