Kamaran Currier from the Healthy Community Coalition holds a nutrition label to educate participants at the Grocery Store Pop-Up Tour on Tuesday, Nov. 26, at SeniorsPlus in Wilton. Leo Goddard/Franklin Journal

WILTON — On Tuesday, Nov. 26, Kamaran Currier from the Healthy Community Coalition visited SeniorsPlus to teach a course on grocery shopping.

Participants learned about the nutritional value of the foods you can find in the grocery store and what to avoid. For example, Currier said that fresh produce is always the healthiest option, but when buying canned fruits or vegetables, make sure to look at the sugar and sodium content. Choosing canned fruit that is 100% juice rather than syrup is always preferable. And for canned vegetables, look for a label that reads “no salt added.”

Mark Stofan, right, watches and listens to Kamaran Currier’s presentation on food and grocery shopping on Tuesday, Nov. 26, at SeniorsPlus in Wilton. Leo Goddard/Franklin Journal

“Food is fuel,” Currier said. “It gives you energy, keeps you healthy.” She showed an image of the classic MyPlate with the five main food groups on it, displaying the amount that should be eaten per meal.

Currier also recommended starting with the perimeter of the store when shopping. She pointed out that fresh produce is going to be cheaper when it is in season due to abundance. She also compared the unit price to retail price, teaching participants how to calculate the retail price to understand what they are paying.

Another topic of discussion was how a diet might look different when dealing with conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. These could include watching sugar or salt intake closely or choosing low or nonfat options.

Currier said that the recommended allowance of sugar for the average person is 24 grams per day, meaning that one can of soda would typically be over the recommendation. She also shared that foods could be roughly measured by using the size of a fist. One fist is about one cup.

This event was partnered with Hannaford to provide the class and participants went home with a $10 Hannaford gift card. Currier shared that the MaineHealth Franklin Hospital food pantry is open Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information or for future events, visit the SeniorsPlus website: https://seniorsplus.org/venue/seniorsplus-wilton/