Today, I want to share the 4 pillars for healthy grocery shopping:

1. 🌱 Focus on Whole, Real, Unprocessed Foods: Choose foods generously provided by Mother Nature — “foods as found and foods as grown.”
2. 🏪 Shop the Periphery: Concentrate your shopping around the perimeter of the store. In most grocery outlets, you’ll find whole, real foods in the outer aisles.
3. ⚠️ Beware of Dubious Health Claims: Don’t be swayed by flashy phrases like “contains whole grains” or “made with real fruit” on packages. These are often indicators of factory-made, not nature-made, foods.
4. 🔍 Vet Packaged Products: If you do reach for a packaged product, quickly scan its ingredients list. If it contains words that you can’t pronounce or ingredients you wouldn’t find in your own kitchen, leave it on the shelf.

Summer Corn Sauté

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow or purple onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped oregano
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed then minced
• 5 ears fresh sweet corn, shucked, and kernels cut off the cob
• 1 handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat the olive oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and pepper until softened. Add oregano, garlic and jalapeño and sauté for 2 more minutes. Add corn and cook for 3 minutes, then reduce heat to low and cook for 4 more minutes. Add basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Dr. Ann Kulze is founder and CEO of Just Wellness and has a knack for breaking down the science of healthy eating and living into simple and easily digestible messages. She has been featured on “Dr. Oz,” “Oprah and Friends,” WebMD and U.S. News & World Report. Alabama News Center is publishing advice from Dr. Ann.