TO WATCH
FIRST, Take a look at this – http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/shocking-supermarket-secrets
Second, if time permits watch the documentary from UK on how your food is raised
If you are intrigued further, watch this fantastic movie called FOOD INC. This 2010 Oscar-nominated film lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that’s been hidden from Americans.
Some TIPS on Shopping
- Buy fresh or frozen produce and avoid processed food as much as possible. You won’t find coupons for non-processed food.
- Shop around the edges of the supermarket
- Least crowded time is 9 p.m. and 8 a.m and the Least-crowded day of the week – Wednesday. Avoid Mondays – Deliveries to supermarkets don’t typically happen on weekends.
- Familiar produce turns over more quickly than exotic things.
- Fewer ingredients = healthier food
- The more products you see, the more you are likely to buy.
- “Good source of” may mean “bad for you”
- Rainbow-colored cereals and other kiddie catnip are at their eye level.
- Never shop in empty stomach.
- “Reduced fat” may make you fat due to the excess sugar they add to compensate for taste
- Park far away to avoid shopping carts dents and to get a good exercise.
- The majority of organic brands you see in the grocery aisle are owned by giant corporations.
- When it comes to fish and ocean life, there are no federal regulations that makes something “sustainable” or “organic.” So if you see seafood marked as such, be wary.
- Buy in bulk when you can.
- Don’t buy the hype or advertising. “Natural” is anything but Natural. “Lightly sweetened” could mean “sugar overload”. “Zero grams of trans fat” may include trans fat!
- Washing conventional produce doesn’t remove all its pesticides and transform it into organic.
- Based on the most recent data collected from Organic-World.Net, only .6% of American crops are organic and without genetic modification.
- According to the USDA, unless it says “100% organic,” any item labeled “organic” only needs 95% of its ingredients to have been organically grown.
- That prepared food you buy from the deli comes off the shelves of the store, and they aren’t picking the freshest options. Instead, they’ll choose the foods that are closest to their expiration date, saving themselves money. A better bet: cook for yourself.
- Your grocer may be making their wares look more attractive with colored bulbs.
- There’s no telling who has touched the produce before you. So, be certain you wash anything you buy thoroughly—even if it’s organic.
- Fresh could be months old. Sometimes, after being kept in a freezer for months to prevent aging, breads are finally thawed to put on display. This is known as “par-baking”. Similarly, meat is frozen before reaching the supermarket, but then thawed to look fresh in the market’s freezer.
Source: Multiple including RD, Yahoo and Supermarket secrets