Smart Shopping Tips

With grocery prices on the rise it's no wonder celebs are so thin, they're the only people in America who can afford to eat healthy. You walk down the aisle of your local grocery store and it's cheaper to buy 12 Twinkies than it is to buy 1 apple. How do you combat this unfortunate fad? Here are some shop smart tips to help you fill up your cart.

Pass over organic produce. That's right, organic produce is very pricey and let's face it pesticides haven't killed you yet so...If you are overly concerned about ingesting it, only go organic with these 12 foods, which have far higher levels of pesticides: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes.

Avoid pre-made meals. Anything that requires a microwave to cook is off limits. While these meals are convenient, what you pay for a single serving you can buy ingredients for and have 5+ servings of the same meal.

Cutback on how much meat you're eating. Of course you need a sufficient daily intake of protein, which most of us get from meat. Well expand your sources of protein by adding more beans or even tofu into your diet.

Go for foods that are in season. Doing this can make a significant difference. When something is in season there is an overabundance for it, so stores want to have a consistent amount of turnover with it. They will drop prices so it flies off the shelves and then restock as quickly as possible. Take advantage of that.

Realize that the generic brand is just as good. Cheerios and Honey O's are the same thing, so go ahead and grab the cheaper brand. Remember that when you buy name brand all you're paying for is the label, and do you really need name brand food? It all tastes the same and ends up in the same place.