Talking FACS
Host: Dr. Jennifer Hunter, Assistant Director of Family and Consumer Sciences Extension, University of Kentucky
Guest: Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Food and Nutrition
Episode 6
0:00 Welcome to Talking FACS - what you need to know about family, food, finance and fitness. Hosted by the University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program, our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families and communities to improve quality of life.
0:20 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Hello and welcome back to Talking FACS. Thank you for listening in today. This is Dr. Jenifer Hunter, Assistant Director of Family Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky. Today, I'm pleased to be joined by Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Assistant Extension Professor in the Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition. Heather is with us today to debunk the myth about shopping the perimeter of the grocery store and how to make the most out of inner aisles. Thank you for joining us today, Heather.
0:48 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: Yes. Thanks for having me.
0:49 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: So, I'm excited about this topic, because I've often heard and like I asked you before we started recording, I said, “So, we're talking about how to shop effectively the outer aisles in the grocery store” and you said, “No, no, no. It's about how to shop the inner aisles of the grocery stores”. So, tell us the best way to shop our inner aisles.
1:06 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: So, you know, it's commonly heard that shopping the perimeter of the grocery store is the healthiest way to shop. You know, typically the produce section, the meats and the dairy items are all found around the perimeter of the store, while your package items are located in those inner aisles. And so, that’s why we've heard in the past, “You need to avoid those inner aisles. The healthier foods are on the outside”.
Although, there are many healthy foods found on the perimeter, you know, we obviously want to encourage produce and lean meats and low fat dairy options, we also don't want to make the mistake of avoiding the inner aisles, because there are a lot of really healthy foods tucked into those aisles of the grocery store.
And many consumers find themselves shopping in, maybe, food retailers that don't have the traditional layout of a grocery store, so they may have a lot more packaged items, especially in rural areas where they're not able to get as much produce.
So, I think it's really important that we identify what those packaged, shelf stable items are that are not only budget friendly, but they're also really healthy and are great to build meals around and will stay in the pantry for a long time.
2:09 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: So this is great, because I will admit that I tend to be an aisle wanderer. I like to wander up and down every aisle in the grocery store; which is not the best thing for my budget and probably not the best thing, nutritiously either. But I just like to see what all is there.
2:24 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: Yes.
2:25 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: So, what would be a good way to approach, identifying those healthy foods throughout the grocery store or other retailers?
2:30 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: So, rather than focusing on the perimeter, I think it's best to use the USDA’s My Plate as a guide for building either your grocery list and putting together healthy and balanced meals for you and your family. And so, this is where you're going to focus on, incorporating foods from other food groups and not just relying on the layout at the grocery store.
So, again, we want to focus on fruits, vegetables; which we know are in the produce section, but also found in other places in the grocery store. We want to incorporate grains, because that's what's going to provide our energy. We want to look for lean protein and then dairy.
So, really using that, the visual of the USDA’s My Plate, as your guide in building your grocery list.
3:14 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: That's a great tip. So, I'm wandering those inner aisles, what are examples of healthy foods that should potentially find their way into my cart?
3:23 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: Yes. So, let's start with the grains or the bread-like products; because I think a lot of times, they get a bad rap. Like they're found all over the store. First of all, there might be a bakery section, there’s most likely a bread aisle, there's a snack aisle that has a lot of high-sugar carbohydrate-type foods and you can even find bread products, grain products in the freezer section. But we want to look for a whole grain options. So, that's the key here.
According to My Plate, we should make about half our grains each day be whole grains, because of their added nutrition and fiber. It's great because food retailers, grocery stores, food manufacturers are really starting to see that people are desiring wholegrain food items more. And so, we're seeing that wholegrain bread options are actually at costs comparable to your typical white enriched breads.
So, that's the first one is try to look for items that are wholegrain. And this will be listed either on the food label and it should be the first ingredient listed on the ingredients list.
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, we want to look for shelf stable and affordable options in the canned goods and the freezer sections. Looking for these items that either have reduced sodium, no added sugar or packaged in water or 100% juice are going to be your best option.
And then another thing to keep in mind with My Plate is that when we build our plates at each meal, we really want to aim for half of our plates being fruits and vegetables, with a little bit more vegetables than fruits because of those natural sugars.
And then for protein, we're really encouraged to focus on lean protein. And so, a great example that's found in the middle aisles that we often overlook would be canned seafood; so canned tuna or salmon. And these are incredibly affordable and shelf stable for a pantry.
5:10 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: For instance, as you're talking about the My Plate, I'm actually visioning or envisioning the portion sizes there and then I'm thinking about what I'm going to put on my kiddo’s plate tonight and what it should actually look like, in terms of portions.
5:23 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: Yeah.
5:24 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: So, let me ask this question. If you could come up with a quick grocery list of healthy items found in the center aisles, what would you choose to stock your pantry with?
5:33 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: Okay. So, I would first focus on those wholegrain foods that I previously mentioned. I think they're great to use to build a meal around. And again, you can typically buy in bulk, so you can always have them and they'll last.
What I would add to my grocery list would be brown rice, I would look for a whole grain pasta variety; which would most likely be at a comparable cost to just your plain white pasta. And then, you know, breakfast, I would look for oats or oatmeal. Each of these add fiber and bulk to a meal and are great source of nutrition.
I would look for plant based protein items. So, I had mentioned previously the canned seafood, but we also know that plant based protein items tend to be lower in those unhealthy fats. So, having beans, either dried or canned, in your pantry would be a great option, lentils are another option and then nut butters. So, peanut butter is a really common one. So, those are things that I would find in the middle aisles to add to my list.
And then the last few things I would be sure to have on hand, and you may not think of this right off the top of your head, but it is a few dried herbs and spices. And so, using those, you're going to be less likely to add salt to a meal. So, I think oregano and thyme, just dried herbs, can add up a lot of savory flavor to almost any dish. And then cinnamon is another great one too, especially with kids, because it can add the perception of sweetness. So, that's something you could easily have in your pantry and these will last for a long time.
7:06 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Our kids love to add cinnamon because they feel like it's a really special treat if they had cinnamon on it.
7:11 Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf: Right. Like I love purchasing unsweetened applesauce and then adding cinnamon myself for flavor. It's a great snack.
And then the last thing that I have on my grocery list would be cooking oils, which are going to be found in those center aisles. So, Olive, canola, vegetable oil. These are the oils; they're liquid at room temperature, so they're going to have a high percentage of some healthier fats. And so, they're great to have on hand, rather than relying on butter all the time.
7:37 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Excellent. Well, thank you so much for joining us today, Heather. You’ve definitely given plenty tips. Think about the next time that I'm at the grocery store and aimlessly kind of going up and down the aisle to and things to be looking for and making certain that I'm putting healthier food on our plate at home as well.
7:55 Thank you for listening to Talking FACS. We deliver programs focusing on nutrition, health, resource management, family development and civic engagement. If you enjoy today's podcast, have a question or a show topic idea, leave a ‘Like’ and comment on Facebook @UKFCSEXT. Visit us online at fcs.uky.edu or contact your local extension agent for Family and Consumer Sciences. We build strong families. It starts with us.
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