How to shop: Your shopping trolley makeover
You enter the shop with the best of intentions: to buy healthy foods for yourself and your family. But it’s easy to go through on autopilot–buying the same things over and over even when you suspect (or know) that your choices aren’t good for you.
A diet high in nutrients and low in additives and preservatives is the key to good health. But supermarkets can be confusing places with so many different types of foods, labels and brands. If you just haven’t got time to read food labels or aren’t sure what you should be buying to maximise your health use the following as a guide to help you know which foods to include and which to avoid to maintain good health.
Note: It’s always a good move to choose food that is organically produced as it has fewer toxins, chemicals and additives.
Beans: Avoid canned beans if they contain sugar, salt or preservatives. Choose instead all fresh, frozen or dried beans. You can now buy organic tinned beans like kidney beans already cooked which are easy to toss into a stir fry or casserole. You can even buy organic baked beans that are sugar free (they do not contain artificial sweeteners either).
Why? Beans are a fantastic source of nutrients that can help reduce cholesterol but their nutritional value can be depleted if they full of sugar, salt or preservatives. Beans canned in salt can counteract the cholesterol lowering effect of beans and increase the risk of heart disease, fluid retention and high blood pressure.
Drinks: Avoid alcoholic drinks, coffee, cocoa, sweetened juices (any kind of sweetener e.g. sugar, glucose or artificial sweeteners), squashs, sodas and caffeinated teas. Choose instead herbal teas, fresh (preferably organic) fruits and vegetables and juices, smoothies, cereal grain beverages (like grain coffee), mineral water. If possible choose glass bottles.
Why? Your body is made up of two-thirds water and water is essential for all bodily functions so it is important to keep your liquid intake high. Pure water is the best drink for quenching thirst and hydrating the body but don’t forget that fruits and vegetables consist of 90 per cent water. Alcohol and caffeinated beverages deplete your body of essential nutrients so best to avoid. Cans of fizzy drink contain six times the amount of aluminium compared to the same drink in a glass bottle. There is always a certain amount of residue that dissolves into a drink from the lining of a can or from a plastic bottle so always best to choose glass bottles.
Dairy products: Avoid all soft cheeses and artificially coloured cheese products. Instead of low fat choose organic milk, cheese, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, goat’s milk and cheese, rice milk, oat milk and soya products instead.
Why? Dairy products are a good source of protein so should be eaten in moderation but soft cheeses, ice cream and artificially coloured cheese products can be high in saturated fat, dyes and preservatives and should be avoided.
Eggs: Avoid fried or pickled. Choose boiled, poached or scrambled. Buy organic free range if possible.
Why? Frying increases the fat content and the pickled eggs can be high in salt. Organic eggs won’t contain the antibiotics pumped into factory produced eggs and theoretically are fed more naturally.
Fish: Avoid all fish in batter or breadcrumbs. Choose instead all freshwater white fish, salmon, boiled or baked fish, tuna in spring water or oil, instead of salt, canned sardines in olive oil.
Why? Freshwater and oily fish are rich in the good fats, known as omega 3, essential for reducing cholesterol and promoting health and well-being. They are also low in salt, saturated fat and nutrient depleting additives.
Fruits: Avoid canned, bottled, or frozen fruits with sweeteners, in syrup or sugar added. Choose instead all fresh, stewed or dried fruits without sweeteners, unsulphured fruits and without mineral oil coating the dried fruit. Try to buy organic as much as possible.
Why? Fruits are high in essential fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Always best to eat them fresh because when they are processed or juiced their nutrient and fibre content decreases. Sugar or artificial sweeteners can also be added.
Grains: Avoid all white flour products, white rice, pasta, crackers, cold cereals, instant porridge and other hot cereals. Choose instead all whole grains and products containing whole grains; cereals, breads, muffins, whole-grain crackers like oat or rye, buckwheat, millet, oats, brown rice, wild rice.
Why? Grains are a great energy source. Avoid white and choose whole grains instead because whole grains don’t usually have the additives and preservatives that white products do and give you a sustained burst of energy instead of a roller coaster of highs and lows. Unlike white products, whole grains are also rich in fibre which is essential for healthy digestion.
Meats: Avoid beef, all forms of pork, hot dogs, luncheon meats, smoked, pickled and processed meats, corned beef, duck, lamb, bacon, ham, goose, spare ribs and organ meats. Best to cut out meat altogether but if you must eat meat choose organic skinless turkey and chicken.
Why? Red meats are high in saturated fat. Factory farmed meat and poultry often contains hormones and antibiotics that upset your hormonal, immune and digestive systems. Bear in mind too that many processed meats/foods are not only high in additives but also come in packets ready to warm for heating. They are stored wrapped in plastic and aluminium which adds additional non-food chemicals into your food, especially when heated
Nuts: Go for all fresh, raw nuts instead of salted or roasted nuts.
Why? Nuts are a good source of protein but you don’t need the extra salt and the effect of high heat on the essential fats that go with salted and roasted nuts.
Oils: Avoid all saturated fats, hydrogenated margarine, refined processed oils, shortenings and hardened oils. Choose instead cold-pressed oils: corn, sunflower sesame, olive, flaxseed and hemp oil. But the exception to that is to choose organic butter in moderation over hydrogenated margarines.
Why? Saturated fats contain substances that encourage blood clotting and inflammation and help raise cholesterol. Processed oils are also high in additives which can harm your health. Cold-pressed oils don’t contain these substances and are rich in health boosting anti-inflammatory, cholesterol lowering essential fatty acids.
Seasonings: Avoid black or white pepper, salt and hot red peppers. Choose instead garlic, onions, lemon, cayenne, herbs, dried vegetables, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, tamari (wheat free soya sauce), miso, seaweed like nori flakes.
Why? Salt causes fluid retention and can raise blood pressure. Instead of salt experiment with preservative and additive free alternatives, many of which- like garlic which is thought to reduce cholesterol and seaweed which is packed with minerals – have incredible health benefits.
Soups: Avoid canned soups made with high salt, preservatives, MSG or sugar and all creamed soups. Choose instead low salt bean, lentil, pea, vegetable, barley, brown rice type soups. Better still make your own.
Why? Processed foods, such as canned soups, can be high in additives and preservatives. Most of the instant soups will read like a chemistry set so best to avoid. You can buy instant miso soup in a packet (just add hot water in a cup) which is excellent.
Sprouts and seeds: Avoid all seeds cooked in oil or salt. Choose instead all lightly cooked sprouts (except alfalfa which should be raw and washed) wheatgrass, and all raw seeds.
Why? Sprouts and seeds are nutritional powerhouses. The majority of these nutrients are destroyed when they are cooked and oil, additives and salt are added.
Sweets: Avoid white, brown, or raw cane sugar, corn syrups, chocolate, candy, fructose, all syrups (except pure maple) all sugar substitutes and jams made with sugar. Choose instead barley malt or rice syrup, raw honey (in moderation), pure maple syrup, blackstrap molasses that is unsulphured.
Why? Sugar and sweets high in sugar, have no nutritional value and are packed with calories, additives, colourings and preservatives. You don’t need them.
Vegetables: Avoid all canned or frozen containing salt, sugar or additives. Choose instead all raw, fresh, frozen, or canned without salt or sugar, preferably organic,
Why? Too much salt added to your vegetable intake can raise your blood pressure. Additives added to canned vegetables can deplete essential nutrients called phytochemicals – substances that have incredible benefits for your heart, skin, hair and mental and reproductive health. Raw, fresh or frozen vegetables are less likely to contain additives and preservatives and are therefore higher in health boosting phytochemicals.