When you head to the farmer’s market, you are opening yourself up to a great deal of good. You’re supporting local food production, you’re making sure that the money spent goes directly to the growers, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to learn more about the food – because who knows more about produce than the people who grow it? – and you’re making sure that the fruits and veggies that you buy are as fresh and nutritious as possible.

However, what you may not realize is that while you are giving yourself a chance to enhance your nutrition in a very effective way, you may also be setting yourself up to sabotage your diet and put yourself at risk of weight gain.

Use the following tips to make sure that when you head to the farmer’s market, you’re setting itself up for nutrition that is healthy and weight loss friendly, instead of making some mistakes of which you may not even be aware.

• Pay attention to the samples that you eat – It’s easy to fall in love with all of the samples of fresh fruits, baked goods, dips, and other condiments that you can try at a farmer’s market. While a few blueberries or a slice of apple won’t do any harm, some of the other items on that list are packed with calories that can add up. There’s nothing wrong with trying them as long as you include them in your daily total of calories so that you can alter the other choices that you make in order to keep yourself on track.

• Learn from the growers – The products that you buy in a grocery store will have a handy nutrition label on the side. While it cause too much of a problem for you if you buy a cauliflower or a bunch of spinach , prepared foods and baked goods could come with a range of ingredients, calories, or sugars that you don’t even know is there. Don’t hesitate to ask about what the product contains so that you can figure it out for yourself, at home.

• Know your baked products – While whole grain breads are great for you, it’s a good idea to remember that even a bran muffin is essentially a cake with a healthier reputation. Pies, doughnuts, muffins, cupcakes, cookies, croissants, and white bread are packed full of sugars and diet-unfriendly carbs.

• Don’t shop hungry – The same rule applies for the farmer’s market as the grocery store. The less hungry you are, the more intelligent the choices you will make.