My Top Ten Smart Shopper Guide-

"IT'S JUST GOOD 4 U"-- SO JUST DO IT!!!!!

Next time you go shopping bring this list and follow it.  Hey you've got to start somewhere, might as well be here.  Let me know how it goes.

1. When buying bread and pasta check the list of ingredients, look for the words "Whole Grain" as the first ingredient
2. Look for meat grown without hormones or antibiotics.  Organic when possible.  (Natural just means they didn’t add anything to the meat while packaging)   Buy lean meat, fish (especially oily fish like salmon) and poultry when it is on sale and freeze it for future use. Limit deli meats, hot dogs, bacon and other processed meats due to high levels of nitrates. Avoid pork unless it’s organic.
3. Buy organic milk and dairy products produced without hormones.
4. Avoid any processed foods.  (Especially pre-packaged meals that contain high levels of sodium, fat and calories).
5. Spend over half of your food budget each week on fruits and veggies and spend the other half on whole grains, dairy and lean meat. Start in the produce department first and work your way around the outside edges of the store. Most processed and unhealthy foods are kept in the center aisle. Limit what you buy there!
6. Stop buying soda or fruit juice that is mostly sugar water! If you must buy juice, be sure it is 100%
7. Learn to read food labels. Don’t buy if you see these ingredients: partially hydrogenated oils (trans fat), bleached flour, enriched flour, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, msg, modified food starch.  Always check the ingredients on packages b4 buying.
8. Buy healthy cooking oil like Coconut or Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
9. BUY ORGANIC PRODUCE when possible:
If you can't afford all organic produce, try buying these fruits and veggies organically since they have the highest levels of pesticides left on them even after washing (according to a study by the Environmental Working Group):
FRUIT: Apples, Cherries, Grapes (imported from Chile), Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Raspberries, Strawberries
VEGETABLES: Bell Peppers, Celery, Potatoes, Spinach (and other leafy veggies)
10. Buy good eggs –organic or hormone/antibiotic free. Free range doesn’t necessarily mean its better it just means the chickens weren’t cooped up.