If your cupboards are filled with processed foods and you are lacking energy, it may be time to reconsider how you shop at the grocery store.

Tips from the naturopathic doctors at Ezentials Natural Health Centre and Spa might be able to help.

Guided grocery store tours are one of the services offered at the health centre.

“The tour is really about education,” Tracy Gilbert, owner of Ezentials and a naturopathic doctor, said. “It’s really to help (shoppers) become more aware of what they’re buying.”

During tours, Gilbert or another naturopathic doctor from the clinic, Carine Lafrance or Sylvia Marasco, will take clients to a grocery store, and spend time going through the aisles with them, picking out the healthiest options for their lifestyle.

Lafrance said most shoppers she takes on tours are introduced to new foods that they haven’t bought before.

Since Lafrance and the other naturopathic doctors eat the way they tell others to, they are able to point out the best-tasting foods that still meet their health standards.

“Having experience eating (healthy foods) ourselves, its nice to be able to say, ‘this is a really good tasting alternative,’” Gilbert said.

Although each tour is designed to meet the individual shopper’s needs, Gilbert said there are some things everyone can benefit from. “We’re recommending people follow a whole foods diet.” Gilbert said. “If (food) no longer resembles how it grew in the ground, it’s probably not the best choice.”

She suggested people concentrate on filling their shopping carts with fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, lentils and raw nuts and seeds.

Filling a cart with goods from the perimeter of a grocery store helps people stock up on more of the foods they should be eating. Making a stop in the health food section helps too.

Lafrance said this doesn’t mean you can’t go through all the aisles though.

“I don’t necessarily skip any aisles,” she said. “I might point at some aisles and say, ‘there probably aren’t a lot of good options here, but let’s go through it quickly.’”

Paying attention to labels can help shoppers pick healthier food too. The naturopathic doctors help people learn what to look for on labels.

“Once people understand how to read the labels, it makes it much easier for them to make informed decisions about their food choices,” Gilbert said. “People are looking for natural and organic alternatives. A lot of times, companies use those types of words in their product names, so it will lead people to think they are better choices.”

It’s not always the case though. Gilbert recommended customers be aware of marketing techniques some companies use to make their products more appealing. She suggested reading all the information in the ingredient list.

Some shoppers may be concerned that eating healthy will cost more, but Gilbert dispelled the myth that healthy food is more expensive.

“If you eat whole foods, its actually cheaper than a lot of your pre-packaged foods,” she said. “One of the biggest items, in terms of your grocery bill, is meat. If you start to reduce some of your meat intake, and replace it more with your fresh fruits and vegetables, there’s not a price difference.”

She said as far as organic food goes, she has seen it cost the same, more, or less than non-organic food, depending on the grocery store and season.

For more information about guided grocery store tours, phone 969-0043.