Eating healthier is a common promise students make for themselves in the new year, but actually beginning the process and sticking to your plan can be harder than it sounds.

Wandering aimlessly through health sections of your local grocery store will probably not lead to your desired results of shopping cart full of nutrient-rich foods.

“Start small,” said Kelly Glass, produce manager at Lincoln Center Hy-Vee. “Add fruit as snacks or side dishes to your meals. Find a few that you really enjoy and focus on those when you start out. Keep your favorites on hand for every day.”

Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, operations manager at Wheatsfield Cooperative, echoed Glass’s sentiments.

“Snack on fresh fruits and vegetables,” Beatty-Hansen said. “While living in dorms, it can be hard to prepare full meals, but healthy meals full of produce are easy to prepare and a great way to start incorporating healthier foods in your diet.”

While health food can be seen as expensive food, Beatty-Hansen suggested buying in bulk.

“Buying healthy food in bulk, such as beans, flours and dried fruits is economically friendly while continuing to keep your health in mind,” Beatty-Hansen said. “Raw ingredients, for those who have access to a kitchen, are often cheaper than prepared meals.”

Beatty-Hansen also advised people to limit how many microwavable meals they buy.

“Prepared or microwave meals, while possibly boasting being a low-fat option, are many times loaded with sodium,” Beatty-Hansen said.

By preparing your own meals, you will have more control over how much sodium is in your meal.

For those just beginning their healthy food journey, Hy-Vee offers a built-in nutrient-counting system, called Nu-Val.

“Nu-Val helps explain the nutrition of a product in the store. Foods are assigned points out of 100, [and] the closer to 100, the more nutrient dense the food,” Glass said.

Glass explained that the different sections of the grocery store vary in Nu-Val numbers.

“The produce section is the highest rated section with a point range from lower 70s all the way up to 100,” Glass said.

Both Glass and Beatty-Hansen stressed the importance of starting small to make a lasting change in your diet.