The supermarket has many foods to choose from. How do we know which are nutritious? Some label information can help us make wise food choices. How can you best meet your daily nutritional needs? Here are some tips to help you along.

First of all, pay attention to food labels. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires most foods to be labeled. Food labels are the most recognized and useful nutrition information tool in the U.S. You can read the label and know how much fat, saturated fat, fiber and sugar you are consuming. In addition the label tells us about the calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C and iron content of the food. These nutrients are the four nutrients most likely to be low in the diets of Americans. Picking foods high in these nutrients helps to assure that you meet these needs. Besides the food label, many foods also display the Food Guide Pyramid. The pyramid reminds us that grains should be the foundation of our food choices, followed by fruits/vegetables then meat/dairy and lastly sweets.

Some tips to help us make wise food selections include:
* Do not shop while hungry. If you have to rush to the store before a meal, drink a large glass of water and eat a piece of fruit on the way. This will prevent you from grabbing low nutrient snack foods to cure your hunger pangs.
* Be aware of feature items at the end of shopping aisles. These foods are usually loaded with fat and/or excess calories.
* Select your produce first and fill the basket up! Fresh fruits and vegetables are essential to a healthy diet. Although these foods do not have a food label they are generally rich in vitamins A, C, and other healthful nutrients.
* Choose low fat choices. Watch out for the dairy case. Low fat milk products can be just as flavorful without all the extra fat and calories.
* Shop from a list. This will help reduce the temptation to buy less healthy food.
* If you plan to buy sweets, select either low fat alternatives such as angel food cake, vanilla wafers, or fig newtons. Chose smaller package sizes or pre-packaged single servings. That way you'll be less likely to over-eat.
* If you find it hard to pass up unhealthful choices in the supermarket, take a friend shopping with you.

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