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    Healthy eating made easy

    "A" icon to represent Aetna By Aetna

    Planning is everything

    You hear it all the time — healthy eating is all about making better food choices. It’s about picking healthier options, like whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. But often, there are just too many things to choose from.

    Thinking about this can be overwhelming. It makes eating healthy seem hard. But it doesn’t have to be. With planning and purposeful shopping, you can make it easier.

    After all, eating well allows you to feel good, have more energy and improve your health. Who wouldn’t want that?

    Make healthy choices as you shop

    Life can get busy. You may not enjoy cooking or have time to prepare a homemade meal. And that’s okay. There are many options for snacks and foods that are convenient, easy to prepare and still plenty healthy. Give these a try when you’re pressed for time or just in need of a quick snack:

    • Bagged, precut veggies or premade salad kits
    • Frozen entrees that are lower in fat, calories and/or sodium
    • Ready-to-eat fruits, such as apples, oranges, berries or grapes
    • Trail mix, nuts or dried fruit
    • Single-serving cups of unsweetened applesauce or nonfat yogurt

    Healthy eating starts with healthy supermarket runs. Make the most of your shopping trip with these tips:

    Check your kitchen before shopping

    Look through your fridge and pantry. Make sure you’re not letting any food go to waste before you go out to buy more.

    Make a list

    Plan out your meals so you know what you need ahead of time. This will keep you from adding unnecessary items to your cart. It’ll also save you time and money.

    Look out for coupons

    Save money by finding good deals on healthy items. Check weekly grocery ads or download a shopping app that offers discounts.

    Know where to go

    Check your community for local farmers markets to find the freshest foods. If you’re at the supermarket, try to shop around the outer edges of the store for the healthiest ingredients like fruits, vegetables, dairy and meats. The center aisles tend to include the more processed foods.

    Buy healthy

    As you shop, buy items that are lower in fats, calories and sodium whenever possible. Choose drinks that have little or no added sugar.

    Be realistic

    Buy only what you need for the week. And make sure you can consume these foods within that time frame.

    Download a PDF of this article here.

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