A big part of what makes us "green" or "not green" is our eating habits.  And for those of us that don't live on a farm and don't eat exclusively at restaurants that means grocery shopping.  How we shop for groceries has a big impact on our planet and our health, not to mention it's one of the places where there are so many little things we can do to make a big difference.  Here are ten tips to get you started.  If you have more, add them to the comments at the bottom.  Happy shopping!

1. BYOB: Bring Your Own Bags - This may seem like an obvious tip, but it's also the most important.  Every major grocery chain on the planet offers reusable cloth shopping bags made from cotton, hemp, bamboo or recycled fibers yet how many people at mainstream stores actually use them?  We could eliminate those pesky plastic bags altogether if we just did this one simple thing.  Bonus Tip: Many "Superstore" and "Warehouse Club" chains offer reusable plastic bins that fit neatly into their jumbo-sized shopping carts.  With these handy-dandy shopping bins you don't need bags at all!

2. Don't repackage your produce (if you don't need to) - Fruits and veggies come in their own natural packaging: apples, green peppers, and bananas to name a few.  You don't need to stick them in a plastic bag and twist-tie them; just grab a few and put 'em in your basket.  The only rule when doing this is when you get to the cash register be sure to keep the same fruits and veggies grouped together or else you'll have a very unhappy cashier on your hands.  There are exceptions to this rule, though.  Obviously loose produce such as beans spouts or cherries need to be bagged-up somehow so you don't loose them.  Fungi like fresh mushrooms should be placed in a paper bag for hygenic reasons, and items such as hot peppers should be bagged so you don't get the juices on your fingers and irritate your skin.  Aside from these exceptions, make it a rule to forego those unnecessary plastic baggies.

3. Skip the deli counter - With their attractive displays and variety of ready-made items, the deli counters of grocery stores have turned from a place to buy sandwich toppings to one of the most popular destinations in the store.  This stuff may look good, but keep in mind that most of it is made from highly processed meat products and prepared side dishes and entrees that are loaded with as much sugar, salt, fat and unnecessary junk as anything from a drive-thru window.  How about the risk of listeria, e.coli, food poisoning and other bacterial delights?  (Hint: That meat slicer may not be as clean as it looks.) Often placed near the bakery or produce section, this is a place to avoid.  But don't confuse a big chain grocery store deli counter with a local deli or a deli counter at a small chain organic grocer or farmers' market.  These smaller operations often source locally or make their own products using traditional methods (less processing) and they tend to take greater care when it comes to quality and hygiene.

4. Stick to the perimeter, but be careful! - The traditional tip for people looking to eat more fresh food, lose weight or avoid processed foods was to shop the perimeter of the store and skip the center aisles completely.  Five or ten years ago that was valid advice, but the people who design these stores were also aware that people were trying to avoid the center aisles.  So what did they do?  They brought the processed food to the outer edge of the store.  Sauces, dips, marinades, salad toppers, powdered mixes, breaded nuggets and super-preserved cakes have all found their way to the once-sacred outside ring of grocery stores coast to coast.  The advice is still the same: stick to the perimeter, but you have to be diligent and avoid anything in a package or box.  Just because that salad dressing was placed beside the lettuce doesn't mean it's any more natural than the stuff with a two-year shelf life in the inner aisles.  Steer clear.

5. Don't buy meat in bulk - "Meat" - be it pork, chicken, turkey, beef or bison - is environmentally expensive to produce.  It takes lots of water, grain, grass and space to produce a pound of beef, so be selective when shopping the butcher counter.  Especially in North America, cheap meat is everywhere in jumbo sized portions.  Giant packs of ribs, massive steaks and mega-packs of chicken breasts are fine if you're prepping for a party but are really not necessary for a typical household.  Take your time and opt for smaller cuts of fresh, local meat that you plan on using within the next 48 hours.  Eat less meat and you'll be doing your part to reduce the pressure on agriculture to produce so much protein to meet public demand.

6. Rice is nice if you're pinching pennies - Some larger grocery stores will have a section of colourful baggies of rice in the soup and dry pasta section.  Next time you're shopping check these out and make note of the price and the weight of the bag.  Now navigate your cart to the asian section of the store and you'll find gigantic sacks of rice covered in Indian or Chinese writing.  Now take a closer look at the price.  Notice anything shocking?  Yes, that giant sack of imported basmati is likely 1/10th the price of the fancy pouch of California rice in the soup section.  As a dietary staple, when it comes to rice you might as well buy in bulk.  If you live in an area that produces rice locally, or if you want the extra fiber and goodness of brown rice, try mixing-in local wild rice in a 1:3 ratio with your bulk rice.  You'll get all the flavor at a fraction of the price.  "Eat Local" Bonus Tip: In most of North America rice isn't exactly a local crop.  Yet you'd be surprised how your favorite curry and stir-fry dishes pair with potatoes, yams, pasta and bread.  Look for locally-produced starchy veggies and flour at your market and buy in bulk when you can to save $$$.

7. Spice is nice... but lookout for mash-ups! - The spice section of your grocery store is full of flavor- all you need to know is how to use them.  Spices are dried, so they last forever, plus they can be purchaed in bulk packs so you can refill your spice rack at home without buying excess packaging.  The only thing to look out for in the spice section are the super-mash-up-spice-mixes you'll find intermixed with the real, whole spices.  All sorts of 'dashers', 'shakers', and instant flavor combos will be lurking in that spice section, all with attractive packaging to lure you in.  Stick to the basics and, when in doubt look at the ingredients list.  If you see chemicals you can't identify, or added sugar, salt or hydrogenated oil - skip it.  You can concoct your own 'Asian Sensation', 'Bayou Blast' or 'Italian Spice' at home that tastes a hundred times more original.

8. Plan ahead and reduce your weekly visits to the store - If you live close to your local market and you can walk, this tip doesn't really apply.  But the vast majority of American grocery shoppers live in the 'burbs and park in giant lots... in SUVs!  Plan your week menu before you go shopping and buy what you need.  Try to cut-down on your weekly grocery runs to once a week if you can.  Just think of the fuel and time you'll save over the course of a year if you do this.  And if you get home from shopping and find you've forgotten something-  improvise!  You'll be surpised what you can come up with.

9. Not all oils are created equal - The overproduction of olives is turning much of Europe into a desert, and palm oil production in Asia may soon lead to the extinction of wild orangutans.  Look for oils produced closer to home.  You'll be surpised just how much flavor is in oils not labelled "olive": canola, coconut, corn, peanut, safflower, sesame, and sunflower to name a few.  Also, be sure you can identify exactly what crop produced the oil.  If it just says 'vegetable' then chances are there's palm oil in there.  Think of the organutans and pick another product.

10. Stick to the 50% rule - Here it is, so simple you just can't forget: aim to make at least 50% of each grocery trip fresh fruits and veggies.  And that doesn't mean 50% of your budget.  It means at least half of your basket or cart should be full of fruits and vegetables on every trip.  Stick to this rule and you'll be shopping better for your health, better for the planet and better for your pocketbook all at once.

11. Bonus Tip: Don't let money blind you to overpackaging - If you've every shopped at a warehouse store you've seen it: a package of 10 sets of razor blades for a ridiculously low price that are in a package the size of a big-screen TV.  Warehouse club packs are an inexcusable abomination in our modern society.  I mean, I'm sure 20-pounds of cheddar cheese for $20 is a good deal, but are the eight layers of plastic wrap and the two carboard boxes really necessary?  Couldn't they just put a rubber band or some string around 10 2-pound blocks or cheese and call it a day?  Sure, the products are cheap but at what cost?  Think about it next time you're buying bulk.  If the packaging is grossly over-the-top, just say no.

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