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CNN Saturday Morning News

Summer Shape-Up: Interview With Dietitian Kimberly Glenn

Aired June 22, 2002 - 08:43   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is the moment you've been waiting for, summer shape-up time, where we show you how to look and feel your best for the season. Eating the right foods will help with that. We followed registered dietitian Kimberly Glenn to the grocery store for some smart shopping tips.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIMBERLY GLENN, REGISTERED DIETITIAN: A healthy diet starts at the grocery store. Whether you're watching your weight or providing healthy meals for your family, planning ahead is key.

The first step is to plan out your meals for the week. The second step is to make a grocery list and then, once you've got your list, it's time to head to the story, so come on, let's go.

Now that you're ready to shop, we want to start in the perimeter of the grocery store, where we're going to find the healthiest of foods, like produce. When you're looking for your produce you want to try to find the deepest, richest colors. These are the ones that are going to have the most vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamins A, Vitamin C and antioxidants, which may help fight cancer and prevent heart disease.

Fruits and vegetables are the original fast food. Your goal is to eat at least five fruits and vegetables every day for better health.

When choosing breads, you want to choose a higher fiber content bread, which may help reduce your cholesterol as well as help you with weight loss. What you want to look for is a fiber content of at least three grams per serving, which in this case is one slice of bread. It's also important to focus on the ingredients. Whole wheat is what you want to see as one of the first ingredients on your label rather than white or enriched unbleached flour.

When choosing meats, the key to remember is if it's round or loin, it's lean. So choose cuts such as sirloin or ground round for the lowest fat meats. A serving size is about three to four ounces cooked, which is about the size of a deck of cards.

It's important to get at least two servings of fish per week in your diet for a healthy heart. Choosing things like salmon and tuna have the omega-3 fatty acids, which also are heart protective. Dairy products are a healthy part of your diet. Foods such as yogurt, cheese and milk provide calcium and protein the body needs. It's important, however, to choose low fat or fat-free products such as skim milk, one percent milk, low fat cheese and low fat yogurt.

If you've got kids, you really want to stay away from the chip and soda aisle, where you're going to find a lot of high sugar and high fat tempting foods. There are, however, some alternatives such as flavored waters and pretzels. Another healthy snack for kids is yogurt. With the calcium it provides, it's great for building strong bones, plus it tastes great, it's convenient and it's fun to eat.

Don't forget to visit your nutrition section for wonderful snack ideas such as protein bars. These provide energy, protein, vitamins and minerals that you need every day.

Here are some quick tips if you're shopping with your kids. Number one, make that grocery list and stick to it. Number two, avoid those junk food aisles altogether. And number three, never, ever go to the grocery store hungry. This means you and your kids. It'll make for a much more pleasurable experience.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: All right, there's a woman who's never shopped with children, who demand 18 boxes of sugary cereal as they go through the aisle.

All right, that's some healthy, smart shopping tips.

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