Buying groceries online has become a way of life for many; It's convenient, easy, and comes right to your doorstep. long lines in the supermarket or traffic - what can you not like? In fact, food and beverage retail e-commerce exceeded $ 15 billion in 2020 and is projected to cross the $ 20 billion threshold by 2023! That's a lot of online shopping carts.
For health conscious individuals looking to shop more groceries online in the future, you may be a little confused about which foods are really healthy.
This is where Jenna Stangland, MS, RD, CSSD, LD and nutritionist for NHL brands Minnesota Wild and Momentous comes in with simple but important advice. "The evaluation of the ingredients is the key!" She says. And while reading labels can be overwhelming for many, Stangland breaks down the key ingredients to help you make wise choices.
Understand food labels
The first thing to consider when reading the food labels is the amount of ingredients. According to Stangland, the fewer ingredients, the better - mostly. “The nutrition label can provide a good insight into the serving size and nutrient breakdown that each type of fat includes, and whether it has added sugar compared to real fruit sugar; but the ingredients are the details, ”she says. Once you learn to read the label, you will be more comfortable shopping.
“You can tell from the ingredients what types of food are contributing to those grams of fat or grams of carbohydrates or grams of protein,” Stangland adds. For example: seeing that a salad dressing has 12 grams of fat in one serving is one thing, but seeing that the salad dressing has vegetable oil instead of avocado oil gives a better definition of how the body reacts to the nondescript 12 grams and processed by fat.
“Look for plant-based omega-3 fats like avocado and olives, and look for nut butters that contain only nuts and maybe salt. extra oil is required for the ingredients, ”she adds.
You want to look for real, complete ingredients with no added hormones or chemicals like the following.
Tips for shopping for groceries online
Stangland recommends looking for online shopping opportunities. Some platforms offer filters for the type of products you are looking for so that you can filter out products that do not contain inflammatory foods or foods that your body is sensitive to, which makes shopping easier and more efficient.
Check out the online options and related apps. There are ways to shop for healthy groceries online without breaking the bank and grab some deals on wholesome whole foods like a new brand of nut butters or seasonal items instead.
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