That's Fit

I just love Honey Crisp apples. Unfortunately, their deliciousness comes with a pretty big price tag. The other day I was checking out at the grocery store and I had a bag full of Honey Crisps. The cashier and I were lamenting over how costly they were. I mentioned that I had heard that apple growers in our state had planted some Honey Crisp trees, so hopefully the cost would go down when those trees were mature and bearing fruit. Then we looked at the label. Fortunately for the environment, but unfortunately for my wallet, the apples in question were from my state. And they were just as expensive as ever. Even though I was disappointed in the price, I was glad to see that my favorite fall treat is now locally grown.

Being able to see where food comes from is important for many reasons. Environmentally speaking, the fewer miles the food has to travel to arrive on your grocery store shelves, the better. Local food also helps to ensure freshness and it supports the local economy. Health-wise, knowing what country your food is from can help you avoid foods that are potentially exposed to unsanitary conditions and/or harmful chemicals.

The new law, which requires country of origin labeling as of September 30, is a bit confusing, however. Certain foods, such as roasted peanuts and bacon, don't have to be labeled. Any food that can be considered processed is exempt from the law.

[via FitSugar]

A good friend and I were chatting on the phone the other day and the subject turned to grocery costs. I thought my grocery bills were high, but compared to my friend's bills, mine are chump change. Her grocery costs were literally triple what mine were. Considering we have similarly sized families, it was kind of shocking.

In the end, we determined that the bulk of the savings is because her family eats a lot of meat and mine doesn't. It's not that my son and I eat 100% vegetarian meals every night -- we don't. But our meals have just a little meat, and larger amounts of grains and produce. Some ideas:

• Make meat stretch. Instead of cooking one chicken breast per person, make a package of chicken breasts spread over several meals. For example, one average-sized chicken breast is enough to feed three people if you serve enough veggies and grains with the meal. Use the remaining chicken for other meals such as a stir-fry or a cold chicken salad. You can apply the same principle with other meats as well. For example, a package of ground turkey can stretch into three meals for my family -- usually turkey burgers, lettuce wraps, and turkey chili with beans.

We can't ignore the fact that the economy is in a bit of a slump. And whether or not we recognize it, this affects nearly every aspect of our lives -- including our eating habits. During times of financial hardship, it's a natural reaction to stock up on foods that are processed and full of preservatives, but our healthy habits shouldn't be the first thing to go when things get a bit tough.

At least that's what nutritionist Jane Clarke says in her weekly column for The Daily Mail. She offers a few tips for reducing waste -- and ultimately cost -- when you're shopping for the family:

• Buy sliced, fresh whole wheat bread and freeze what you don't use right away.
• Add cheap, healthy ingredients like beans to your meat dishes to make the meat go further.
• Buy only as much fresh fruit as you know you can consume, and stock up on frozen fruit instead.
• In fruits do go limp, cook them (or freeze them) right away instead of throwing them out.

How do you stretch your grocery dollars?

Have you ever heard the phrase "the whole truth and nothing but?" When it comes to many of the foods marketed to kids, the packaging is anything but the whole truth. As a parent, I know how frustrating it is when my son is bombarded with commercials for sugary or unhealthy treats on TV. Even if he never saw a commercial for anything, the packaging that's geared toward kids rarely holds healthy foods inside. Take fruit juice for example -- packaging for sugary, unnatural ingredient-laden juice boxes tends to be very kid oriented. When my son sees boxes with cool looking surfers riding a fruit juice wave, that's what he wants me to buy. But the 100% juice varieties that I do allow in his lunch box tend to be packaged in boxes with pictures of fruit -- not nearly as cool in my pre-teen son's eyes.

Even when a product is packaged to catch a kid's eye, they often have a claim -- such as low-fat or high in calcium -- that aims to make health-conscious parents feel a bit better about the choice. While the actual claim might be true, the whole truth about the product isn't that pretty. University of Calgary researchers found that 62% of kid-aimed food products that boast of nutritional benefits are actually of poor nutritional quality. Time has a list of nine items that have nutritional claims that might mislead parents into thinking the product is healthier than it actually is.

When it comes to buying food for your kids, stick to natural, unprocessed foods as much as possible. When buying packaged items, read the food label -- it's the only way to know the whole truth about the product you're buying.

Blame your supermarket for leading you into temptation -- all those bakery goods, chips, dips, and beverages galore are bound to cause the best of us to cave on our best diet intentions. That's why we should order our groceries online, says a new multi-university study.

Researchers assigned 28 people to either a standard weight-loss program or a program with grocery delivery and found after eight weeks that online buyers had fewer fattening products and less total food in their cupboards.

The bottom line for your bottom line: Virtual shopping carts make it easier to stick to your list. They eliminate last-minute grocery store grabs too. So ditch the traditional cart and go online for for your food -- and for your body too.

I don't buy snacks from check-out lines. That's only because I haven't been eating candy and chips and drinking soda for the past year. Otherwise, I'd surely be reaching for those perfectly-placed diet spoilers. I'd likely be gaining weight too.

Women eat 14,300 calories a year thanks to impulse buys at check-out counters, according to IHL Group, a global research and advisory firm providing market analysis and business consulting services for retailers. All those impulses equal about four pounds per year for the female persuasion. For men, indulging in line translates to roughly three pounds. Although women have an overall higher average of impulse buying, men under 25 are the biggest consumers of caloric items. This group actually consumes enough to gain eight pounds per year.

If you an impulse indulger and just can't seem to help yourself, opt for self-checkout systems when available. IHL's study showed that impulse purchases drop dramatically at these stations. Why? Because self-checkout lanes are not as heavily merchandised as staffed lanes. There are usually shorter lines too which minimizes the opportunity for a captive and tempted audience.

Wouldn't it be convenient to head to the grocery store to pick up weekly supplies, and while you're there get a doctor checkup during the same trip? A British supermarket chain called Sainsbury will be rolling out a pilot store with this exact program where shoppers can visit doctors right there in the grocery.

Now we're not talking about a physician located in frozen food aisle. A full-blown consultation room will be available, which is called "Doctors in Store." This seems like the perfect combination of practicality and convenience. So how is this different than a traditional doctor's office?

Well, it's not just a change in venue: shoppers will be given a pager so that when a doctor is ready to see them, they'll know when to go! While this a Manchester-exclusive project right now, I'm sure many people would like to see something similar in the United States before too long. After all, some Wal-Marts feature Vision Centers where customers can get eyeglasses. How long until we're able to get a general checkup too?

If you like tangible steps for cutting the fat in your life, this post is for you. It's loaded with nuggets of information on the nutritional hazards we face every day. Take note, take action, and you'll be on your way to more healthful living.

• One study found that women ate 25 percent less candy when it was tucked away in a drawer than when it was on their desks. Experts say you should store candy in opaque containers or on an out-of-the-way shelf. I say don't store candy at all -- that way, you won't be able to grab it. If you truly need a bite of the sweet stuff, buy a single serving.
  
  

• Another study found that people eat 22 percent more in the same amount of time when food is served in larger packages. So avoid those bulk containers and you're likely to not overdo it.
  
  

• Microwaving might make you hungrier than actual cooking. Alan Hirsch, M.D., director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, found that smelling food during cooking can make you more satisfied and can lead you to eat less once your meal hits the table. If you're still not up for cooking, pop that microwave dinner in the oven to cook.
  
  

• Like those trendy, bigger utensils now on the market? You might want to forgo fashion for function because the bigger the silverware, the more we eat. "People who eat with smaller spoons tend to feel more satisfied after one serving than those who use bigger silverware," says Illinois food researcher James Painter, Ph.D.
  
  

• There's more to the placement of grocery store food items than you might think. Companies pay for prime real estate in supermarkets, and the products right in front of your face tend to be the high-profit, cheaper-to-produce stuff like sugary cereals and processed carbohydrates. Next time you're wandering the aisles, look up -- the healthiest foods are usually stocked on the top shelves.
  
  

• Don't look at the center shelves on your next grocery adventure. Center aisles are home to processed snacks and sweets. Stick with the outer walls of the store, where the most nutritious fruits, veggies, dairy, and meats live.

The nutrition folks at Canyon Ranch offer a great tip for grocery shopping excursions. Before you drop anything in your cart, ask youself, "Did my great-grandmother eat this?" If the answer is "no," then it's best to pass that item right by.

It's best for all of us to eat a variety of healthy foods, the same healthy foods our ancestors ate -- fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, fish, and lean meats. Not all that packaged stuff, that processed stuff, that trans fat stuff. Even the stuff we think is good, like "low-fat products," are often full of sodium and corn syrup and other sweeteners.

Our food nowadays is too loaded with gunk to be wholesome. Sticking with whole foods is our safest bet. If it worked for great-grandma, it can work for us too.

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.
  

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.

I love fruit and vegetables, especially when they're fresh, but shopping for them can be more complicated than it looks. We've all seen the jokes where somebody's in the produce department of the grocery store trying to look like they know what they're doing thumping away on a large melon, meanwhile having no idea what they're doing or why. Well here's an article that sums up the basics on some of the best summer fruits you'll find at the store or the farmer's market (watermelon, peaches, cantaloupe, and cherries) and gives you the low-down on what to look for and how to find and buy the very best.

And for the record, there's no knocking or thumping suggested.

I remember when I was a kid and my family banned tuna because dolphins were getting caught in the nets. Well that's not an issue these days as I can't remember the last time I saw a brand that wasn't labeled "dolphin safe." But buying a can of tuna is still more complicated than just brand name versus store brand and big can versus little can. It's all about whether it's packed in water, broth, or oil and if it's the cheaper chunk light pink tuna or the more expensive albacore white. Looking for help sorting out the differences? Check this out -- it's got all the types broken down into handy charts so you can shop smart and get exactly what you want and what's best for your situation.

It seems like the more health-conscious we all get the more confusing grocery shopping becomes because food manufacturers keep coming up with new gimmicks and catch phrases to try and trick us into buying their not-so-healthy products. One area that can be especially confusing is whole grains. Whole grains are great for you because of all the nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants that are left intact due to less processing, but finding them can be tricky due to terms like 'wheat' and 'multigrain' that are intended to be misleading.

The best way to get around all the hype is to go straight for the ingredient list, and in the case of whole grains you'll want to see 'whole wheat flour' at the top as the #1 ingredient (as opposed to'wheat flour' and 'unbleached enriched wheat flour' which are the refined versions). Of course you can also look to the nutrition label and get a fiber reading -- whole grain foods will have at least 2.5 grams of fiber per serving in most cases.

Most supermarkets may appear like straightforward places, but you may be surprised to learn what goes on behind the scenes. Like when it comes to how your meat is packaged and priced, and why you have those few items in your cart at the checkout that weren't on your list when you walked in. Grocery stores and supermarkets are big business, and there's a lot of planning that goes into seemingly simple things. Like did you know that cartoony packages and other kid-friendly items are usually stocked at children's eye level, while healthier items are put in harder to reach locations that may require inconvenient bending and stretching?

That's just the tip of the ice berg -- for the rest check out this list of the 10 things supermarkets don't want you to know. Shifty bunch, those supermarkets.