If you buy the groceries in your house, you know that organic foods are a bit more expensive than non-organic foods. But a few extra cents and dollars here and there are a small price to pay for fresh, chemical-free foods, right?

Well, not exactly -- According to the New York Times, eating organics doesn't come at a small price. In fact, it can double your grocery bill. For the typical Thanksgiving day dinner: You'll typically be adding $100 to your final toll at the register. That's a bit of a hard number to deal with, particularly with the current economic situation.

This isn't to say that you shouldn't eat organic. Just shop wisely. Check out this post we did a while back listing what you should splurge on and what you should save on.

(via Calorie Lab)

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Over the last few decades, you've probably noticed a shift in your supermarket options. The small-family-run grocery stores of 20 years ago are gone, replaced by sprawling, mall-sized mega-stores carrying a mind-boggling selection of products. But according to the New York Times, expect to see a shift backwards.

That's right, smaller stores are making a comeback, with big names like Safeway, Whole Foods and Wal-Mart opening smaller stores throughout North America. The idea here is convenience -- shoppers wishing to quickly pick up a few items for that night's dinner can do so at a smaller supermarket without having to wander the aisles for hours to find what they're looking for or pay exorbitant prices at a convenience store.

As long as the limited selection is healthy, I think this is a great idea -- I can't stand heading to a big grocery store when all I need is one or two things. Your thoughts?

(via CalorieLab)

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I like to think of myself as a fairly educated shopper when it comes to understanding nutrition labels at the grocery store (because I read so much about it) but I still find myself getting confused or overwhelmed sometimes when trying to keep everything straight. "Make sure there are no trans fats and not too much added sugar or artificial preservatives, go for organic as much as possible, how much fiber is considered enough in a serving? And what does 'low-fat' really mean? ... " The list goes on and the makers of food nutrition labels are looking to capitalize on that mess as best they can. See the gallery below for nine of the most common ways food labels try to mislead and confuse us all.

Which ones are the toughest for you to deal with?

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There are lots of good reasons to eat organic--your health and the health of your family being the most important one. But there are also a few good reasons to not eat organic--it's expensive, it can be difficult to find, and when you do find organic products, the choices are sometimes limited compared to the non-organic brands.

Myself, I eat organic about 65% of the time. I live in a big city and it's not difficult to find organic choices, but cost is sometimes a factor, so I stick to buying organic for the important items--the fruits and veggies, the meats and some of the dairy products.

But I'm curious -- what about you?

While perusing Fitsugar today, I came across an interesting application -- FoodFlex from Safeway. Here's how it works: You register for free, using your Safeway club card number, and FoodFlex will keep track of what you buy and give you feedback on your purchases based on current USDA nutritional guidelines. You'll be alerted if your purchases are high in things like sodium or fat, and FoodFlex will also make suggestions of other healthier things to try. You don't need to enter anything or keep track of anything -- it does it all for you. Handy, huh?

Unfortunately, it's only available for US Safeway club card holders, so we Canadians will have to wait until they get a program going for us.

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As someone who's passionate about healthy living, grocery shopping can be infuriating -- sometimes I was to steal a person's cart and replace it with my own, or at the very least, chuck out those chips and throw in some veggies. But change has to come from within, so it's important to makeover your own shopping cart. Everyday Health has some tips:

• In the dairy section, make sure to pick up low-fat versions of your favourites like yogurt, milk and cheese.
  
• In the cereal aisle, look for one that have whole grains, more than 3 g of fibre per serving and little to no sugar
• In the bakery, check the labels on bread and pitas; if whole wheat isn't one of the first few ingredients, skip it
• In the meat section, look for white, lean meats like chicken and turkey breasts. Also consider picking up some fish -- the non-battered kind, of course.
  
• In the freezer section, head for the frozen fruits and veggies.
  

Want more? Click here.

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Grocery shopping can be expensive. And cooking can take up precious time that sometimes isn't always available. So what's someone on a money and time budget to do? Here are some tips from Everyday Health:

• Buy foods that are easy to prepare. Canned tuna, pasta, beans, canned vegetables and rice are all easy to make.
  
• Cook lots of food. That way, you can store some as leftovers for a quick meal later.
  
• Buy fruits and veggies that are in season, and only buy what you're certain you will use -- it goes bad so quickly and you can always go back for more.
  
• If there's not a lot in season, buy canned and frozen veggies. They're cheap and nutritious. Just make sure you get the low-sodium version.
  
• Try canned beans for protein. They're less expensive than meat, and they low-fat, high-protein.
  
• Shop around. You might not be getting the best deal at your nearest grocery store. Scope out some deals elsewhere.

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Health is hip these days, and almost every company out there is trying to capitalize on this by claiming their products are healthy. But unfortunately, many of these so-called 'healthy' items aren't necessarily good for you. Be wary of foods with these labels on them:

• All Natural. Sure, it might not be heavily processed, but it still may be high in calories, fat or both.
  
• Cholesterol-free. This doesn't mean fat free. In fact, many cholesterol-free foods are high in saturated fat
• Low fat or fat-free. This doesn't mean calorie-free so watch out.
  
• Trans fat-free. Just because there's no trans fat, doesn't mean there's no fat. There are probably some dangerous saturated fats in there.
  
• Low sodium. It's a good idea to reduce your sodium but look into what they've replaced it with. It might be sugar.
  
• Good source of ... Many unhealthy food items claim their healthy by emphasizing one nutrient. For example? Macaroni and cheese packages claim it to be a good source of calcium (it is) but they don't mention that it's very high in fat, sodium and calories.
  
• Multi grain. Multi grains aren't necessarily whole grains, so check the label.
• Baked. Backed chips are a better choice than fried ones, but they're often high in calories and sodium
• Organic. There's no doubt that organic food is better than regular stuff, but just because it's organic, doesn't mean it's healthy. It can still be high in organic fat and organic calories.

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Grocery stores are full of unhealthy stuff -- soda, chips, cookies, etc. And if you don't come prepared for the array of stuff you're going to run into there, you're prone to ending up with those things in your cart. Here are some tips for making your next grocery shopping excursion a healthy one:

• Make a list -- and stick to it! Of course, this list should be full of healthy stuff, not junk.
  
• Eat before you go. A hungry grocery shopper is a dangerous, dangerous thing. Have a meal before you go, and you'll be way less likely to pick up stuff you don't need.
  
• Stick to the perimeter of the store. Ever notice that the produce section, deli, meat counter, dairy section and bakery tend to be on the outskirts of the store, while all the junk food is in the aisles? Stay away from the aisles, but if you have to venture into them, make sure you avoid the junk-food ones.
  

These days you've really got to have your game face on when you head out to buy groceries. Supermarkets have quite a few tricks they use to get you to buy what they want to sell, to keep you in the store as long as possible, and to encourage impulse purchases. Here are just a few of the methods they use so you can be ready and shop smart:

• Eye candy Tempting impulse items aren't just located by the cash register. Many stores put the candy/sweets aisle directly opposite the cereal aisle so a must-have (cereal) easily leads to a must-avoid (candy), especially if your kids are along.
  
• End-caps People often assume (I'm guilty of this one) that because something is featured and stacked up at the end of the aisle that it must be on sale or new or on some other kind of special. Rarely the case, but then you've already got it in your head that you want one.
  
• Shelf shuffles Supermarkets often rearrange the order and location of basic items in a blatant effort to keep customers looking longer and spending more time in the store shopping.
  
• Cozy spots to relax By incorporating comfortable places to relax like cafes and coffee shops grocery stores make it easy for you to make shopping almost an all-morning or all-afternoon event. The more time you spend the more you're going to buy.
  
• Tantalizing smells Stores often position the bakery or deli near the entrance so the first thing you smell and think of when you walk in is freshly baked sweets and rotisserie chicken.
  

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With all the bad press trans fats are getting these days it seems the most popular food labels in the grocery store are the ones screaming "Zero Trans Fats!" in huge red letters. But can you trust that zero means zero? Not necessarily. The FDA says that a label can proclaim zero grams trans fats if there's less than 1/2 gram per serving, and considering most packages contain more than one serving and we Americans have a portion control problem...well you do the math. A person could easily exceed the 'no more than 2 grams of trans fats daily' recommended by the American Heart Association.

So how can you know for sure if zero means zero? Read the label. If partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is listed then there are trans fats present, in however small amounts.

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Have you heard of the Supermarket Diet? Me neither, but it's out there and apparently it works. The Supermarket Diet is based on the premise that if you learn how to shop healthfully at the supermarket and prepare your own food, you should be able to drop pounds -- and save money.

Developed by Good Housekeeping Magazine, the plan is not a quick-fix, as it doesn't promise rapid weight-loss in the first week. Rather, it's a plan designed to create healthy habits in people, which is something I like about the plan, although I haven't tried it. The plan has three phases: Boot camp, Keep on losin', and maintenance. People on the plan are offered tips for shopping and a plethora of easy, quick recipes that allow dieters to create homemade healthy meals with ease. It works by restricting calorie consumption and controlling ratios of fats, carbs and proteins. Like with every other healthy plan, activity is also an important component. See this for more information.

Have you tried it? What did you think?

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I've always thought that a great idea for a TV show would be a 'Shopping Cart Makeover'-type show where health experts choose customers at a grocery store and analyze their choices. Though my idea probably won't be coming to a station near you anytime soon, you can still have your own shopping cart makeover by following these tips from health experts, which detail what the healthiest choices at the supermarket are. What made the list? Veggies, whole grains, lean meats, etc. No surprisingly, chips, soda and processed foods are absent.

And remember: don't go grocery shopping when you're ravenous with hunger -- you'll be tempted to reach for a quick-fix. Trust me on this -- I've gobbled down many a grease-laden cheese bun while standing in weekend line-ups at my grocery store. It's bad news.

What are your tips for staying healthy at the grocery store?

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