How to shop well?
Source : Nutriactis/Rouen-Normandie hospital
Summary
- Grocery shopping planning
- A well-balanced shopping basket
- A few tips for well-balanced grocery shopping
- Decrypting food labels
- How is the Nutri-Score calculated?
Shopping can sometimes be a difficult thing to do : between information-packed labels, lengthy ingredient lists and a tight food budget, it’s not always easy to not get lost. To make things easier for you, we’ve put together a few tips to help you decrypt food labels, save time and manage your budget, while still eating a healthy and balanced diet!
Grocery shopping planning
First of all, grocery shopping is a task that may require some thought. Planning the week’s menus and drawing up a shopping list can be real benefits to :
A well-balanced shopping basket
To make up a balanced basket, you can choose a variety of nutrient-rich foods, in appropriate quantities and from all the food groups: fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy products, carbohydrates, fats and legumes.
A well-balanced basket can therefore be used to create a variety of dishes
.
A few tips for well-balanced grocery shopping
Limit ultra-processed products
- Often with lower nutritional quality: ↑ sugars/salt/fat, ↓ fiber/vitamins/minerals
- Contain additives
- Can contribute to the development of various pathologies : obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension…
Some examples: soft drinks, industrial ham and cheese escalope, industrial nuggets, candy, etc.
foodsThink about frozen foods
- Long preservation
- Time saving in the kitchen
- Preservation of nutritional and taste qualities
- Warming : it’s better to choose raw frozen food : no added salt, sugar or additives.
Favour raw food
- Unprocessed products
- Better nutritional quality
Some examples : : fruit and vegetables, eggs, milk, nuts and seeds that are not roasted or salted, legumes, etc.
adapt your quantities
Buying non-perishable products (pasta, rice, semolina, flour, etc.) in large quantities can reduce their cost.
Warning : avoid doing the same with perishable products (meat, dairy products, etc.), which have a limited preservation.
Eat seasonal foods
A lot of benefits :
- More affordable price
- ↑ nutritional quality
- ↑ taste quality
- More ecological
Decrypting food labels
- It’s important to learn how to read food labels because it can help you make informed choices about your products. It can also help you choose healthier foods.
- To help you out, take a look at our memo at the end of the newsletter, with key points to help you shop with peace of mind. Don’t hesitate to print it out and take it with you when you go shopping!
1. Comment décrypter les étiquettes alimentaires ?
List of ingredients
- Size of the list : A long list of ingredients is often a sign that the product has been processed or even ultra-processed. Choose raw foods, which contain fewer ingredients and are therefore less processed!
- Order of ingredients : Ingredients are always listed in descending order of according to quantity. The first to appear will therefore be the one present in greatest quantity.
- Allergen(s) : Allergens can be identified in the list of ingredients by their bold, italicized or underlined text.
Beware of indications such as “may contain traces of …”. They indicate that the product has been manufactured in a workshop where allergens are present, even if they are unlikely to be not in the final product.
Nutritional values
Nutritional values are generally found in a table with 7 indications: the energy value (in kilojoules/kJ and kilocalories/kcal) of foods, as well as their fat, saturated fatty acid, carbohydrate, sugar, protein and salt contents.
Ideally, you should compare the nutritional values of products per 100g or 100mL rather than per portion, as portion sizes differ according to the product consumed.
Some labels give additional information on vitamin, mineral and fiber contents.
And how are things internationally?
For example, in the United States, regulations require that nutritional information be given perportion. For a given portion, the quantity of each element is defined as its proportion in relation to the recommended daily value. Potassium,vitamin D, calcium and iron contents have to be indicated, as must added sugars. Potassium and vitamin D have recently been added to the table due to their insufficient consumption in the United States.
Nutri-Score : A quick and easy tool !
Introduced in France in 2017, the Nutri-Score is a simple tool you can easily use to help you make better food choices. Unlike the list of ingredients and nutritional values, its presence on packaging is not mandatory.
It’s affixed to the front of packaging and provides information on the nutritional quality of products in a simplified form that complements the nutritional values. It takes the form of a logo based on a scale of 5 colors and 5 letters (ranging from dark green / A to dark orange / E)
How is the Nutri-Score calculated?
The Nutri-Score takes into account, per 100g or 100mL of product, the content of :
- Nutrients and foods to favor: fiber, protein, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, rapeseed, walnut and olive oil;
- Nutrients to limit: saturated fatty acids, sugars, salt (→ energy).
After calculation, the score obtained for a product is used to assign it a letter and a color. We advise you to consume foods with a Nutri-Score tending towards green. It can be interesting to use the Nutri-Score to compare products belonging to the same food category.
The Nutri-score does not take into account additives, NOVA classification (degree of processing), the presence of pesticides or environmental impact.
Food Preservation
There are two categories of preservation dates for food products:
Best-Before Date
- Best-Before Date (BBD): the date after which product consumption becomes dangerous to health.
- It‘s indicated on highly perishable and packaged food products such as meats, fishes, refrigerated ready meals, etc.
Minimum Durability Date
- Minimum Durability Date (MDD): indicative date after which the product may lose some of its taste or nutritional qualities (e.g. vitamins) without being dangerous to health.
- These include dry, sterilized and dehydrated products (canned products, coffee, milk, fruit juices, dried cakes, etc.).
2. Why is it important to know how to read food labels?
- Know de composition of food
- Compare food products
- Identify allergens : allergy and intolerance prevention
- Take care of our health : favour healthier foods and limit processed products.
Conclusion
By planning your meals and shopping ahead of time, and learning how to read food labels, you can become actor of your diet and make informed choices which are good for in favour of your health!
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How to shop well
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