YumSugar

5 Mistakes You're Making at the Grocery Store - and How to Prevent Them

Zelana Montminy — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:51:11 PST

Grocery shopping. It's something we all do, but it helps to have a strategy in place before hitting the aisles to ensure you're making the best decisions for yourself. Watch this video and learn how best to navigate your local grocery for the healthiest purchases.

There are only a few days left to enter our Get Fit For 2012 giveaways with prizes to jump-start your January: a year's worth of sneakers from Asics, a $500 gift card for Under Armour, a new food processor from Magimix, and KIND snacks for a year!

5 Easy Ways to Clean Up Your Diet Now

Heather Dale — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 10:53:32 PST

What better time than the present to assess your diet and start making some healthy changes? Choosing to eat a cleaner diet can give you more energy, strengthen your immune system, and even help shed those pesky holiday pounds. Here are a handful of ways to get your diet back on track with a clean makeover.

The Best Affordable Last-Minute Foods to Buy For Thanksgiving

Anna Monette Roberts — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:07:46 PST

With less than 24 hours until Thanksgiving dinner, it's a mad dash to greet your guests while putting the finishing touches on your feast. It's likely that you've forgotten to pick up an essential ingredient or two or three, but now is not the time to panic. If the grocery aisles are beginning to look like a dizzying kaleidoscope, here's is a quick, cost-effective guide to help you find the best consumer-approved, quick, or ready-made Thanksgiving products.

Pies - Opt for a fresh Whole Foods pecan pie ($11) with a flaky and buttery crust, toasted pecans, and a caramelized filling. Otherwise go with an equally pleasing frozen pie option like Marie Callender's Dutch Apple Pie ($9) or Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pie ($5).

Mashed Potatoes - Out of 12 other store-bought mashed potatoes, Bob Evans Original ($5) scored the highest in Consumer Reports and is noted for its authentic flavor, creaminess, and peppery flavor.

See more Thanksgiving products.

5 Sneaky Supermarket Tricks That Make You Eat More

Prevention — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:21:07 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Have a healthy (and cheap) trip to the grocery store
By Bari Nan Cohen, Prevention

You walk into a grocery store expecting to buy only the items on your list, yet you leave with a cart full of extras you may not really need - and a considerably lighter wallet. An accident - or lapse in judgment? Actually, the store setup is likely to blame. "You want to get in and out quickly, but the folks in charge want you to linger as long as possible, spend as much as possible, and ideally spend it on the highest-profit items," explains Ali Benjamin, co-author of The Cleaner Plate Club: Raising Healthy Eaters, One Meal at a Time (Storey Publishing, 2011). How, exactly, do they make you stick around and load up on items you never meant to buy? Here are eight ways to guarantee a healthier (and cheaper) grocery shopping experience every time.

Bring A C-Note - And Leave Your Credit Cards Behind
Cash is king when it comes to avoiding impulse buys. "I know that I spend way less when I use cash rather than credit," says Benjamin. And the research proves her right - Lindstrom advises shoppers to use a 100-dollar note for grocery purchases. "We find it emotionally harder to break a larger bill, so we spend less," says Lindstrom. "We don't have an emotional connection with numbers on a credit card statement."

20 Ways to Feed Your Family on $100 a Week

Watch Out For "Health-Washing"
You may not read labels with as critical an eye in a store like Whole Foods as in, say, Super Target says Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg, president of Monetized Intellect Consulting, Inc, in Brooklyn, NY. "The atmosphere in Whole Foods Market makes you feel like everything in the store must be healthy," he notes. "In Target you'll look at the calorie count on the same package of granola you buy without thinking in a 'healthy' grocery store."

Learn three more sneaky tricks when you read more.

Here's a Reminder to Wash Those Reusable Grocery Bags

Leta Shy — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:52:23 PDT

Reusable bags are great for the environment, but a new study has found that your stack of reusable grocery bags may be harboring high levels of bacteria if you're not careful.

If you regularly haul raw meat, dirty vegetables, and cartons of milk from the supermarket, your reusable bags may be due for a cleaning. The study, published in Food Protection Trends, found that practically all bags tested contained large numbers of bacteria, including coliform bacteria in half of the bags tested and E. coli in eight percent. Much of these bacteria form when meat and dairy seep through their containers and contaminate bags, multiplying in warm environments.

Of course, not all bacteria are bad, but ingesting certain types (like E. coli) can lead to illness or even death. So make sure you keep your reusable bags clean. Wash your bags with soap and water, regularly toss machine-washable bags in your laundry, and use separate bags to carry raw meats.

Do you wash your reusable bags?

Don't Let the Grocery Store Wreck Your Diet: 5 Healthy Shopping Tips

Michele Foley — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:36:19 PDT

Unless you're doing all of your shopping at a farmers market, buying groceries can be the gateway to an unhealthy diet. Conventional grocery stores are filled with heavily processed foods containing a laundry list of ingredients. On top of that, convenience is key - from frozen foods to jarred sauces, it's tempting to never cook again. Eating a cleaner, healthier diet has a myriad of benefits from weight loss to disease prevention, and freshly prepared food just tastes better! The next time you're grocery shopping, follow these simple tips to help you make healthier food choices.

5 Must-Have Foods You Need Before Going Vegan

Lizzie Fuhr — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 03:06:04 PDT

I'm not sure whether it's the readily available resources online or the sheer number of food documentaries I've watched (Forks Over Knives was the latest viewing that gently pushed me over the edge), but I've officially decided to go vegan for 30 days. I realize this lifestyle change is not for everyone, but making the shift is something I feel ready to experiment with, if only for a limited time. After combing through resources and more than a few vegan must-have lists, I bravely headed out to my natural foods store to stock up on essentials. Feeling a little overwhelmed, it was like I had never been in a market before! In order to save you this struggle, I've prepared a beginner's guide for making the shift to a vegan diet.

Here are five items you'll definitely want to have before starting a vegan diet!

Legumes and grains. Beans and grains are going to become your new favorite friends. Beans are one of the options for vegans that are full of the nutrients we all need. Be sure to check out these five vegan dishes to help you create complete proteins. Similar to beans, whole grains are integral to a healthy diet. They're full of the fiber, protein, and vitamins our bodies need to run like a well-oiled machine. I've also learned that they really help fill you up. Quinoa is an awesome grain to start out with since it pairs well with just about anything!
Dairy substitutes. I've been a vegetarian for extended periods in the past, so giving up meat is a little less of a struggle. But going dairy-free is a whole new ball game! I've been absolutely amazed at the plethora of options I never knew existed for dairy-free divas. I am loving Follow Your Heart's nondairy dressings and vegan cheddar. Instead of cow's milk, try hemp, soy, or my personal favorite, almond milk. It's got the same smoothness and texture you love about the milk you used to douse your cereal with.

See the rest of my must-have vegan food items after the break!

Shop the Farmers Market Smarter

Susannah Chen — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:51:18 PDT

This past Sunday kicked off National Farmers Market Week. And what better time to celebrate, given the berries, stone fruit, tomatoes, corn, and other amazing offerings that are at their best right now? Hopefully you'll have a chance to head out to a nearby market - one of our top eight, perhaps? - and buy the season's bounty until your bags are bursting at the seams.

But before you do so, I'd like to offer some pointers on how to be a better shopper at the farmers market. If you follow these tips, you'll save money and time, avoid the crowds, and simply have a more enjoyable experience overall. Shop savvier when you keep reading.

8 Farmers Markets We Love in America

Susannah Chen — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 04:15:33 PDT

The USDA has declared this week, August 7th through 13th, National Farmers Market Week. According to the USDA, more than 1,000 farmers markets have opened in the past year - up 17 percent from 2010. There's good reason to get behind them and the whole farm-to-table experience: they're sustainable, community-driven, and personal. But perhaps most importantly, they're fun!

While all farmers markets have a way with engaging the senses, here are some of our top picks from across the country. Keep reading for greenmarkets worth seeking out.

Source: Flickr User ahl

5 Fashionable Grocery Cart Covers For Tots

Heather Dale — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 05:35:57 PDT

A trip to the grocery store with your little one may seem like a simple, safe outing, but are you aware of all of the shopping cart-related accidents that happen each year? And aside from falls, within the few seconds you put your child in the cart, he or she is exposed to a wide variety of bacteria and germs. According to researchers at the University of Arizona, shopping carts are dirtier than bathrooms, with fecal contamination and E. coli bacteria showing up on more than half of the carts sampled. To help keep your toddler safe (and stylish!) here are some chic grocery cart covers that will provide a nice barrier of protection for your child while you check items off your shopping list.