Make the Supermarket a Health-Food Store

If you think the only place to buy healthy food is a health food store, think again.

In response to consumer demand, most supermarkets now carry products previously found only at health food stores. But many shoppers are unaware of these products because they're often displayed alongside similar items that are high in fat and food additives.

"If you take a close look, you'll find a wealth of natural foods available in every food category, and significant amounts in your market's cereal, soup, salad dressing, cookie and cracker sections," says Lisa Messinger, author of "Turn Your Supermarket Into a Health Food Store."

"Until a few years ago, supermarkets segregated so-called diet and health foods to a single aisle. More recently, health or natural food items have been mainstreamed throughout the stores," Ms. Messinger says. "The trick, of course, is to learn to tell the truly healthy foods from the overhyped ones."

Becoming an educated consumer

An increasing number of Americans are shopping for healthy foods. "As important as regular exercise is to good health, we're also aware that we still need to get a grip on what we eat," Ms. Messinger says. Study after study has shown a good diet reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease and a host of other preventable health problems.

These guidelines can help you choose healthier foods at the supermarket:

• As often as possible, choose fresh, raw fruits and vegetables. Wash them well before serving. Try for 5 to 13 servings of vegetables and fruit daily. The next best choice is fresh frozen fruits and vegetables.  These are convenient and available year round rather than just seasonally.

• Processed or canned fruits and vegetables often contain added sugar, artificial colors and excess sodium.

• In general, the shorter the ingredient list, the healthier the food. A whole-grain, all-natural bread can contain as few as five ingredients. A brand-name wheat bread containing preservatives, additives and artificial ingredients can have as many as 18 ingredients.

• Choose products with ingredients you recognize as "real" foods (corn, wheat) instead of chemical compounds you can't pronounce.

• Keep in mind ingredients you may wish to avoid -- such as caffeine, sodium, refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup -- and watch for them on food labels.

• Be aware of label hype. Just because a product label has a big, bold "fat-free" banner doesn't mean it's healthy -- it may be high in sodium and sugar. The only way to find out is to read the fine print.

• Read the nutritional information on the label. Quickly scan the (per serving) calorie, fat, cholesterol and sodium totals. Products that contain 30 percent or fewer calories from fat will have 3 grams of fat or less per 100 calories.

"Just by looking at ingredient listings, you'll find lots of products that are whole or natural foods," Ms. Messinger says. "You may also find lots of foods that are good replacements because, even though they may have sugar or some other additive, they are not filled with artificial ingredients or preservatives like other foods in the category."