My 5 Basic Rules for Healthy Food Shopping

On a recent swelteringly hot day I ate perfectly chilled heirloom melon given to me by a friend who grew it in her abundant garden. My whole body sang with the perfume-like flavor, and I was cooled for hours. Later that day I made dinner with vegetables bought at a local farm stand, and while enjoying the meal I was transported by the sweetness of the zucchini, and astonished: it was almost as sugary as the melon.

These culinary delights reflect the heaven-on-earth experience of eating freshly picked produce grown in well-tended, healthy gardens.

How many of us dream to eat such fresh and flavorful food year round, even in the north? Not to be discouraged, when I shop for groceries I always put anything I buy through a mental screening process that has centered on five basic rules to this end. The result is wonderful whole food year round, if not always perfectly fresh.

Here are my five basic rules for healthy food shopping. Be forewarned that most of the items that fill up the average shopper’s cart today won’t pass my test and would need to be left in the store!

1. Buy only real, whole food, and eliminate refined, processed, or genetically modified food.
2. Buy local and seasonal food whenever possible.
3. Buy organic produce whenever possible.
4. Avoid additives such as artificial sweeteners and preservatives.
5. Buy animal products from farms that raise them humanely.

Read more: Family, Green Kitchen Tips, Smart Shopping

By Annie B. Bond

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Danielle M.

9:39PM PDT on Apr 21, 2012

It's that easy!

send a green star

Liz E.

12:26PM PDT on Apr 20, 2012

My sentiments exactly!

Sam M.

6:38AM PDT on Apr 20, 2012

Thank you Annie, I agree wholeheartedly. :)

Kath R.

10:37AM PST on Jan 1, 2012

I agree with all of your points.

Jennifer C.

12:33AM PDT on Sep 22, 2011

Thanks for this post.

May H.

12:58PM PDT on Sep 21, 2011

good article

KS G.

11:23PM PDT on Jul 22, 2011

Thanks for the article.

Heather D.

6:48PM PDT on Jul 20, 2011

Thanks for the advice!

Elle D.

6:52PM PDT on Apr 27, 2011

Great advice to eat by!

Lucien B.

5:48PM PDT on Apr 17, 2011

I totally agree about the wise ingestion of only organic foods. They are the only way to real food and even beer instead of the synthetic stuff.
How to Realize That: Organically Grown Foods Are Our Only Hope