Shelly-Ann Thompson, Freelance Writer
Like many singles, Nadine McKay eats a lot of cereals. Though not a wrong choice, singles should also consume cooked meals. - photo by Shelly-Ann Thompson.
Thousands of dollars are spent weekly at the supermarket. And, very often the correct food items that nourish the family are omitted from the shopping cart. Growing children, spouses on the go, seniors and the single professional should not only shop for items to keep their bellies full, but also for proper nutrition.
Food found three families, Althea Reid and her household, Las and Esene Lewis, and single professional Nadine McKay. We gave their grocery lists to Heather Little-White, food consultant and nutritionist. Little-White advised and told what both groups were doing right for their family and lifestyle.
See if you can find a tip or two for your family to help you the next time you go grocery shopping for yourself or your children. Next week we will conclude this feature with the Lewises story.
First family
Nadine McKay, 34, is a travel professional.
She is single, unwed and childless. She works long hours, sometimes until late nights, and is involved in community service. Having a busy schedule and being single, she shops accordingly. And she rarely cooks. Miss McKay says anything out of a box, "that is me". For her, any meal that is microwavable works for her. She says, "There is no fun cooking for myself." Only when her boyfriend visits does a pot touch her stove. Once this year, for four months when her boyfriend was overseas, she did not use her stove. "Not even to boil water. So if my stove wasn't working I wouldn't know," laughs McKay.
Heather Little-White's
comment: Nadine is a hard-working single woman. While she buys what she likes and is easy to prepare, she needs to include more protein in her diet to help repair those worn tissues. Rotisserie chicken is a good, healthy choice that she can use to make salads and sandwiches. She could add fish sticks or nuggets, which are easy to prepare. Deli meats such as turkey and chicken slices are available. She already has a good selection of soft and mature cheeses.
She needs more fruits and
vegetables which could be combined with proteins for healthy salads or casseroles. This could reduce her dependency on TV dinners which, though convenient, are loaded with additives in the processing.
She could add dried fruits like raisins for snacks, and reduce some of the empty calories like cheese puffs and banana chips and sweets which she may be using as comfort foods, being single. Her glass of red wine is good for relaxing with her cashews and nuts.
At 34, Nadine should be weight-conscious so she should reduce her intake of baked products as in pastry, Snicker bars and spice bun. Assuming that she exercises, she could have fresh fruit smoothies, using soy milk to help her in weight control, while providing variety to her diet.
Shopping right for your family
| Nadine's monthly grocery list |
|---|
Yoghurt| Ripe banana and papaya | |
| Cheese puff |
| Banana chips |
Biscuits (sweet and sugar-free) |
Muffins and pastry |
| Diet Pepsi |
| Rotisserie chicken |
| Wholewheat bread |
Soft and mature cheddar cheese |
Healthy Start |
| Box milk (Soya vanilla) |
| Snicker bars |
| Granola bars |
| Cashew |
| Peanuts |
| Macadamia nuts |
| Roasted breadfruit |
| Spice bun |
| Butter |
Wine drinker, although not an alcoholic, has red wine every night. |
"I'll have a glass of red wine while watching television."
Lots of sweets, like gummy sweets, mints or candies |
TV dinners in a box |
No flour, rice - "I have all that at work." |
Second family
Althea Reid, wife and mother of three girls, shops for groceries that her children and husband will enjoy. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
Althea Reid is a wife and mother of three.
Althea is in the habit of shopping for her nuclear family. The family consists of three children, all girls, age 14, 15 and 20. Like her
husband, she works. Althea tries to buy groceries that she knows each family member will enjoy and love.
Heather Little-White's
comments:
It is obvious that this mother is conscious of what constitutes good nutrition. She emphasises low-fat foods and whole-grain products. We know that old habits die hard and her husband's love for harddough bread is understandable. Flour dumplings can be improved in terms of nutrition if cornmeal is added, or wholewheat flour can be
used. Brown sugar is an excellent choice as is the vegetable oil.
The variety of foods chosen is good as there is inclusion of vegetables and ground provisions. I would add callaloo and pak choy to provide iron and calcium for her three girls and her herself. Natural fruit and vegetable juices could be added. Try to eliminate powdered seasonings and stick to natural seasonings. Porridges are very nutritious compared to packaged cereals and they are easy to prepare. Convenience canned foods provide added nutrition for quick breakfasts and snacks.
For meats, red meat should be included once a week for added nutrients, especially for the girls.
The love for box burgers is natural but be careful of the additives used in processing.
Althea tries to provide good nutrition for her family.
(Read conclusion in next week's Food section)
