MANILA, Philippines?Grocery shopping has become a weekly event to look forward to, especially for the health-conscious people. It is also a good chance to test your lifestyle management and self-control skills when it comes to food selection.

According to Bob Greene, a well-known fitness trainer and author of ?Get with the Program! Guide to Good Eating,? as you begin to change your eating habits, you also need to change your shopping habits.

The following tips will help you change your shopping attitude and behavior so you can save more calories and money.

Be mentally and physically prepared

Never shop when you are hungry. Make sure you had enough for breakfast, lunch or dinner so you won?t end up buying unplanned snacks like chocolates or chips.

Do not forget the grocery list that you prepared.

Follow your weight-management goals. Before you enter a supermarket, strengthen your self-control by repeating this to yourself: ?I am a healthier person now and I am ready to choose nutritious and healthy foods today.?

Have a budget

Most of your grocery money should be allotted to fruits, vegetables, fish, lean meats, skinless poultry, whole grain breads, rice, pasta and low-calorie dairy products.

Just buy what you need and don?t be tempted by special offers or promos. If what you bought exceeded your budget, keep the nutritious items.

If you shop with your kids, give them a limit. Pia Arellano, 35, vice president for marketing and corporate communications, would give her children a budget of P150 every week to buy what they want. This prevents her family from getting exposed to high-calorie foods at home.

Strategize your supermarket tour

Enter the supermarket through the door nearest the vegetables and fruits section. Spend a lot of time at the area where healthy products are mostly located.

Your grocery list should be based on the planned sequence of your tour.

Do not fill your cart with high-caloric foods.

Learn how to read nutrition facts

Multiply the total calories per serving by the total number of servings in the nutrition facts.

Choose low-fat food products which are less than three grams of fat per serving. Don?t get deceived with snack foods like crackers with more than five grams of fat per serving.

Beware of high-sodium products like canned soups and vegetables.

Choose foods with less than 10 g of sugar per serving.

Get breads or cereals with two grams or more of fiber per serving.

If the product is ?low-carb,? make sure it?s also low in fat and sodium; and if it?s ?low-fat,? check if it?s low in fat and sodium.

Make it a healthy event

Use a pedometer to remind you of the number of steps to complete during your supermarket tour. This will also help you accomplish a well-planned shopping.

Discover healthy alternatives to your favorite foods like low-fat frozen yogurt if you are an ice cream lover and low-calorie cereal bar for chocoholics.

Explore other supermarkets in your area, especially those selling whole grain breads, cereals and pasta.

Share your healthy grocery shopping knowledge with your spouse or children.

E-mail the author at mitchfelipe@gmail.com