We are eating healthier, saving calories and money on the Give-Back Diet, this 48th Day.  Today, I want to encourage you to save at the grocery store or supermarket.

Buying generic or store-brand groceries makes good sense.  Did you know that they are often the exact same product as the known brand-name items, the only difference is that they are in different wrappers or packages?

You can save up to half the cost of specific items, such as cereals, juice, coffee, canned or frozen vegetables, dried fruit, seltzer.

The trick is to compare nutrition and ingredient labels side-by-side.  Make sure they have similar ingredients.  You may be surprised, they usually are exactly the same.

Why are generic items cheaper?  It’s all about advertising and marketing.  Brand-name products get to be familiar to us because we’ve heard and seen about them a lot.  We reach for them on the grocery shelves because we recognize them.  Also, more is spent on design and printing of labels than on store-name products.

You may also know that there are whole stores that specialize in generics, such as Trader Joes, Costco, and Sam’s Club, to only name a few.

Generics may be found not only in supermarkets and groceries, you may also find them in pharmacies, discount superstores, and in boutique mall stores.

As always, I recommend more fresh produce, instead of packaged goods.  You may even find generics in the fresh aisles.

ACTION PLAN:

— Take some extra time to research store-brand and generic items on your grocery list.  Look at labels.  Compare ingredients and nutritional facts side-by-side.

— Keep your Give-Back Diet journal going.

— Keep limiting your consumption of sugar and fat.  Keep eating smaller portions, and every 2-3 hours.

— Don’t forget to drink a lot of water today and every day.

— Pray, pray and pray.  Give-Back your eating and activity problems to God (or your Higher Power).

HERE’S A LIST OF EVERY DAY OF THE “GIVE-BACK DIET.”  START TODAY!