For many people, staying in shape starts and stops with their shopping habits. The number of times people say things like “I was going to eat well last night but I couldn’t help myself once I opened the freezer and saw the ice cream”. To ensure that you only bring the foods that you know you should eat, below list of the 13 great shopping tips:

1. Make a shopping list before you leave home and stick to it.
2. Avoid shopping on an empty stomach.
3. Be aware of the serving sizes on the food labels. Often they are much smaller than what you would actually consume.
4. Be aware of foods with advertising lures such as 99% fat free written on them. They may contain excessive carbohydrate contents, which may be counter-productive.
5. Avoid the end of the aisles and register shopping items.
6. Avoid the sweet aisles.
7. Develop the habit of reading and comparing food labels.
8. Choose fresh ingredients over processed.
9. Choose low-fat cheese rather than reduced fat cheese. Reduced fat products are not necessarily low in fat.
10. Be aware of the carbohydrate contents of many low-fat foods.
11. Choose the leanest meat possible at the deli.
12. Be aware of the terms “light” and “lite” – they do not always mean low fat.
13. Add seafood to your diet on a regular basis.

Did you know that some fats may actually help to promote fat loss? According to Donna Aston (Fat or Fiction, 1999), due to its slower absorption rate (5 to 8 hours), fat helps to:

• balance blood sugar levels,
• manufacture sex and adrenal hormones,
• maintain body temperature and
• transport essential vitamins around the body (vitamins A, D, E and K).

Without fat in our diet, we tend to consume more energy due to unsatisfied hunger pangs. Therefore, you should include some fat in your diet.

The quality of fat that we consume has a major bearing on our well-being. Saturated fats are found primarily in animal products including beef, lamb, pork and chicken. They are also present in egg yolk and in the dairy fats of cream, milk, cheese and butter. Coconut and palm oil, vegetable shortening and margarine are sources of saturated fat from the plant kingdom and are present in a relatively high degree in commercially prepared cakes, pies, biscuits and chocolate. Saturated fats unfortunately are considered to be “bad” fats because they are major contributors to coronary heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.

Unsaturated fats are generally considered to be good fats, as some may decrease the risk of disease. Fats from plants and seafood are generally unsaturated. Mono-unsaturated fats include olive, peanuts and canola oils.

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) must be supplied through the diet. They are necessary for healthy blood and arteries, nerves and normal growth. As they are used for structural and metabolic functions, as opposed to an energy source, EFAs are far less likely to create an increase in body fat. They have actually been shown to assist the body in burning fat more efficiently. A deficiency in EFAs can lead to impaired learning, growing and thinking abilities, due to a reduction in brain cell number and size.

Essential fatty acids may reduce the risk of many diseases and actually assist in the fat burning process.

Omega 6 fatty acids are found in the oils of seeds from plants. They include safflower oil, sunflower oil, evening primrose oil, corn oil, sesame oil and flaxseed oil. These fatty acids are important for the transport and breakdown of cholesterol.

Omega 3 fatty acids are primarily found in the oils of cold-water fish such as herring, tuna, salmon and sardines. Plant sources of Omega 3 fatty acids include tofu, walnuts, dried beans, lecithin and wheat germ. The molecular structure of the acids may help to prevent blood clots, lower blood pressure, and increase plasma HDL and decrease LDL cholesterol.

Omega 3 fatty acids are more readily burned up than other types of fat. That is, they enter the fat cells at the same rate, but come out to be used up more readily as energy than other types of fat.

GLAs are found in blackcurrant seed oil and evening primrose oil. They have a number of benefits including reducing body fat and decreasing blood pressure and cholesterol. Deficiencies in GLA include hair loss, swollen joints, dry skin, irritability, lethargy, infection, infertility, poor liver function and poor tissue structure.

Omega 9 fatty acids, found in olives, almonds, avocadoes, peanuts, cashews, land animals and butter are not essential fats. However, they are considered to be a healthy addition to the diet.

Attempting to cut out every single gram of fat from your diet will do you more harm than good, especially in terms of achieving a better looking and healthier body shape.