Shopping list for health-conscious shoppers
On the way home from work, the shopping trolley gets easily filled with familiar products as shoppers in a hurry do not have time to think about and check what information is marked on packages.
Health-conscious eaters should prepare for food shopping by giving it a little thought beforehand, since whatever is bought is generally also eaten – irrespective of whether it is healthy fruit or a giant bag of sweets.
The familiar example plate works also as a food basket model in a shop. As with the plate, you fill half of the shopping basket with fruit and vegetables. Secure choices are products that bear the Heart Symbol. In Finland, the symbol is awarded only to products that meet product group-specific criteria, and it informs shoppers at a glance that the product is a healthier choice.
Fruit and vegetables
There is no need for rationing in the fruit and vegetable department. Vegetables contain only a small amount of energy but a lot of vitamins, mineral and trace elements as well as fibre. The daily recommendation is to eat half a kilo, i.e. 6 handfuls, of vegetables per day. Cooks in a hurry can increase their vegetable quota with ready-chopped frozen vegetables, ready-mixed salads or even mini carrots that can be eaten as they are.
Products from the bread department
Contrary to what is generally believed, the energy content of a slice of bread is equivalent to one full glass of juice. The best choices include products rich in fibre and low in salt. Rye bread is a real fibre and nutrient bomb, but among whiter breads thre are healthy alternatives. Check the packaging to ensure that the bread in the basket contains a minimum of 6 grams of fibre and no more than 0.7 per cent of salt per 100 grams. The bread department offers a wide range of options. How would Finnish unleavened barley bread or rye crispbread taste for a change? Both contain a lot of fibre and nutrients. Pitta bread and tortilla pancakes familiar from ethnic cuisines are available as wholemeal options. In addition to bread, even health-conscious shoppers can put bakery products into their basket for treats. The selection for everyday treats includes buns and pies made with bun dough.
Meat, fish and cold cuts
At the meat and fish departments, shoppers fill the shopping basket with lots of good-quality protein, vitamins A and B and iron that is absorbed easily. The amount and composition of fat in meat varies according to animal. Health-conscious shoppers can choose low-fat meat, such as roast beef or pork or a fillet, unmarinated chicken or turkey without the skin. Mincemeat low in fat is also available. Fish should be chosen for the shopping basket at least twice a week, alternating between different types of fish, because fish contains the important vitamin D and monounsaturated fat.
As to sausages and meat products, health-conscious shoppers choose those low in fat and salt. Light toppings and fillings for bread are low-fat ham, chicken and turkey slices and sausages with a fat content of less than 12%. The Heart Symbol, which informs shoppers at a glance that the product contains less fat and salt, makes choosing easier in the cold cuts department.
Milk and milk products
Including milk products in the shopping basket builds
up protein, calcium, iodine and vitamin B. In winter, milk products
fortified with vitamin D ensure an adequate supply of this
important vitamin. Everyday choices are what count in a healthy
diet. Therefore, in terms of milk, a small change in the type of
milk makes a large difference in the amount of energy and fat.
Changing from three glasses of semi-skimmed milk to skimmed milk
will reduce the energy intake by 33,000 kcal per year, which is
equivalent to losing 4.7 kilos in weight. The change will also
reduce the amount of harmful hard fat in the diet.
The best choices among sour whole milk and yoghurt are products containing the least fat and sugar. The amount of calcium in these products is the same but the amount of energy and fat are significantly less compared with ordinary products. There is also only a little fat in cottage cheese and curd cheese. Try using these in cooking, in desserts and salads.
Milk products department is where you also choose for the shopping baskets the products used in making food. Health-conscious shoppers choose for food preparation low-fat (under 10%) creams, food creams containing vegetable fat (less than 15% fat) and light milk-based or vegetable fat-based unripened cheeses (less than 10% fat).
Cheese
Cheese with less than 17% fat is chosen for everyday cheese. There is a large selection of light cheeses and, thanks to product development, today's light cheeses have come a long way from the light "rubber cheeses" of days gone by. There are light versions available of many special cheeses, such as blue cheese, white mould cheese, goat gouda, tilsette and bierkäse cheeses, worth trying on a cheese board. Now and again shoppers can treat themselves with cheeses with a greater fat content. Health-conscious shoppers ensure even then that less than one-third of the fat in the cheese is hard fat.
Spreads
Eating a lot of fat puts on the kilos, but even health-conscious shoppers should see to it that their diet contains adequate amounts of the right kind of soft fat. Vegetable oils, margarine in tubs and liquid margarine contain soft fat that is good for the system, and ensure a supply of essential fatty acids. Good choices from the fat section are products in which the content of saturated fat (often shown by a red column on the packaging) is less than one third of the total fat content.
Ready meals
Ready meals are the saviour to a busy day. Pizzas, hamburgers and
meat pies contain a lot of energy, but there are also lighter
options available. Healthy and easy alternatives are ready meals
labelled with the Heart Symbol and the Meals Wellbeing products,
the preparation of which has given consideration to the amount of
energy, fat and salt.
Soups made of clear stock, casseroles with macaroni, liver, Baltic
herring, cabbage or vegetables, risottos, spinach and blood
pancakes as well as grilled and oven meatballs are good choices
among industrial ready meals and frozen food.
Cereals, pasta and rice
As to grains, shoppers fill their baskets with carbohydrates,
fibres, B- roup vitamins and iron, in other words with muesli,
breakfast cereals, porridge flakes, pasta and rice. The fat and
sugar content of these varies; good options for breakfast and
snacks include wholegrain porridge flakes or cereals and mueslis
rich in fibre and low in sugar and salt.
Of the accompaniments, choose wholegrain pasta and rice as they
contain a lot of vitamins, minerals and fibre. As an alternative,
it is also worth trying rice-grain mixtures, wholemeal noodles or
couscous. The more exotic quinoa also contains a lot of fibre.
