Healthy holiday snacks

With the school holidays just around the corner, it is time to think which snacks you should stock up on to make sure your kids won’t be bouncing off the walls and driving you crazy!

It is becoming increasingly important to encourage healthy eating habits in children.  According to the NHS, it is estimated that if current obesity trends continue, 1 in 5 boys and 1 in 3 girls will be obese by 2020. Obesity in children can lead to illnesses like Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes. In addition, it has been suggested by the National Obesity Forum that obese children are up to 20% more likely to develop cancer as adults, compared to  children of a healthy weight.

To start the school holidays on a healthier foot, make sure your children are snacking on things like fruit and low-sugar cereal bars rather than sugar-filled or high-fat foods. However, if you can’t do without biscuits, crisps and sweets in your household, making simple swaps like the ones below can help you and your kids at least take a step in a healthier direction.

• Swap Mars Starburst Fruity Chews for Rowntrees Fruit Gums – save 144 calories
• Swap Maryland Minis (Double Choc Cookies) for Hovis Digestive Biscuits – save 192 calories
• Swap Seabrook Crinkle Cut Potato Crisps for Walkers Baked Ready Salted Crisps – save 146 calories
• Swap KP Skips Prawn Cocktail Flavour for Jacob’s Original Twiglets – save 136 calories

Healthy swaps are easy to do as you shop with mySupermarket. Either use our Health Checker to view swap suggestions or compare products yourself by noting the calorie content shown above each product image as you browse the shelves.

What are your favourite healthy kid’s snacks? Share your suggestions for the holidays.

Posted in calories, Food Facts, health Tagged: healthy eating, healthy shopping ]]> http://mysupermarket.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/healthy-school-holiday-swaps/feed/ 0 mysupermarket Healthy/Junk http://mysupermarket.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/healthy-school-holiday-swaps/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mySupermarket/~3/onIJF2oOIas/ http://mysupermarket.wordpress.com/2009/07/06/best-beer-bargains/#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:44:41 +0000 mysupermarket http://mysupermarket.wordpress.com/?p=394 ]]>

Beer Bargains

Beer and cricket, cricket and beer – many would argue that a test match isn’t the same without a pint (or four).

The Ashes starts this Wednesday (8^th July) so to make sure your fridge is well stocked at a low cost, mySupermarket has put together the best beer bargains for July:

TOP OFFERS ON BEER

Beck’s Bier (6 x 275 ml) £5.99 each, 2 for £7.00 save £4.98 (Tesco)

Guinness Draught (18 x 440ml) Was £22.96, now £15.96 save £7.00 (Tesco)

Budweiser Lager (10 x 300ml) £9.26 each, 2 for £12.00 save £6.52 (ASDA)

Carling (12 x 440ml) Was £11.99, now £8.99 save £3.00 (Ocado)

For information and offers on beer, click here – and don’t forget to conduct your own “cricket comparisons” on beer and snacks when you do your weekly shopping.

Think you know all there is to know about beer? Tell us if the following is correct:

Beer is best consumed after it has been through an aging process (like wine).

True or false? Let us know what you think .

Gold Grocer Awards 2009

The 2009 Grocer Gold Awards were held this month and ASDA, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Ocado all came away with prizes. Check out the below results to see what categories each supermarket excelled in this year.

Britain’s Favourite Supermarket of the Year in association with Nielsen
Tesco

Online Retailer of the Year
Ocado

Britain’s Lowest Priced Supermarket
ASDA

Consumer Initiative of the Year
Sainsbury’s, Switch & Save Campaign

Do you agree with the results?

Start shopping now at your favourite supermarket.

Deals on strawberries & cream

Advantage – you. Wimbledon starts this week which means it is time to fill your supermarket trolley with strawberries, cream and Pimm’s!

Did you know that strawberries:

• Contain even more vitamin C than oranges
• Have long been regarded as an aphrodisiac
• Are also a source of fibre, folic acid, iron and potassium

Just a few more reasons to enjoy this age old Wimbledon tradition! To help you get the best deals and perfect your tennis food game, mySupermarket have pulled together this week’s Top Offers on strawberries, cream and Pimm’s.

TOP OFFERS ON STRAWBERRIES

Tesco Organic Strawberries (300g): Was £2.99, Now £2.49 save £0.50 (Tesco)

Sainsbury’s British Strawberries (454g): Was £3.99, Now £1.99 save £2.00 (Sainsbury’s)

Waitrose Strawberries (454g): Was £3.94, Now £1.97 save £2.00 (Ocado)

TOP OFFERS ON CREAM

Tesco Finest Chantilly Cream (230ml): Was £1.20, Now 90p save £0.30 (Tesco)

Elmlea Double (284ml): 64p each, 2 for £1 save £0.28 (ASDA)

Anchor Real Dairy Cream Swirls (250g): Was £1.76, Now £1.41 save £0.35 (Ocado)

TOP OFFERS ON PIMM’S

Pimm’s & Lemonade (250ml): £1.37 each, 3 for £4 save £0.11 (Tesco)

Pimm’s & Lemonade (250ml): £1.36, 4 for £5 save £0.44 (ASDA)

———--

The ball is in your court – save by shopping from the mySupermarket Top Offers shelves.

Last minute deals for dad

This Sunday is Father’s Day! If you are stuck on gift ideas, the supermarkets have some great deals on men’s toiletries products. We have listed some of the best ones below.

Spoil dad and save at the same time – Happy Father’s Day!

TESCO

Nivea for Men Extreme Comfort Shave Gel (200ml): Was £4.15, Now £2.77 save £1.38

Gillette Fusion Power Razor: Was £9.76, Now £4.88 save £4.88

ASDA

Gillette Series After Shave Balm Sensitive Skin (75ml): £4.88 each, 2 for £8.00 save £1.76

Wilkinson Sword Quattro Precision Trimmer Razor: £7.98 each, 2 for £8.00 save £15.96

SAINSBURY’S

L’Oréal Men Expert Anti-Irritation Caring Shave Gel Sensitive Skin (200ml): Was £2.84, Now £1.89 save £0.95

Gillette Fusion Manual Razor: Was £7.31, Now £3.65 save £3.66

OCADO

Gillette Fusion Facial Conditioner & Cleanser (100ml): Was £4.38, Now £2.93 save £1.45

Gillette Fusion Shave Foam Tough Beard (250ml): Was £3.65, Now £2.45 save £1.20

Start Grocery Shopping >>

Safe food preparation

One of the ways to cut costs in the credit crunch is to cook big meals and store leftovers for later in the week – but did you stop to think that preparing your leftovers incorrectly could make you very sick?

Harmful bacteria which grow in food (such as Listeria, E. coli and Salmonella) can cause severe food poisoning which can sometimes be fatal. As this week is National Food Safety Week (hosted by the Food Standards Agency), mySupermarket has collected some important food safety tips to help keep you and your family healthy while you are cutting your food costs!

• Always wash your hands thoroughly (ideally with anti-bacterial soap) before preparing food
• When preparing meat it is important to keep it away from other food – use a separate cutting board to prepare the meat and wash all utensils before using them on other foods.
• After touching raw meat, wash your hands before coming into contact with any other food, utensils or kitchen surfaces.
• Thoroughly cook meat before eating it.
• Always store raw meat tightly wrapped on the bottom shelf of the fridge, so that the juices don’t drip onto other foods.
• Check that food is properly cooked and is hot enough – when you cut meat open it should be steaming in the middle as well as on the outside.
• Food is susceptible to harmful bacteria if it is kept between temperatures of 4°C and 60°C. This means it is important to keep the temperature of cold food below 4°C and the temperature of hot food higher than 60°C.
• Do not leave leftover food sitting at room temperature for more than 2 hours. As soon as it has stopped steaming, store it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
• Keep the temperature of your fridge between 0°C and 4°C
• Discard leftovers after 3 days of storage in the fridge
• Only re-heat food once –  more than once encourages the growth of bacteria.
• Do not eat foods which have passed their “use-by” date.
• Always read the storage information on food packaging to check whether food should be stored in the fridge after opening.

For more information on keeping your food safe, head to www.eatwell.gov.uk

Start your grocery shopping>>

Brand & Pet Loyalty

We may be letting ourselves go in the turmoil of the current credit crunch but it seems we won’t let the same thing happen to our pets! Proving that the UK really is a nation of pet lovers, mySupermarket research has found that pet food is currently one of the only categories where shoppers are refusing to switch to own brand products. 77% of what we spend on pet food goes on branded products, and this has been the case for the last 12 months. Perhaps pets are getting many of us through the tough economic times and we are repaying the favour?

While we are brand loyal on pet food and some other categories such as cola and biscuits, it seems we are much more flexible on items like pasta, crisps and rice – with many of us happy to choose own brands on these products.

If you are one of the people unwilling to sacrifice on pet food, check out the list of the 5 most popular pet foods and see if you agree with your fellow pet owners on what is best for your best friend.

Top 5: Cat Food

• Butcher’s Classic Chunks in Jelly Meat Selection (6×400g)
• Butcher’s Classic Chunks in Jelly Fish Variety (6×400g)
• Tesco Premium Cuts in Jelly Selection (24×100g)
• KiteKat Chunks in Jelly Selection (12×400g)
• Purina Felix As Good As It Looks Ocean Feast (12×100g)

Top 5: Dog Food

• Butcher’s Chunks in Jelly Variety Pack (6×400g)
• ASDA Hero Chunks in Jelly Selection (12×400g)
• Butcher’s Tripe Variety Pack (6×400g)
• Tesco Value Complete Dog Food (2.5Kg)
• Pedigree Chunks in Gravy Selection (6×400g)

Is your favourite pet food on the list?

View the pet food shelf >>

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Fruit vs. Pizza

Is the credit crunch causing our standards to slip? With prices at the supermarkets having risen sharply over the past year on lots of our weekly essentials, many of us are trying to save in every way we can. mySupermarket has taken a look at which areas are taking the hit – and it seems that we are most willing to cut back on healthy eating and cleanliness!

Whilst an Englishman’s home has traditionally been his castle, since the credit crunch began it seems it may be grubbier than it was twelve months ago. Over the past year, sales of household cleaning products have fallen by 16%, suggesting we are sacrificing on keeping our home clean or perhaps returning to more traditional and natural cleaning methods of the past.

It’s not only our houses which are being neglected, our bodies are feeling it too with sales of fresh fruit and vegetables down 8% and 7% respectively. According to the latest figures from mySupermarket, the cost of fruit & vegetables has risen by about 20% in the last 12 months – which might be the reason we are spending less and less time in this section of the supermarket.

Fruit juice is also proving to be an unaffordable luxury with sales falling by a massive 17%. Interestingly however, sales of crisps and snacks have risen by 12% and sales of frozen pizza by 6%. Perhaps we are comfort eating our way through the downturn? It may also be a case of people drowning their sorrows as sales of white wine jump 9%, replacing champagne which has seen sales tumble by almost a quarter.

It isn’t impossible to balance a cheap trolley with a healthy one. By tracking the best deals and Top Offers it is possible to save up to 20% on your weekly shopping and beat the increases on the products you want to buy. In addition, you can use the mySupermarket traffic lights to compare the nutritional value of food as you shop – or use the Health Checker to check for healthier options to swap to.

Your wallet might be thin but that doesn’t mean your waist line needs to go in the opposite direction!

Have you got any other tips for maintaining a healthy diet on a budget?

Start Shopping >>

Play it smart with Top Offers

Manchester United or Barcelona?

Chelsea or Everton?

Becks or Guinness?

Walkers or Pringles?

With such a huge week of football ahead of us, mySupermarket has pulled together some of the best deals on beer and snacks to help you prepare for the big games. All four supermarkets have many more specials on offer than what we have listed here – to check out all the deals, simply click on the supermarket names next to the products and browse the full shelf for any specials in red. All specials listed below are valid till the end of this month (May 2009).

Don’t leave it to your team – play it smart yourself by using special offers to save this week!

BEER LINEUP

Corona Extra (6×330ml): 2 FOR £10 save £3.36 (ASDA)

Tiger Lager Beer (4×330ml): 2 FOR £6 save £1.48 (ASDA)

Beck’s Bier (6×275ml): 2 for £8.00, save £3.76 (Tesco)

Guinness Draught (18×440ml): Now £15.00 save £7.85 (Tesco)

Stella Artois (12×440ml): Now £10.00, save £4.19 (Tesco)

Grolsch Premium Lager (20×275ml): Now £10.99, save £4 (Ocado)

Kronenbourg Lager 1664 (18×300ml): Now £11.96, save £3.50 (Ocado)

CRISPS & SNACKS LINEUP

ASDA Crisps Multipack Meaty (8×25g): 3 FOR £3, save 87p (ASDA)

McCoy’s Crisps Ridge Cut Classic Crisps (6×32g): 3 FOR £3, save £1.53 (ASDA)

Walkers Sensations Oven Roasted Chicken with Lemon & Thyme Crisps (175g): HALF PRICE, save 73p (Tesco)

Walkers French Fries Variety (12×19g): Buy one add one free, save £2.18 (Sainsbury’s)

Walkers Variety Crisps (6×25g): 2 for £2, save 50p (Sainsbury’s)

Kettle Chips Individuals Lightly Salted (6×30g): 2 for £3, save 50p (Ocado)

Pringles Original (155g): 2 for £2.17, save 73p (Ocado)

Brush twice daily

How healthy is your smile?

This week marks the start of National Smile Month, sponsored by the British Dental Health Foundation. National Smile Month is all about promoting dental hygiene in the UK and the prevention of gum disease. Did you know that neglecting your teeth and gums can lead to a variety of health problems including heart disease, strokes and diabetes?

To prevent this, it is recommended that you:
•    Brush your teeth twice a day
•    Replace your toothbrush regularly
•    Visit the dentist as often as they recommend
•    Limit the amount of sugary food and drinks you consume.

If it is time that you replace your toothbrush check out mySupermarket’s list of 10 most popular toothbrushes below – and get brushing!

TOP 10: TOOTHBRUSHES

1. Colgate Smiles Assorted Character Toothbrush 2-5yrs
2. Colgate Kids My First Toothbrush 0-2yrs
3. Tesco Steps Pirate & Mermaid Toothbrush 2-6yrs
4. ASDA Great Stuff Kids Toothbrush
5. Reach Interdental Firm Head Toothbrush
6. Tesco Steps Surfer Step 3 Toothbrush 6yrs+
7. ASDA Essential Care Flexible Medium Toothbrush
8. Aquafresh Toothbrush Milk Teeth
9. Colgate Zig Zag Toothbrush (3)
10. Colgate Toothbrush Maximum Fresh Medium

Shop from the Dental Products shelf >>

Start grocery shopping >>