This is part 1 in a 4 part series about knowing how to read labels and excel at grocery shopping for the purpose of losing weight and getting yourself healthy in every way. Learning how to master grocery shopping is not difficult once you are aware of what to look for.

Shopping For - Bread

• Recommended Brands - O Organics, Orowheat and Milton's

Tips for Buying –

1. When reading the label on bread varieties in the grocery store, you should be looking for the word “whole”. Whole wheat breads and whole grain breads are the best breads that you can buy. If you are not finding the word “whole” somewhere on the label, then many of the nutrients in the grains have unfortunately been stripped out. “Multigrain” and “enriched wheat” varieties of bread may still contain a significant amount of white flour.
2. When you see “made with whole grains” on the label, you need to know that it does not necessarily mean that the bread has whole wheat as its main ingredient.
3. When ingredients are listed on the packaging for a type of brain, they are listed by weight in descending order. What this means is that the very first ingredient in the list is the one that is present in the highest amount. Make sure that “whole grain” or “whole wheat” is listed as the first ingredient in any bread that you purchase.
4. You should be aiming to purchase bread varieties that come with 100 calories in each slice or less. These are going to be the most natural varieties for you to choose.

Shopping For - Cereals

• Recommended Brands – Kashi Go Lean, Cheerios, Post Shredded Wheat, Kelloggs All-Bran, Quaker Oatmeal

Tips for Buying –

1. Just like when you are buying bread, when you buy a cereal you should be looking for one that has whole grain listed as being the first ingredient. This means that the ingredient that is present in the highest quantity in the cereal is whole grains.
2. You should be trying to buy varieties of cereal that have at least 2.5 grams of fat. Keep in mind that monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are the best types of fat in the foods that you buy.
3. You should also be looking for cereal varieties that either say that they are low in sugar or that they have “no sugar added”. There is no reason to add sugar to an otherwise healthy box of cereal.
4. If you plan on buying a granola cereal, make sure that you are reading and comprehending the label first. While granola cereals all may sound healthy, many of them are actually really high in sugar and unnecessary fats.
5. Remember, when buying multi grain and whole grain cereals, you can always sweeten them up later by adding fruit to the mix. You do not have to buy sugar laden cereals in order to enjoy breakfast.

Photo Credits: PP@flickr

Originally posted 2009-09-30 03:17:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Online Stores

• Cereals, Grains & Pasta Food & Wine Home Store
• Kelloggs Cereals, Grains & Pasta Food & Wine Home Store

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