Health Matters with TSET: Grocery shopping with a dietitian

Going to the grocery store when trying to eat healthier can be overwhelming. However, dietitians say that eating healthy doesn't have to be hard. In today's Health Matters with TSET, Amy Slanchik goes grocery shopping with a registered dietitian.

Every trip to the grocery store comes with choices that end up on your plate.

"Grocery shopping is where you start your healthy eating. So what you take into your house is what you're gonna eat,” Registered Dietitian Katy Soper said.

When you step into the store, Soper said, there's a reason your eyes are drawn to colorful foods.

"I love all the colors, right? That is nutrition. That is your fruit and vegetables. Those provide your vitamins and minerals. Color is nutrition. So the brighter, the darker, those are the nutritious fruits and vegetables,” she said.

Soper works for the Oklahoma Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which helps promote "MyPlate,” the idea that your meals should be made up of fruits, veggies, a grain, and a protein.

"Truly, half your plate, fruits and vegetables, is a fantastic place to start,” she said.

High Sugar and Low Sugar Fruits

When looking at fruits, be aware that some have more sugar than others.

"It's not that either one is better or worse, but what I want you to know is that anything tropical, grapes, pineapple, I've got mango chunks here. Those are gonna be higher sugar fruits. So I want you to pair those that I love that this grocery store has done that -- they've paired these higher sugar tropical fruits with tons of berries, which are lower sugar. So instead of a huge bowl of pineapple, I want you to have a moderate bowl, that's half pineapple, half strawberries,” Soper said.

Extended Cut: Shopping With A Dietitian

Frozen Veggies Save Time

And if cutting up fresh veggies every day sounds like too much work, Soper said there is nothing wrong with going to the freezer section.

Just avoid any extra sauces, she said.

"Frozen is just as good. It is chosen at peak season, they process them up,” Soper said. “And this is a quick, easy way that you can make, have a vegetable on the table in a very cost-effective, time-effective way."

How Much Food to Put on Your Plate

When it's time to fill up your plate, Soper said your hand is a tool you can use before your fork. Your fist equals about one cup.

"It's based on the hand size. So when I look at you know one cup of rice, one cup of strawberries, one cup of salad. I'm always gonna do two cups of salad, because that's a really good way to get half your plate fruits and vegetables,” Soper said. “But that's a really easy way - so if you're ever like, 'How much is a cup?' Right there."

"It'll all work out. We don't need to count calories. We just look at our hands,” she said.

Soper suggests starting small, building one healthy habit at a time.

"I'm never looking for perfection. I'm always looking for progress,” she said.

Anybody can get help from a dietitian, you don't have to wait until a doctor suggests you visit with one. Soper said the visits are often covered by insurance.

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