Shopping List

Now that you know the basics, you can begin to shop for healthier choices. Preparing your own food, to eat at home or take along, means you control the ingredients. Having the right choices on hand makes healthy cooking easier and more delicious!

Add these items to your shopping list to help you make healthy step-by-step changes to your family’s eating habits.

Grains
Stock your pantry with whole-grain ingredients like brown rice, whole-wheat flour, and whole oats to boost the fiber content of your family’s favorite meals.
⇓ Whole-wheat bread ⇓ Brown Rice ⇓ Whole-wheat flour ⇓ Whole-wheat pasta		⇓ Whole-grain cereals ⇓ Old-fashioned oatmeal *Choose varieties with little or no added sugar
Vegetables
Buy pre-cut, pre-washed salad greens, grape tomatoes and baby carrots for a quick and easy salad at any meal. When choosing vegetables, include a variety of colors for complete nutrition.
⇓ Tomatoes ⇓ Peppers ⇓ Carrots ⇓ Broccoli ⇓ Cauliflower ⇓ Winter squash ⇓ Sweet potatoes/yams ⇓ Green beans		⇓ Sugar snap peas ⇓ Beets ⇓ Spinach ⇓ Kale ⇓ Bok choy ⇓ Leaf lettuces ⇓ Collard greens
Fruits
Fill your kitchen with fresh, frozen or canned fruits for quick snacks and sweet additions to main dishes. As with vegetables, choose a rainbow of colors to get a wide variety of nutrients.
⇓ Cherries ⇓ Cranberries ⇓ Mangoes ⇓ Bananas ⇓ Apples ⇓ Strawberries ⇓ Plums ⇓ Blueberries		⇓ Raspberries ⇓ Pineapple ⇓ Melon ⇓ Grapes ⇓ Kiwis ⇓ All citrus fruits *Choose fruits canned in water or natural juices.
Oils
Add monounsaturated and polyunsaturated vegetable oils to your shopping list to replace solid fats in your daily cooking.
⇓ Olive oil ⇓ Canola oil ⇓ Peanut oil ⇓ Walnut oil		⇓ Corn oil ⇓ Soybean oil ⇓ Safflower oil
Milk
Keep low-fat or fat-free dairy choices on hand to use as healthier substitutes in your favorite recipes.
⇓ Low-fat yogurt ⇓ Low-fat cottage cheese ⇓ Low-fat or fat-free milk		⇓ Fortified soy milk ⇓ Tofu ⇓ Reduced-fat cheese
Meat & Beans
In addition to low-fat traditional meats, poultry and fish, pick up nuts and beans to add healthy protein to your diet.
⇓  Lean beef ⇓ Chicken ⇓ Turkey ⇓ Lentils ⇓ Fish ⇓ Eggs		⇓ Walnuts ⇓ Almonds ⇓ Kidney Beans ⇓ Garbanzo Beans ⇓ Pinto Beans