Nowadays we are faced with so much choice at the supermarket that figuring out which products are healthier options can be bewildering.

Here at ‘Mums United’, we know that making healthier food choices needs to be practical for Australian families.

We busy Mums don’t have the time to examine the ingredients on every single product that gets thrown in the trolley, especially when you have restless kids in tow. Shopping can be stressful at the best of times.

This is why the Heart Foundation Tick can be our supermarket saviour.

The Tick allows you to quickly and easily spot which foods on the shelves are a healthier option. So it really is invaluable when you’re short on time! And you don’t need to understand all the details in the nutritional panel.

As Mums, we also need to know that we aren’t compromising when making these speedy choices. For the Tick to be a real saviour, we need to know that we can trust it.

And we can. For companies to earn the Tick, all foods must meet the Heart Foundation’s strict nutrition standards: no exceptions. If a product fails to meet the standards, it cannot enter the program.

These standards have strict criteria like limiting saturated fat, trans fat, salt and kilojoules and increasing levels of healthy nutrients like fibre and calcium.

Plus, all Tick approved foods are subject to random testing, so you can rest assured that they continue to meet our high standards.

But you may wonder where the money and resources to run a program like this comes from. Despite being a part of the Heart Foundation, the Tick does not rely on any public donations. Instead, all food companies which carry the Tick pay a licence fee. Every cent that comes into the Tick goes back into running the program. So it really does benefit all Australians!

But what else are the benefits to you?

By replacing your regular ingredients with Tick foods, you can make your family’s favourite meals healthier without changing the foods you like to eat.

Many of the products with the Tick are perfect for busy Mums because they are so quick and convenient to cook with – like frozen fish and veggies. And so you can feel confident you are feeding your family healthier choices even when you are short on time.

Indeed, the Tick is across such a wide range of foods, from ready meals and cooking sauces to fresh fruit and vegetables, that whether you’re a clueless cook or a Masterchef, you will find the foods you like to buy with the Tick.

Outside of mealtime, if snacking is an issue for you or your family, the Tick can also provide options for healthier snacking – from fresh fruit to plain nuts and cereal bars.

But we all know that there is one major deal breaker when it comes to putting food in our trolleys - value for money. So it’s great news that ALDI has become the first supermarket in Australia to earn the Tick on a wide range of their exclusive products, making healthier foods affordable for all Australian families.

So if you want to cut down on supermarket stress, make the Tick your secret weapon in the shopping aisles from today!

Video: Aldi gets the tick of approval.