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Shopping for healthy food at the grocery store can be an easy process if you follow a few guidelines which are outlined below.

Fruits and Vegetables

Healthy food choices begin in the produce section and the bulk of your shopping should be done here. Produce provides the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and energy your body needs to get you through the day so stock up on fruits and vegetables. Look for ones that are free of blemishes, spots, or limp looking. Carrots, potatoes, and onions will last longer than other vegetables and should be staples in your kitchen. Fruit such as berries and grapes will need to be consumed within a few days. but apple, oranges and other hard fruit will last longer. You can also purchase frozen vegetables and fruit if fresh is not availabl but be sure to read the label for any added sugar in the product. Fill your cart with fruits and vegetables, this is the first step to good health.

Grains

When shopping for bread and grains you will need to pick bread that is whole-wheat and avoid breads that say "enriched." White bread contains little nutrition compared to whole grain and darker breads. You can even find whole-wheat hot dog and hamburger buns as well as sandwich rolls. You can try whole-wheat pita wraps and tortillas too. Look for brown rice instead of white rice. Brown rice does take some getting used to in terms of texture and flavor, but it contains more nutrition then white. Any grains you purchase should be the whole grain variety. You can even find whole-wheat flour for baking. When looking for cereal, purchase varieties that are high in fiber and low in sugar. Oatmeal is a good choice for cereal due to its high fiber content. Be sure to look at the sugar content on any cereal and avoid high sugar brands.

Meat and Seafood

Your meat selections should include meat that has less fat content so look for lean-cuts of beef and pork. You can find extra-lean hamburger which is better for you than regular hamburger due to less fat content. Chicken should have the skin removed or you can do this at home yourself. Chicken breasts are a good choice and boxed chicken breasts often go on sale. Avoid the meat that is processed like chicken nuggets, strips, deli meats, and battered fish. You should increase your consumption of fish so if you can afford it, consider adding more fish to your diet and less meat.

Dairy

Look for lower fat dairy products such as cheese and milk. Yogurt is a good choice if it is plain, you can always add your own

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