How to Select Healthy Snacks When Shopping at the Supermarket

If you think about the types of foods people ate before supermarkets were invented, you would have a good idea of what consists of healthy foods.

Basic, non-processed foods are perfect healthy snacks.

The best way to find out what is healthy to eat and what is not when you when you are shopping at the grocery store is to look at the nutrition label.

The more ingredients it consists of, the less healthy it will be. Also, steer clear of anything that contains ingredients that you have never heard of.

Most likely it is some sort of unhealthy, processed ingredient.

Look for ingredient lists that contain as few ingredients as possible. Usually the product will consist of the most basic, unprocessed ingredients.

If you go to the produce section, you will not see ingredient lists, since these foods are at their most basic, raw form. Keep reading to find other ways to get healthy.

What are good things to eat? Buy things like whole wheat flour, unprocessed oats, dried fruit and spices that you like. You can find them in the baking aisle.

They are usually inexpensive and you can make tons of healthy, homemade snacks with them.

Some great ideas for healthy homemade snack foods are: Banana bread, oatmeal-raisin cookies, granola, smoothies and trail mix.

If stored in the refrigerator, these foods will usually keep for up to two weeks.

You can find some great, healthy and filling snacks in the dairy department. Yogurt and cheese are great options.

When looking at cheese, find cheeses that are low in sodium. Eat small amounts when you do snack on cheese since they contain fat.

If you are lactose intolerant, try to find an aged cheese. The longer the cheese has aged, the easier it will be on your digestive system.

String cheese is a great to-go option since they are individually wrapped. Babybel cheese is another mild cheese that is individually wrapped.

Yogurt is another great option. Try to look for yogurts that are low in sugar. Normally, if it has a flavor, it will also have a lot of sugar in it.

You could buy plain yogurt and add fresh, cut-up fruit to add your own flavor with a lot less sugar.

Greek yogurt is a great, healthy snack. It's higher in protein than regular yogurt since it is more dense (less water). You get more bang for the buck!

Fruits and vegetables are the least expensive and best snacks in the grocery store. There are tons of different varieties and lots of different ways to eat them.

You could eat them raw, bake them or dry them. Try to choose produce in as many colors as possible. Each color represents different vitamins and minerals.

For instance, orange-colored fruits (oranges) and vegetables (sweet potatoes) are high in Vitamin C. Dark Green fruits and vegetables (kale and spinach) are high in Iron.

Fruit can be eaten raw for the most convenience. Bananas are great on-the-go snacks since they are already wrapped in their own peels. Even individual-sized, cut-up fruit is a wonderful idea for a healthy snack.

Vegetables can be sliced up and dipped in sauce. Cherry tomatoes can even be eaten on the go.

Just make sure you wash your fruits and vegetables before eating them if you can.

Stay away from any processed foods that contain long ingredient lists with ingredients that are hard to pronounce or you have never heard of.

Ingredient lists begin with the ingredient that is found in the largest amounts and as you get toward the end of the ingredient lists, you will see the ingredients that are minimally contained in the product.

Steer clear of anything that contains MSG's, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, artificial colorings or high sugar or salt content.

A product might look healthy, but when you look at the ingredient list, you will sometimes find these nutritional no-no's.

You can actually find some original, basic foods that are healthier than their heavily advertised counterparts.