Virtual Grocery Store
Tour & Label Reading
Brenda Burdette, RD, LD/N
Employee Wellness Coordinator (obtained online)
Updated 8/11 by Dawn Boyden
Lake Stevens High School
Objectives


Be able to navigate through the grocery store
identifying items to choose and avoid in each
aisle.
Be able to effectively read food labels and
choose foods accordingly.
Virtual Grocery Store Tour
Canned Goods
Canned Goods
Snack Crackers
Pasta/Rice
Baking Items/Condiments
Cereal/Coffee
Beverages
We will take a “Virtual”
tour of this grocery store
layout, one aisle at a
time, identifying those
items to choose and
those to limit.
Chips/Bread
Health Foods
Deli/Meats
Bakery
Frozen Items
Dairy
Produce
Checkout
Produce
Checkout
Canned Goods
•. Look for produce that is in
season for maximum flavor
and value.
Snack Crackers
Pasta/Rice
Cereal/Coffee
Beverages
Chips/Bread
Health Foods
Frozen Items
•There is little to avoid
Bakery
Baking Items/ Condiments
Dairya variety of colorful Deli/Meats
• Choose
fresh fruits and vegetables.
Canned Goods
Produce
Checkout
Produce
Canned Goods
Snack Crackers
Pasta/Rice
Baking Items/ Condiments
Cereal/Coffee
Beverages
Chips/Bread
Health Foods
Frozen Items
•Look for ingredients that are
whole wheat or just keep
walking!
Bakery
•BreadsDairy
can be deceiving in Deli/Meats
this area, because they don’t
always have the Nutrition Facts
label on the packaging.
Canned Goods
Bakery
Deli/Meats
Checkout
Produce
Canned Goods
Snack Crackers
Pasta/Rice
Baking Items/ Condiments
Cereal/Coffee
Beverages
Chips/Bread
Health Foods
Frozen Items
•Be wary of high sodium deli
meats and meats with visual
fat around and throughout the
meat (marbling).
Bakery
•Best choices are fish and lean
meats.
Canned Goods
Deli/Meats
Dairy
Canned Goods
Checkout
Canned Goods
Pasta/Rice
•These items can be helpful
for quick cooking, though;
especially canned beans.
Produce
Baking Items/ Condiments
Cereal/Coffee
Beverages
Chips/Bread
Health Foods
Frozen Items
•Opt for the “no added salt”
versions.
Bakery
•High level of salt often is
used as a preservative in
these items.
Canned Goods
Deli/Meats
Snack Crackers
Dairy
Snack Crackers
Canned Goods
Canned Goods
Snack Crackers
Cereal/Coffee
Beverages
Chips/Bread
Health Foods
Frozen Items
Baking Items/ Condiments
Produce
• Be sure that labels stating no
trans fats have not just gone
Checkout
back to the saturated variety.
Deli/Meats
Bakery
•Almost every item in this
section contains a partiallyhydrogenated oil and these
trans fats are as bad, if not
worse, for your heart as
saturated fats.
Pasta/Rice
•Trans Fat
is the main concern
Dairy
in the snack crackers aisle.
Pasta/Rice
Canned Goods
Canned Goods
Snack Crackers
Cereal/Coffee
Beverages
Chips/Bread
Health Foods
Frozen Items
Baking Items/ Condiments
Produce
Checkout
Bakery
It is most important in this
aisle to be mindful of fiber.
Looking for long grain and
brown rice and whole
wheat pasta is important.
Just verify that it is a high
fiber item by reading the
Nutrition Facts label. You
can often incorporate these
items into health, quick
meals.
Deli/Meats
Pasta/Rice
Dairy
Baking Items/Condiments
Canned Goods
Canned Goods
Snack Crackers
Pasta/Rice
Baking Items/ Condiments
Cereal/Coffee
Beverages
Chips/Bread
Health Foods
• Ketchup and barbeque
sauces have plenty of
added sugar.
•Salad dressings, olives,
pickles, and marinades
often have extra sodium.
Produce
Checkout
Deli/Meats
•Can
help with quick
cooking, however, you
have to watch the salt and
sugar content sometimes
hidden in these foods.
Bakery
Frozen Items
Dairy
Cereal/Coffee
Checkout
Canned Goods
Canned Goods
Snack Crackers
Pasta/Rice
•When it comes to cereal,
whole grain and high fiber
are key.
Produce
Baking Items/ Condiments
Cereal/Coffee
Beverages
Chips/Bread
Health Foods
Deli/Meats
•Coffee/Tea:
Select Decaf
or Herbal.
Bakery
Frozen Items
Dairy
Beverages
Checkout
Canned Goods
Canned Goods
Snack Crackers
Pasta/Rice
•Avoid sugar-laden
beverages and opt for
calorie-free flavored waters
instead.
•Be careful of all of the
beverages with added
vitamins, minerals, and
herbs. They may not be a
true value, nor are they
always a healthier choice.
Produce
Baking Items/ Condiments
Cereal/Coffee
Beverages
Chips/Bread
Health Foods
Deli/Meats
Bakery
Frozen Items
Dairy
Chips/Bread
Canned Goods
Canned Goods
Snack Crackers
Pasta/Rice
• Bread choices should be
high fiber for greatest
nutritional benefit.
Checkout
Produce
Baking Items/ Condiments
•Choosing baked chips or
trans-fat free popcorn can
be a way to have your
snacks and eat them too.
Cereal/Coffee
Beverages
Chips/Bread
Health Foods
Deli/Meats
Bakery
Frozen Items
Dairy
Health Foods
Dairy
Deli/Meats
Checkout
Produce
Canned Goods
Canned Goods
Snack Crackers
Baking Items/ Condiments
Cereal/Coffee
Pasta/Rice
Beverages
Chips/Bread
Health Foods
Frozen Items
•Caution: Nutrition bars have
the same calories as candy
bars!
Bakery
•Some of these foods can fit into
a healthy diet, if you do so
wisely.
Dairy
Canned Goods
Canned Goods
Snack Crackers
Pasta/Rice
•Full fat dairy is too high in
calories –
* Cheddar cheese is half fat
* 2% milk is not low-fat. 1/3 of
the calories are from fat!
Produce
Baking Items/ Condiments
Cereal/Coffee
Beverages
Chips/Bread
Health Foods
Deli/Meats
•Adding
low-fat dairy items into
your daily diet has been shown
to help with weight loss.
Bakery
Frozen Items
Dairy
Dairy
•If you are lactose intolerant,
consider calcium fortified soy
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milk or orange juice.
Frozen Items
Pasta/Rice
Snack Crackers
Baking Items/ Condiments
Cereal/Coffee
Beverages
Chips/Bread
Health Foods
•Frozen at the peak of
freshness
Bakery
Frozen Items
Frozen fruits and
vegetables:
Canned Goods
Deli/Meats
Canned Goods
Dairy
•Contain all of the vitamins
and minerals of the fresh
produce
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Produce
•Can be kept “fresh” for an
extended period of time
Nuts & Bolts of Label Reading


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Don’t be swayed the claims/packaging
Look at the Nutrition Facts label for regulated
information
Jan 2006 – Trans-fat and allergens are now
required on the label
Food Labels- Servings
• The first thing to notice is the
serving size.
• Multiply following
information by the number of
servings you consume.
Food Labels- Calories
• “Calorie density”
• Calories from fat
Food Labels- Fat
• How “fat laden” is the item?
• No more than 30% of your daily
calories from fat.
• 1,600 calories/day diet = no
more than 53 grams of fat each
day (9 calories in a gram of fat).
• Limit Saturated and Trans fat
Food Labels- Daily Value
• The % Daily Value column
is intended to be your guide,
without having you do all of
the math!
• Based on a 2,000 calorie diet
Use the “5-20 Rule”
Choose foods that contain 5% Daily Value of
fat, sodium, cholesterol, but a 20% Daily
Value of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Food Labels- Cholesterol &
Sodium
• Cholesterol no more than 300 mg
per day.
• Sodium should be limited to no
more than 2,300 mg per day.
Food Labels- Carbohydrate
• Total Carbohydrate about ½ of your
daily calories.
• 1,600 calorie/day diet = approximately 200
grams of carbohydrate per day (4 calories per
gram).
Simple Sugars
(mono or disaccharides)
• glucose
• fructose (fruit & honey)
• sucrose (table sugar)
• lactose (dairy)
• maltose (alcohol)
Complex Carbohydrates
(polysaccharides)
• starch
• fiber
Food Labels- Carbohydrate
• High Fiber - more than 5grams
of fiber per serving.
• Fiber and sugar alcohols (i.e.
sorbitol, xylitol) are subtracted
from the Total Carbohydrate
amount (“Net” or “Impact
Carbs”).
Food Labels- Carbohydrate
• Sugars includes both naturally occurring
and added sugars.
• “No Added Sugar”
• When looking at ingredients, words ending in
“-ose” are sources of sugar. Other sweeteners
include:
brown sugar
confectioner’s sugar
corn sweeteners
high fructose corn syrup
crystallized sugar cane
dextrin
honey
maple sugar
raw sugar
cane sugar
corn syrup
invert sugar
evaporated cane juice
fruit juice concentrate
malt
turbinado sugar
Food Labels- Protein
• Protein 20% of total calories
• 1,600 calorie diet = 80 grams of protein per day
(4 calories per gram).
• 0.8 grams of protein/kg of body weight (i.e. a 150
lb. person only needs 55 grams of protein/day).
• North Americans generally eat 3 to 5 times more
protein than they need.
• 3 oz. portion of Sirloin = approximately 27g of
protein.
• 2-3 servings of meat (6-9 oz.)/day = approximately
54-81 grams of protein.
• Excess protein intake can be stressful on kidneys,
lead to osteoporosis, and may put you at risk for
heart disease.
Food Labels- Vitamins & Minerals
• Americans typically do not
get enough of these; aim for
100% daily.
Now You can Shop Smart!