Eight ways to stick it to the Supermarket ‘Man’

Posted on 8 July, 2015

In Australia, only two companies own almost 80 per cent of the grocery market. This gives them an incredible amount of power, particularly when it comes to the price of local food and produce acquired from Australian farms.

Also, the majority of the products they sell are processed, packaged food loaded with excess fat, sugar and energy with many of us being heavily persuaded by large displays, 2 for 1 deals and massive marketing budgets.

We’d be better off both health wise and financially if we stopped buying around 70 per cent of their products and just stuck to the basics of whole, fresh foods. In fact, you can buy whole, fresh foods without even stepping into a supermarket.

If you’ve always wanted to stick it to the supermarket man, but not sure where to start then read on, I have eight ways you can reduce your spend on processed foods, buy local and improve your health all at the same time.

1. Make your own salad dressings

Bottled salad dressings are full of empty kilojoules (energy without nutrients) and unnecessarily high in poor quality fat, salt, sugar and other non-nutritive additives such as thickeners, gels, flavours and preservatives.

A better alternative to dressing your salads and adding flavour to your meals is to make the dressings yourself. Using foods such as ginger, garlic, lemon juice, lime juice, fresh chilli, vinegar, mustard, fresh herbs and spices are a great way of naturally adding flavour to your food without adding lots of fat, salt or sugar. Head to your local market and grab all these rich flavor foods without stepping into a supermarket at all. Here are some ideas:

Balsamic

• ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil (this is healthy fat)
• ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar

Shake and drizzle over a raw salad or chargrilled vegetables

Ginger Lime

• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger (you can also use minced ginger from a jar)
• ½ tsp brown sugar

Shake and drizzle over raw or steamed asian greens

Mustard Vinaigrette 

• ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• ½ tbsp red wine vinegar
• ½ tsp honey

Shake and drizzle over a fresh garden salad. Add roast pumpkin, crumbled feta and sun dried tomatoes.

2. Stay natural with your yoghurt

Low-fat or flavoured yoghurts can contain non-nutritive additives such as thickeners, gels and flavours. Some also contain artificial sweeteners or high amounts of added sugar.

A better alternative is to make your own yoghurt. It’s very simple, easy to do and much cheaper than buying it. All you need is milk, a pot set natural yoghurt with live cultures and a bit of time.

If making your own yoghurt seems time consuming for you then buy plain or natural yoghurts with ingredients that only include milk (skim or whole) and cultures. Sweeten by adding your own fruit or a teaspoon or two of honey. You can grab amazing natural yoghurt at The Capital Region Farmer’s Market and avoid the supermarkets altogether.

3. Become a smart snacker

Snacking on highly processed foods such as crackers, chips, biscuits, cakes, slices, muffins and other processed foods can lead to poor health. These foods are loaded with sugar or refined carbohydrates and often high in fat and energy and poor sources of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

Carbohydrate is an important part of your diet but you should be getting it from less processed sources such as legumes, lentils, beans, whole grains, raw nuts, fruit and vegetables. These foods are all available at your local farmer’s market and will also supply your body with plenty of health-promoting fibre and antioxidants.

If you need to buy a processed or packaged snacks, which is totally fine in moderation, look for at least 3 grams of fibre per serve and minimal added sugar.

4. You don’t get vitamins from water

Nutrient enhanced waters or drinks are a waste of money. You can get all the vitamins and minerals that you need from eating a well-balanced diet. Also, the vitamins and minerals that these drinks contain (vitamin C and B vitamins) are very abundant in our diets anyway. See a nutritionist or dietitian if you think you need extra vitamins and they can educate you on the best way to meet your body’s needs.

Many of these drinks also contain added sugar or artificial sweeteners. Plain water is always the best thing to drink. Breaking the habit of always having to drink something sweet to drink will set you up well for a healthy lifestyle and also help curb other sugar cravings. The supermarket chains make a very good income off these so called ‘health foods’. You don’t need them, save your money for the new clothes you’ll need to buy after you’ve lost weight from eating so well.

Try The Healthy Eating Hub’s infused water jug recipe to jazz up your water the healthy way.

5. Do spread yourself thin

Butter, margarine, olive oil or other dairy blends are very high in fat and low in nutrition. If you do use them, spread them nice and thinly, rather than slathering it on. I would also be very cautious of people encouraging you to put butter in your coffee or lashings of it in your cooking. It requires moderating in our diets like most things.

Try using healthier, less processed fats instead. Spread avocado or hummus on your toast, sandwiches and wraps. Use extra virgin olive oil or good quality coconut or nut oil in your cooking or salad dressings. Try 100% natural nut butters such as peanut, cashew or almond.

6. Make your own breakfast cereal

Breakfast cereals take up an entire supermarket aisle. Even I get lost and confused in there. Most breakfast cereals are poor sources of dietary fibre and loaded with sugar, yet they contain the most health claims on their packets than almost any other product.

Try making up your own breakfast cereal by combining a bunch of whole, minimally processed ingredients. Try The Healthy Eating Hub’s muesli recipe.

Adding psyllium husk, LSA (linseed soy & almond meal), wheat bran or raw nuts and seeds to a plain supermarket brand cereal like Weetbix or porridge are  great ways of adding fibre to your breakfast and keep your sugar intake low.

7. Chewing gum advice

Chewing gum contains artificial sweeteners and in large amounts they can have a laxative effect on your bowels. Not fun. Use chewing gum in moderation. If you are using it as a means of curbing your food cravings, try herbal teas instead. They are hydrating, have beautiful flavours but contain no energy or artificial sweeteners.

Brush your teeth after every meal, this has the same appetite suppressing effect as chewing gum without the laxative effect. It’s also much better for your teeth as well.

8. Bacon is not a superfood

Bacon and other processed meats such as salami, sausages and rissoles are high in fat as well as salt and other additives such as nitrates, which aren’t good for us in high amounts.

Fresh, unprocessed meat, poultry and seafood is always best. Poach some fresh chicken breast and keep in the fridge for up to three days. Slice it as needed for your meals. You can do the same for other meats that have been roasted or baked such as beef, lamb or pork. Boil up some eggs and keep them in the fridge for up to three days. Peel as needed and add them to your sandwiches, wraps and salads. If you’ve only got deli meat to choose from the better choices are: shaved chicken breast, roast beef and ham off the bone (in moderation). Other great protein sources to add to your meals are tuna, salmon or sardines.

Feature image courtesy of Shutterstock.