Strategy 3; Shop till you drop : Weight loss begins in the grocery store. Follow our lowfat, high-nutrient shopping list. Then, create the easy, low-cal meals, snacks and recipes in our eating plan - pounds - Nutrition

Shape, May, 2002 by Robin Vitetta-Miller

Stocking up on healthy, lowfat, high-fiber foods is key to any weight-loss plan. When nutrient-rich food is easily accessible, you're likely to actually use what's on hand to create meals, and to nosh on healthier foods too. To wit: If you don't keep Doritos in your cupboard, you'll probably reach for the whole-grain crackers and reduced-fat peanut butter instead.

Grab a cart. Here's how to load your cabinets, refrigerator and freezer with the best choices your grocery store has to offer. After you return home to unload, you'll be just one step away from weight loss and good health.

A week's worth of groceries

Listed under each food group you'll find: you need to buy (and eat) these foods and your "Best Picks," a grocery list for the healthy foods (including the brand names to look for) you'll need for "Your New Weight-Loss Meal Plan" on page 158.

Grocery shopping for a healthy, more plant-based diet is often less expensive than loading up on traditional American staples like red meat, butter, cheese, high-sugar cereals and snacks. One simple dinner consisting of a 3-ounce sirloin steak, a baked potato and 1 cup of broccoli costs approximately $7.66. The cost of the first dinner in our meal plan on page 162 (Kasha and Pasta With Lemon Pesta served with a spinach and tomato salad) is a much more frugal $3.89 per serving.

The Whole-Grain Aisles: Breads, Cereals and Grains Why When you opt for whole grains over refined products (such as white rice and white flour), you get more fiber, folic acid, magnesium, vitamins E and [B.sub.6], copper, zinc, and dozens of phytochemicals - which all help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Become an avid label-reader to make sure you're getting whole grains (just because bread is brown doesn't make it whole grain). The product is whole grain if the first ingredient is whole grain, whole wheat or rye (plain wheat flour is not whole grain). Opt for breads with 2 or more grams of fiber per slice (most slices range from 70-90 calories).

Best Picks

Breakfast Cereals

1 box Kellogg's All-Bran

1 box General Mills Total

1 container Quaker Oats (original or quick-cooking)

Grains

1 box quick-cooking brown rice

1 box buckwheat groats (kasha)

1 box quinoa

1 pack corn tortillas

1 pack whole-wheat tortillas

1 box reduced-fat Triscuits

1 box whole-wheat pasta spirals (or any pasta shape)

Bread

1 loaf Pepperidge Farm Natural WholeGrain

The Produce Section

Why There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables, all of which help prevent cancer, heart disease, macular degeneration (age-related blindness), neural-tube birth defects, diabetes and obesity. Research has shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help manage your weight.

Best Picks

1 kiwi

1 papaya

1 apricot

1 cantaloupe

2 mandarin oranges or 1 orange

1 basket strawberries

1 avocado

2 beefsteak tomatoes

1 acorn squash

1 bunch Swiss chard

1 bag baby spinach leaves

1 head red lettuce

1 cucumber

7-ounce jar roasted red peppers

1 garlic bulb

1 medium onion

1 green bell pepper

1 bunch broccoli raab or 1 head broccoli

2 lemons

1 lime

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1-ounce container prepared pesto (such as Buitoni; refrigerated in the produce or dairy aisle)

1-inch piece fresh ginger root

3 bananas

1 honeydew melon

1 bunch red grapes

1-pound bag baby carrots

The Beans/Legumes Aisle

Why Beans are among the best sources of folic acid, a powerful B vitamin that promotes a healthy heart and the development of a healthy baby. Beans are also an excellent source of dietary fiber, important for a happy colon. Both canned and dried beans offer the same nutrition, just be sure to rinse canned beans to remove excess salt before using. Peanuts are actually legumes, too, (legumes are the fruit or seed portion of a plant) and they're an excellent source of fiber and vitamin E too.

Nutritionally, most legumes are similar, except lentils, which pack a bit more folic acid: 1 cup of cooked lentils has 100 micrograms more than black, navy and white beans, 76 mcg more than garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas), and 66 mcg more than pinto beans (lentils have 358 mcg per cup). As for fiber: kidney beans and lentils have 16 grams of fiber per 1 cup cooked; black, navy and pinto beans have 14 grams of fiber per cup; white beans have 12 grams of fiber per cup; and garbanzo beans have 10 grams of fiber per cup.

Best Picks

15-ounce can pinto beans

15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

15-ounce can white beans

8-ounce can cut green beans

18-ounce jar reduced-fat peanut butter (Jif)

The Fish Counter

Why Many varieties of fish are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, a type of fat that fends off arterial blockages, helps relax narrowed arteries so blood can flow through, reduces blood levels of a very-low-density lipoprotein associated with heart disease, and promotes healing of arterial walls. The types with the most omega-3's include the rich, oily, dark-fleshed fish, such as salmon, sardines, bluefin tuna, trout and mackerel (also known as kingfish or king mackerel).