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

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.

• What’s the scoop on veggies? While some are more nutritious than others, all vegetables have water and fiber — two things the body desperately needs. If you need a veggie dip, then salsa and hummus are the best choices. But if you’re craving Ranch or blue cheese, then treat it like a true condiment. So, dip don’t scoop.

• A handful of nuts twice a day is great for the body. Because almonds have calcium, they’re especially good for women who need to maintain bone. However, this is only the beginning to why nuts are an important factor in health and wellness.

• Eat beef or pork twice a week, and eat fish, chicken or turkey the other five days. Even though 93% lean hamburger is more expensive, less of it will cook away as grease, plus there’s less to blot or strain. Don’t forget eggs. They’re a great source of protein.

• What’s the best breakfast cereal? Opt for the plain oatmeal, quick, rolled or steel-cut, and then add fruit or honey as a sweetener. The instant varieties have too much sugar, making other options nutritionally superior.

You don’t have to be an HQ member to take the hour-long tour. It’s at 10 a.m. on the third Tuesday of the month. Call 919-938- 6597 to RSVP at least 24 hours in advance. Tours at the Selma Food Lion are at 10 a.m. on the second Tuesday of the month.