Long work hours and unfinished to-do lists often push our healthy eating habits to the back burner. But being too busy doesn’t have to be your excuse for ordering a pizza or picking up dinner at the drive-thru window. More and more, health-conscious consumers are relying on their supermarkets as a place to grab a freshly made, healthy meal. Consumers’ increasing focus on eating fresh, healthy foods has presented a huge opportunity for supermarkets’ prepared foods programs. Storeowners also recognize the economic challenges many shoppers are currently facing: As gasoline and food prices climb, shoppers are looking for less expensive alternatives to restaurant takeout.
Consider these healthy options from your supermarket grab-and-go:
• Rotisserie chicken that can be added to salads or shredded for burritos or chicken salad.
• Go to the seafood counter and have them steam your shrimp, clams or lobster right there. You’ll also find ready-to-cook kebabs and pre-seasoned fish steaks in the seafood case, as well as sushi.
• Soup it up! Made from scratch soups are also available to buy by the cup, pint or quart. Broth-based soups with lots of vegetables are filling yet low in calories.
• Pre-washed salad and slaw mixes make salad prep a breeze. Butternut squash comes peeled and cubed, ready for steaming or roasting and broccoli comes without the tough stems.
There are also pitfalls that you should be careful to avoid:
• Fried chicken, fried fish and anything fried should be avoided. The calorie, fat and sodium levels are all likely to exceed healthy limits.
• Pasta dishes, especially mac ‘n cheese, tend to be very high in calories. And they’re rarely prepared with whole grain pastas. If you’re hungry for pasta, choose a dish that’s made with a red sauce and lots of vegetables. Be sure to watch portion size, too.
• Expand your palate and explore some of the many ethnic dishes available in today’s deli case. The foods often include healthy beans, lentils or veggies that don’t show up as often in mainstream American foods.
• When purchasing prepared entrees, think about smaller portion size. That leaves plenty of room on your plate for a big salad of mixed greens plus veggies, fruit and whole grain roll or rice pilaf.
