Written by: Nicole Pazdziorko, RDN, LDN, Food City Corporate Dietitian

When working to improve eating habits in the new year it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Even more challenging is finding a way to fit foods you enjoy into your desired eating habits. Food City’s Dietitian’s Pick tags make it easy to identify foods that feature more essential nutrients, like protein, fiber, and vitamins and minerals, while being lower in added sugars, sodium and saturated fat.  

A tip for making healthy meals is balancing your plate with nutrient-dense foods from different food groups, like fruits and vegetables, protein, whole grains, dairy and healthy fats. Try some of these tips when choosing breakfast, lunch and dinner solutions to take the guess work out of shopping for your health.

When planning nourishing meals, a helpful guideline to follow is ensuring at least three categories end up on your plate. This will help to ensure a balance of health-supporting nutrients. At breakfast, try including a protein-rich option like dairy or eggs, a fiber-rich option like whole grains and some color from fruit. 

Try adding these Dietitian’s Picks to your cart for a balanced breakfast.

Protein:

- Food Club Greek Yogurt

- Food Club Large Eggs

- Full Circle Market Whey Protein Powder

Whole Grain:

- Full Circle Market Steel Cut Oats

- Mush Dark Chocolate Overnight Oats

- Dave's Killer Organic Rockin' Grains English Muffin

Fruit:

- Food Club Frozen Dark Sweet Cherries

- Bolthouse Farms 100% Juice Smoothie, Strawberry Banana

- Pink Grapefruit

 

For lunches and dinners, keep things simple with a similar guideline to help balance your plate: at least three different food groups or meal components, this time focusing on protein foods like meat, seafood or beans; whole grains or another fiber-rich carbohydrate and color from vegetables. 

Try some of these Dietitian’s Pick finds for a balanced lunch and dinner.

Protein:

- Full Circle Market Garbanzo Beans

- Dietz & Watson Gourmet Lite Pre-Sliced Turkey

- Sockeye Salmon Fillets

- Smithfield Golden Rotisserie Pork Tenderloin

Whole Grain:

- Full Circle Market Quinoa

- Bird's Eye Brown Rice

- Food Club Whole Wheat Penne

- Food Club White Corn Tortillas

Veggies:

- Full Circle Market Power Greens

- Food Club Whole Mushrooms

- ShortCuts Roasters Sliced Sweet Potatoes

- Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower Medley

 

Planning balanced, nutrient-dense meals is a key to sustaining healthy eating habits over the long-term. Look for Dietitian’s Pick shelf-tag when shopping in Food City stores, online or in our app to easily incorporate the elements of a balanced meal into your routine.