This is an article written by Dr. Carol Watson, RN, ND that has a lot of
great suggestions for healthy shopping. Enjoy!



PLAN THE SHOP AND SHOP THE PLAN!!!!



We hear so much about having a plan in mind when reaching for our goals,
don't we? I am definitely an advocate of writing out your goals and then
putting a plan of action into place to attain those goals. Well, quite
frankly, our grocery shopping excursions should be no different. We need to
have a PLAN of action in place to keep us on track for our healthy eating
plan.



This newsletter will bullet point some suggestions to help you keep on
target when going food shopping so that you can achieve your goal: eat
healthy and be healthy! Try some of them:



* Eat BEFORE you shop! The layout of the grocery stores is designed
for impulse buying.

* Go to the store with a list and stick pretty close to it. This
helps you buy what you need; instead of what you want!

* Head straight for the fresh produce department. Fresh fruits &
vegetables are essential to a healthy diet. Fill up your cart with them
FIRST as they are the foundation to your healthy eating program. In addition
to your fresh fruits and veggies, remember that I take and recommend Juice
Plus+ for a great addition to a healthy diet. In just 4 capsules, you get
the nutritional essence of 15 servings of fresh, raw, vine-ripened fruits
and vegetables.

* I encourage you to try a new fruit or vegetable with every trip.
We tend to get in a rut of eating the same fruits and vegetables every
week...we need a variety of produce. Go for color too. Be adventurous!

* One of my best recommendations I can offer you is to stay on the
periphery of the store as you shop. Most of the "healthier" food choices
will be on the outside aisles. The only reason that I go down any of the
center aisles is to get cat food and litter! Most of the foods in the center
aisles are loaded with sugar, hydrogenated oils, preservatives and additives
in order to tempt your taste buds and to prolong shelf-life. AVOID them!

* Everyone has an aisle that is their weakness. You don't need me
to tell you to avoid it!

* Read labels as you shop and pay attention to serving size and
servings per container. Remember that 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon sugar if
you are trying to watch your sugar intake.

* Avoid the free samples. They are usually loaded with both lots of
sugar or unhealthy fats and lots of carbs. Take food with you to munch on
while shopping if this is a tough battle for you.

* Buy the freshest items. The fresher the food, the more nutritious
it will be.

* Pick the leanest cut of beef. Free-range meats and poultry are
always the best choice, but there are other options if these are not
available to you. In terms of beef, choose the leanest cuts as most of the
toxins from hormones and antibiotics will settle in fattier tissue, so the
fatter cuts tend to have more toxins.

* If the chicken is from a factory, don't eat the skin. Factory
chickens are raised in extremely overcrowded conditions which paves the way
for disease. If you don't have access to free-range, organic or cage-free
chicken, be sure to remove the skin before eating.

* Buy ocean-caught fish; it is better than farm-raised fish. If you
do choose to eat fish from your grocery store (may contain toxins like
mercury and PCB's), don't eat farm-raised fish, as numerous studies have
found it may be harmful to your health. Instead, your best choices would be
fresh, ocean-caught Alaskan salmon and fresh sardines.

* Fresh food is always better than frozen, but frozen is better
than canned. If you have no choice and must choose between frozen or canned,
frozen would be the better option.

* Check prices on organic food; it's not always more expensive. It
may also be only slightly more expensive than a comparable regular item, and
in that case the increased nutritional value (and lack of pesticides, etc.)
would be well worth the extra price. Check out the "health food section" of
your store.

* Consider trying some alternatives to meat such as tofu, tempeh,
lentils, beans and raw nuts. There are also several veggie burgers to try.
Be careful though, read your labels. Many of them do not have whole food
ingredients but are loaded with preservatives and additives.



Before you go through the check out, ask yourself if there is ANY item in
your shopping cart that you could remove to better support your healthy
eating plan. Be honest and leave behind anything that may slow your
progress; since I am far from perfect myself, I have been known to be
handing over 2 or 3 items at checkout to the clerk to rid my cart of
unhealthy choices that I might have made in a moment of
weakness...re-evaluate prior to checkout!



****************************************



Juice PLUS+

24-Hr Information Hotline: (800) 624-7671

Juice PLUS+ Website: http://www.juiceplus.com/+mm70595

Children's Research Foundation Website: http://www.ChildrensResearch.org



Juice Plus+ is REAL FOOD: It is composed of 17 RAW fruits, vegetables and
grains which are grown in nutrient dense soil, allowed to ripen on the vine
and picked/processed within 1-2 days! It was developed to fill the GAP
between the quality and quantity of what you and I ACTUALLY eat and what we
NEED to eat for good health! Remember: "If your lifestyle does not control
your body, eventually your body will control your lifestyle."





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]