Learn how to make healthy shopping choices Submitted by JOHNSTON HEALTH
Before trying the next, latest and greatest fad diet, make a date to go grocery shopping
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with registered dietician Terri Chapman. From now until November, she’s offering free tours at the Food Lion grocery stores in Smithfield and Selma.
Chapman, the outpatient and wellness dietitian at HealthQuest Fitness and Wellness Center, says any diet that leaves out an entire food group, like dairy for example, is not good (allergy or intolerance aside). “Every food group is unique in what nutrients they deliver to the body, and the body requires all of them,” she said. “So shop for wellness in all five food groups.” She starts with basic advice, such as using the nutrition labels to make healthy choices and shopping the perimeter of the market to select fresh
fruits and veggies, lean meats and low-fat dairy. She invites questions along the way and encourages hands-on learning. While you could easily fill up a notebook with nutrition pointers, here are five tips from a recent session at the Food Lion on West Market Street in Smithfield. • Avoid trans fats. And although the nutrition label may list zero trans fats, check the ingredients. If partially hydrogenated oil is in the list, then there’s a small amount of trans fats in the food item.
