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Double-stuffed: Policing yourself in the supermarket aisleDietitian Judy Crowley is quick to recall the Double Stuf incident. You know those Oreos that have twice the filling of a regular Oreo? A cookie lover's dream, Double Stufs are a high-sugar, high-fat treat. They are not on Crowley's grocery list. So when her husband came home from the supermarket with two bags of them, she was stunned. "You've never seen these in this house!" she told him. They looked so good, was his defense. It was a two-for-one sale. In a big display at the checkout counter. And he was hungry. A familiar scenario. We all have done something similar. A grocery store is a marketplace, a tasty land of temptation that wants to entice you to buy this, try that. Fill that basket. Spend your money here. And there's nothing wrong with that. After all, it's a business. But it can be your diet's undoing unless you are very strong and savvy or your personal fitness trainer, dietitian or other food police officer is shopping alongside you. How do you survive the tastings and temptations of the supermarket shopping trip? The No. 1 rule is never shop hungry. When you do, everything looks good. You tend to buy too much and pick all the wrong stuff. Even more, you often start ripping open packages and digging in before you get to the checkout counter. "But I'm starving!" you're thinking. At least pause long enough to see how many servings are in that bag of chips, says Crowley, a registered dietitian at Seton Healthcare Network. If you've downed more than one serving, you have not snacked. You've eaten the equivalent of dinner before you've gotten home with the groceries. Crowley, who conducted healthy grocery shopping tours for two years at Central Market in Austin, Texas, says it is smart to leave the family at home if you can. They clamor and reach for products you don't need. Supermarkets know this. It's no accident that sugary cereals and cookies are placed at levels convenient for children. Assuming now that you are not hungry and shopping sans family, here's your best strategy: Hit the store door and go straight for the fruits, vegetables, lean meats, cereals and bread. Basically that is what all your meals should be planned around, Crowley says. Although this type of shopping may be be spread out all over the store, it can go fast because you skip unneeded aisles and there is little label reading required on these unprocessed foods. Nutrition labels have been a boon to healthful eating, but reading labels on everything takes forever, notes Crowley. Instead read them on two or three items per trip to familiarize yourself with the products. Her quick method of label reading: Look first at portion size and how many servings are in the container. Then calories. Then look at fat. If a product has only 3 grams of fat per 100 calories, then it can be labeled low-fat, and that's good. (But that does not mean all other foods are bad, just not low-fat.) Now look at carbohydrates, which tend to run 15-20 grams per serving, which is usually 1/2 cup. If a food is outside these bounds, realize that you probably are going to need to share it, stretch it (with veggies) or not buy it. Beware of those sugar-free products, she cautions. They look good and the sugar-free image makes them seem innocent, but most are high in fat. Also be wary of samples. If a store is doing several demos, it's easy to eat the equivalent of a meal while thinking you are just snacking. You may need to skip lunch or dinner when you get home. Free food can sabotage your diet. A sign that advertises, "Buy a roast, get a free cola and pie" may sound like a deal. But not if you end up consuming more calories and fat than you normally would. Look at your weekly grocery list. Are pie and cola on it? Don't be controlled by specials. If you need one avocado, buy only one even if they are 3 for $1. Think of an avocado as a fat, not a fruit, says Crowley. One per family is fine; one per person is too much. Olives, nuts and avocados are secret fats in a store, she notes. Granted, they are good fats, but they should be consumed in tablespoons, not handfuls. Consider purchasing light instead of fat-free products, which often turn out to be flavorless, and using less of that light product. Or buy the real thing, like cheese, and get an old-fashioned slicer that cuts it very thinly. Before you get to the checkout lane, take a quick inventory of your grocery cart. Ask yourself the Big Question: Did you really come to the store to buy each item? Or has savvy marketing or weak willpower gotten the best of you? You might want to put back that second bag of cookies or look for a lower-fat variety. Kitty Crider is the Austin Statesman-American food editor. |
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