Miss Daisy has worked in the cheese shop at our Woodmore, Maryland, store for 12 years. In 2019, she participated in our Feel Your Best employee wellness program – a multi-week program that teaches people healthy habits to help them live a healthier, better life through food. During the program, Miss Daisy learned to make small changes over time that developed into habits to help her manage her diabetes and her budget. We recently spoke with Miss Daisy and asked her to share some of the tips she learned that she believes could help others too.

One habit Miss Daisy considers to be a key “lifelong lesson” is to shop your kitchen before going grocery shopping. Check your fridge, freezer, countertop, and pantry for items you have on hand. Then, plan meals around the items you already have. She found this habit has helped her to save time and money, plus it cuts down on food waste.

Miss Daisy also practices the habit of stock for success to make sure she has the foods and ingredients she needs to make healthy and delicious meals for her family. During the Feel Your Best program, she received a pantry bag full of food, along with digital coupons, which gave her opportunities to explore new foods and cooking techniques. One item that she was encouraged to try was Wegmans Basting Oil. She now uses it regularly to roast veggies.

“Brussels Sprouts are one thing I’d never eaten,” said Miss Daisy. “Now they disappear. I can’t make enough of them, and my grandkids love them too!”

Stocking your kitchen with nourishing foods makes it easy to consume foods that support your health goals. Also, having a variety of foods and ingredients on hand makes it easy to get a delicious meal on the table with less stress. Click here for more information on stocking for success.

During the program, Miss Daisy learned that snacking throughout the day helped her to avoid overeating at night. She also learned the importance of managing portion sizes of snacks. Using small bags or reusable containers helps make this easy. For example, she can take advantage of the cost savings of purchasing a bulk container of nuts, then break it down into single serving portions.

“I still use my little portion bags,” she said. “That’s one of the best things that happened to me.”

Staying on track with your portion sizes is a great way to help support a healthy weight, healthy blood sugar levels, and make healthy eating affordable.

We asked Miss Daisy if there was one tip that she would encourage people to try, she suggested starting with shop your kitchen.

“It’s a game changer for me. It’s been at least 3 years since I’ve done the program. It’s still impacting me in a positive way.”

For more information on how healthy eating can be easy and affordable click here.