Shopping

Eat well and still save money

• Write a shopping list and set limits on treats. Tell your children that each time they ask for more, one item will be put back on the shelf.
• Allocate more of your budget to staple foods that provide the most nutrients, such as breads, cereals, fruit, vegetables and legumes, rice and pasta. These tend to last through the week while treats quickly disappear.
• Choose fruit and vegetables in season, as they tend to be cheaper and better quality.You may also be able to find a local market for better quality.

For a detailed explanation of budgeting, with handy charts and calculation tools, see the Queensland Education Department’s Food Budgeting factsheet (pdf 35kb).

Food labels

Food labels can be confusing, but they are also useful when choosing a healthier option. Some products make claims such as ‘cholesterol free’ or ‘source of calcium’. While this is useful information, it is good to read the nutrition information panel on the side or back of the package as well.

What do the labels mean?

‘Sugar free’ or ‘no added sugar’ – Free of sucrose, but other types of sugar may be present containing the same amount of energy (e.g. fructose, corn syrup, concentrated fruit juice syrup).

‘Lite’ or ‘Light’ – May refer to being light in colour, flavour, texture, taste or fat content. Some light potato chips have the same fat content as other non-light ones.

‘Reduced fat’ – Less than the manufacturer’s standard product, but not necessarily less than the next product on the shelf. Some reduced-fat cheeses may still contain up to 25% fat.

‘Cholesterol free’ – Contains no actual cholesterol, but may still be high in saturated fats, which can increase blood cholesterol.

‘97% fat free’ - Not a trick, but you do have to think backwards to sort it out. 97% fat free still means it still contains 3% fat.

(Source: Adapted from My Dietitian, ‘Reading Between the Food Labels’, see below.)

Getting smart with labels

These websites show you how to read food labels so you can avoid the advertising tricks.

Reading between the food labels
A standard example of a food nutrition panel, showing how to read each part of it so you can get the real facts about a product (My Dietitian).

Food labelling
Useful information on food labelling and making healthy choices, and a reminder that many foods do not have labels (Food Standards Australia New Zealand).

Food labels explained
Information about ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates, and how to carefully check the fat, sugar and salt content of foods (Better Health, Victoria).

Food safety

Any food you buy – from the supermarket shelf or in a bain marie at a takeaway shop – should be fresh and adequately stored to avoid food poisoning. These two websites show you exactly what to look for.

Shopping with food safety in mind
Tips for food shopping and how to ensure food is really fresh (rather than just looking good) (Blue Mountains City Council).

Safety when buying food
What to look for when shopping, what to avoid and how to store food in the trolley and in carrier bags (Meat and Livestock Australia/National Meat Association).

Food Additives
What are food addivites and what do they do?  (Food Standards Australia and New Zealand)

Pester power

Food companies know how powerful a whining child can be, and products at just the right height are always tempting. These websites show you how to deal with pester power.

Tackling pester power
Looks at what pester power is, with links to a helpful list of tips on how to deal with it (ParentlinePlus, UK).

Fighting the power
Looks at the push to spend in modern society, and at how to talk to your children so that pester power is lessened (BBC, UK).