Fitness Friday: Knowing What’s On the Label Is Half the Battle Grocery Shopping [VIDEO]

SAUK RAPIDS -- This week in our "Fitness Friday" series on WJON, we find out what to look for when shopping at a grocery store.

There are many temptations lurking on the shelves of every grocery store and with so many options to choose from it may be hard to find the healthiest option.

Ashley Kibutha is the Supermarket Registered Dietician at Coborn's. She says don't let the labels fool you.

"Looking at breads here is a Cracked Wheat, Split Top Wheat, 12 Grain and Multigrain and I point these out cause they sound healthy and nutritious but their first ingredient is not whole grain," says Kibutha.

Reading what's on the label when buying food is a helpful habit that will clean up your diet and get the right nutrients into your body.

"So the average consumer will look for things like "reduced fat" or "reduced sodium" and think this must be much healthier for me, but that's not always the case," says Kibutha. "The real test will be to look at the nutrition facts panel to see just how much is actually in that product."

Kibutha says fresh fruits and vegetables are a good option, but canned fruits and veggies can provide the same nutrients while saving you money and have along shelf life.

"When we look at those canned items we want to make sure we look at the sodium levels and with our packaged fruits look for made with "real fruit juice," says Kibutha.

Protein is important part to any diet and Kibutha says when it comes to beef look for "grass fed" products and know whole eggs are just as good for you as egg whites.

"The egg yolk has a lot of nutrients and while egg whites are still good for you, you're losing the vitamins and minerals that are in the yolks," says Kibutha.

Kibutha says she gets many questions about milk and even though their are many alternative choices dairy milk is still best.

"The thing to keep in mind with these is they can be a great alternative if you are allergic to dairy but watch for those added sugars," says Kibutha.

She says when it comes to grocery shopping make sure you shop for all food groups.

Kibutha offers grocery tours once a month at the Sauk Rapids Coborn's, log on the their website and click the "Ask the Dietician" link.