GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- If you're one of those people who reads labels at the grocery store, you know how unhealthy a lot of foods can be. If you don't know what you're looking for on those labels, it can be overwhelming.
That's why Spectrum Health created guided grocery tours with a registered dietitian.
The dietician meets you at a local grocery store and shows you around the aisles to help you navigate food labels based on your health needs. Tours include healthy shopping information, sample menus, shopping lists, food sampling and special store deals.
"We offer suggestions," dietician Kathy Lebarre said. "We go through different areas of the grocery store, pointing out things you would normally choose [and explain] why that is or isn’t a good choice."
Take bread, for example. Lebarre says she likes to concentrate on fiber when looking at bread labels. While it's important to eat the right amount of grains, she recommends three grams of fiber per slice of bread.
In bread or pasta, the first words in the ingredients list should be whole wheat flour or multigrain flour.
That's a good beginning, but you don't have to get healthy shopping perfect right away. "I don’t expect you to jump all the way to super healthy at once because that’s overwhelming," Lebarre said.
Here are some ideas: If you're looking for a way to lower the carbohydrate content in your pasta, skip pasta and try spaghetti squash. In the cereal aisle, Cheerios are the best choice among whole grain cereals. When looking at things like oatmeal, yogurt, and spaghetti sauce, Lebarre says it's important to watch the sugar. Try your best to reduce added sugar like high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, and fructose. Women should be eating 24 grams of sugar a day, for men, it's 36 grams.
Here's a list of the upcoming tours:
January 24 at Breton Meadows Family Fare (44th and Breton)– 2:30pm to 4pm. Shopping for weight loss and diabetes prevention/management.
February 6 at Knapp Meijer - 2:30pm to 4pm. Shopping for a healthy heart.
February 14 at Alpine Meijer- 2:30pm to 4pm. Eating healthy on the go.
February 15 at Meijer (28th and Kalamazoo) – 6:30pm to 7:30pm. Healthy shopping for the whole family (kids encouraged to join!).
February 23 at Plainfield Meijer – 8:30am to 10am. Shopping for weight loss and diabetes prevention/management.
March 6 at Knapp’s Crossing D&W Fresh Market – 8:30am to 10am. Shopping for a healthy heart.
March 9 at Breton Village D&W Fresh Market – 8:30am to 10am. Eating healthy on the go.
March 20 at Knapp’s Crossing D&W Fresh Market - 8:30am to 9:30pm. Healthy shopping for the whole family (kids encouraged to join!).
March 28 at Breton Meadows Family Fare (44th and Breton) – 2:30pm to 4pm. Shopping for weight loss and diabetes prevention/management.
April 3 at Knapp Meijer - 2:30pm to 4pm. Shopping for a healthy heart.
April 11 at Alpine Meijer- 2:30pm to 4pm. Eating healthy on the go.
April 19 at Meijer (28th and Kalamazoo) – 6:30pm to 7:30pm. Healthy shopping for the whole family (kids encouraged to join!).
April 27 at Plainfield Meijer – 8:30am to 10am.Shopping for weight loss and diabetes prevention/management.
To register, click here.
