Overtown Cookbook Weblog

I’ve noticed that in minority neighborhoods there isn’t any grocery stores to buy the healthy foods that are needed in a household. Because of this inconvenience, people are sometimes forced to shop at local corner stores for fattening, high in cholesterol foods. I feel that this is one cause of obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes.   Nataline Mounts

To shop the healthy way you need to plan ahead, be in control and read labels. Food labels give you information to help you make healthy food choices and compare similar foods.  Simple changes in cooking style and food selection can make your favorite recipes healthier.

1. Fact or fiction: Minority neighborhoods tend to have less healthy food options.

Shopping should be a happy thing to do with your family but not if they are not buying the wrong things like all types of junk food that can hurt you because when you get mad you are going to eat all that junk. So I hope you and your family shop healthy. Eduardo Clements

2. Fact or fiction: Eating junk food such as chips, cookies, and candy can not cause obesity and/or diabetes. 

As far as shopping all fruits and vegetables are good for me. But when its time to buy meat, I look for the meat that is very lean and less fatty as possible. O’Bryan Ferguson

3. Fact or fiction:  A small (6 oz.) cup of 100% juice equals one serving of fruit.

 There are many outrageous things that can happen when preparing foods. You have to be careful because there are different bacteria and germs that accumulate around the foods. Your hands carry many germs and if you do not wash your hands, you can put germs on the food. It is also important to separate all raw meat foods. Raw meat contains harmful bacteria that can spread very easily to anything it touches, including other food, worktops, chopping boards, etc. It is very important to do these things because it can cause many different sickness and diseases. Quinton Dunbar

4. Fact or fiction: Eating raw eggs may cause salmonella poisoning.

 If you want to cook in a healthy way then you want to stay away from deep frying because this is a very unhealthy way of cooking.Christopher Rodriguez

5. Fact or fiction: Fried food is just as nutritious as baked food.

Trivia answers: 

1. Fact – many minority neighborhoods have fewer healthy food choices than Caucasian populated neighborhoods.

2. Fiction –Eating  lots of  processed, high sugar, fatty foods may cause obesity and diabetes.

3. Fact – one serving of fruit can be found in a very small glass of 100% juice.

4. Fact –it’s very important to cook chicken thoroughly and make sure all traces of raw chicken, including the juices, are cleaned from all cooking utensils and cooking areas.

5. Fiction: Baked food tends to be more nutritious than fried food.

 

GROCERY SHOPPING TIPS

 Understanding How and Why

 

Before leaving home

·        Plan your meals for the week

·        Pick your shopping time carefully so you can avoid the crowds or use the rush to slip in your expired coupons.  Rush times are after work, prior to big storms, payday and prior to holidays.  When you avoid the rush you can price comparison shop and check labels.

·        Clean out your refrigerator of all unwanted and inedible items

·        Take an inventory of all your pantry items and be sure you organize your pantry by grouping like items together.  Remember to rotate your groceries first in first to eat.  To aid you in this use a water proof marker to right the date of purchase on your groceries.

·        Set up an area on your counter or table with a cutting board, knife plastic wrap and Ziploc or Tupperware container to store portions in.  When you come in from the store you can portion your family packs of meat and fish.  This technique can aid you in portioning food out for the week.  Again be sure to date the food, first in first to eat.

 

Reminder:  Always keeping a stock of your most frequently used grocery items as well as stocking up on other items you will be using over time.  These items you can consider purchasing a warehouse stores that sale in bulk.

 

 

1.  Make a shopping list: This helps to prevent impulse buys and helps you save money.  A lot of people have the tendency to eat the same items over and over again.  With the occasional “I think I’ll try something new for dinner” commit many of us make to ourselves.  So I recommended you make a master list and just copy down the items you need.  You can have a list in your phone in the memo/notes section so you can check off the items that need to be replaced.

 

2.  Don’t go hungry: Remember a grocery store sales food so they have designed the layout of the store to entice you to buy un-need items and to impulse buy, all because you’re hungry.  Also don’t go to the store if you’re upset or have the blues, this will contribute to impulse purchases as well.

 

3.  Shop alone (NO KIDS): Lets face it when you bring the kids along they want you to buy them every piece of junk food there is and its so hard to say no to them.  You increase your spending roughly 10% to 40% with the kids. 

 

At this point, if you stick to steps 1 through 3 you’re going save a lot of time and money.

 

4.  Chefs buy frozen food all the time so should you: Standard practices for harvested produce is that with in hours of it being picked the items are placed on ice to just before being flash frozen.  Fruits and vegetables are picked at the peak of ripeness.   Flash freezing refers to quickly freezing perishable food items at very low temperatures.

 

5.  Shop the perimeter first (produce, dairy, meat areas first before can goods): You’ll find the least processed food items like breads, dairy products, meats fish and produce in the far isles.  Shop these items first.  Tip: I always carry a cooler in my car when I go to the store to prevent spoilage.  Don’t be afraid to bring your cooler into the store to place your items directly in while shopping.  Reminder: Pick up your meat and ice cream last

 

6.  Reducing chronic diseases: Starts with checking food labels: If you want to lose weight, then you must read the food ingredient on semi and fully processed foods like potato chips, cookies and already made sauces for example.  Your screening them for man made fats like hydrogenated oils (Trans Fats; they give you heart attacks) elevated levels of sugar, sodium (Hypertension) and calorie count.  Important:  Follow the serving size per person on the package.  You do this and you’ll help to reduce your chances of becoming over weight.  Along with increase your ability to lose weight.

 

7.  Shop generic: Maybe by using these store names we may be able to get them to support the printing cost. Many grocery stores like Kroger’s, Publix, Win Dixie and countless others carry their own band name products that rival in quality compared to Brand name Manufactures.  A lot of the time these stores by these items wholesale and just repackage it with their name.  Wal-Mart is another example, what they’ve done in many cases is leased the farms and have the farmer produce, food for them exclusively and package under Wal-Mart brands.  By doing so, they pass the savings on to the customers.

 

8.  Coupons: use them: 

• Coupons are so readily available to you all you have to do is take scissors to them or go online and print up manufacture coupons on their websites.  If you don’t have a computer with a printer just, go to your local library.
• Call your store and ask them, “when is the next sale?” and “will there be coupons in the store paper?” Keep your coupon box in the car.  Does you no good at home when you plan on going to the store right after work before going home.
• Importantly:  ask your store what is its coupon policy and do they do triple or double coupons.  If you forget your coupons and still purchase the food can you come back and use the coupon.

 

9.  Its on sale, Stock up: When non-perishables are on sale, stock-up.  Stock up on frozen items as well.  Use masking tape to write the date of purchase on it before placing in the freezer.  For those who may be have concerns of drawing rodents by tins to place your pantry items.  Use the tins that are filled with popcorn that come out around Christmas time, or go to a restaurant supply store to buy metal contains. 

 

Tip: buy extra milk to freeze or get your kids use to soy milk buy pouring it into the jug when it’s empty after they go to bed.  As long as there is cereal mixed with it, they’re happy.  A lot of soy milk can go in your pantry.

 

10.  Sign up for a store card: Grocery-store membership cards will allow you to save on un-advertised price cuts and other specials offered to its members-only, as well as coupons tailored to your product preferences and the occasional voucher worth 10 percent off your entire order.