How to Buy Healthier Food: Shop Online

In theory, this could be a good idea except if you're a control freak like me. I actually LIKE going to the store and picking my OWN produce out (otherwise, I'd be afraid that I wouldn't get the best spinach or the perfect apples), getting the freshest milk and eggs, choosing the pieces of meat that are the right size, etc. Granted, I don't have kids to whine at the checkout counter, but I think taking your kids grocery shopping is a good educational experience for them. My dad always took us with him to the store and we learned things like how to pick the most economical size of food (by looking at the price per ounce), how to tell which cereal was the healthiest, why generics are often as good as brand name, what snacks are healthy and which ones are just junk, etc.

It's kind of a good idea for those days when you really have no time to get to the store though.

It sounds good, but I am too picky about the freshness and perfection of food too. Plus I enjoy the Sunday outing to the store. I spend less and the 'bad' foods really aren't very tempting anyway.

I can definitely see how you would want to pick out your own produce. Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to produce. But it does make sense that shopping online would decrease the chances of buying unhealthy food. Grocery stores probably want people making impulse purchases, and it seems that most of the time unhealthy items are the ones that are pushed the most.

When I lived in MD I would use Peapod, which was a service that Giant food provided. You would order the food online and deliver to the house when you designated.

They always choose the best quality meats and produce. Normally they have their own reserve of supplies separate from the main floor therefore a better selection.

I am currently on a low sodium diet and have a hard time finding a lot of food I can eat in the grocery store (excluding produce and fruit). Online stores have been a life saver. I can find pasta sauces, chips, crackers and other things that are low sodium and use these things to add to my food choices. It has really helped make this new way of eating more palatable.

Online shopping has been a life-saver for all of our allergy issues too, but that's just because we don't have access to many of the allergen-free goods in our rural area.

I agree with Spectra that it's a good idea to teach your kids how to grocery shop, but that it's also sometimes a pain shopping with them. My solution is to frequent discount groceries for staple items & the farmer's market for produce - we get fresh items at the farmer's market and we only have one choice at the discount grocery - the off-brand. When they don't have "real" Oreos, I'm not tempted to buy the fake ones, so I guess it works for us.

Online shopping would work for me except when it comes to produce and I get a lot of that at Costco anyway, well and I also planted a garden this year for the first time - I'm probably going to have so many tomatoes and green beans that I'll be overflowing with tomato soup and sauce, but that's ok. ;)

The best thing I would like about online shopping though, is the absence of temptation, but I also counter that by eating right before I go to the store and taking a bottle of water with me - then things go quite well.

Oops, I meant to add something for Kristine....I eat only whole foods except for a couple of items that I buy and those are NSA (no salt added), like tomato sauce and diced tomatoes (lol, if you read my previous comment I won't be needing to buy those as soon as my plants start producing).

If you have the Meijer chain in your area I've found them to be a great source for NSA products. Don't have any idea why, but they are. I've even found NSA canned chicken there before, only ingred. was the the chix (took that on overseas trip).

Otherwise I've also found the NSA items at the local health food store.

I think another reason this wouldn't work for me is that I have to check labels for gluten every time I shop (because of celiac disease).

I doubt anyone else would be willing to do that for me! :P

I don't have a problem grabbing a lot of junk as is.. I actually thing I'd spend less money like this and end up with less fruits or veggies. That's where my impulse buys come from! Everything is so colorful and yummy looking in the produce department!

I need to see what I'm buying. I tend to shop at natural food stores, not as much crap.

Yeah in Australia we have 2 options for online shopping, Coles and Safeway online. I have tried to use them both and have found them clunky and difficult to navigate. Requies a bit more work before is practical and actually saves u time

Online shoping does have some advantages for those people for whome impulse buying is a problem, but sometimes it's better to try and confront those problems head on. If you have access to farmers markets then they are a better option. They arn't designed with temptation in mind and often the food is much better.