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    Eating “Green” Made Simple: 3 Helpful Buyer's Guides

    By | Shine Food – Tue, Apr 22, 2008 3:43 PM EDT

    My weekly grocery shopping trips practically require a manual these days. I have such a hard time remembering what I should buy-farm-raised or wild-caught, grass-fed or free-range? Is organic really healthier or will conventional do? And what about local?

    Plus, some of the adjectives on food products are fancy marketing rather than fact-based claims. Take the term "natural," for instance. Since it's not defined by the FDA, it's more or less meaningless.

    So to make the trip through the aisles a little easier, and figure out how to make the best choices, here's a little help.


    For shopping and label-decoding advice, check out these handy     Green Choices Buyer's Guides from EatingWell:

    • Seafood Buyer's Guide
      Keeping track of which seafood is sustainable isn't an easy task. At present the USDA has no organic certification program for seafood. This guide tells you what to look for at the fish counter.
    • Meat and Poultry Buyer's Guide
      Meat and poultry labels are confusing. What does "Natural" on that package of chicken breast mean? Why does "Certified Organic" cost so much? What's a meat-eater to do? This guide will help you make choices that are best for you.
    • Produce Buyer's Guide
      The greenest choice for produce? Grow your own or buy organic produce from local farmers. But if you can't do that, consider choosing foods with these labels.

    By Michelle Edelbaum

    Michelle is the associate editor of interactive for EatingWell Media Group. In between editing and writing, she enjoys sampling the tasty results of the easy, healthy recipes that the EatingWell Test Kitchen cooks are working on.


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