Healthy Grocery Shopping Tips

Good nutrition starts with smart choices at the grocery store!  Cooking healthy meals can be challenging if you don't have the right ingredients in your kitchen.  Check out these simple tips to keep you on track while shopping.

Plan ahead.  To eat healthy, I've found it's ESSENTIAL to plan your meals for the week in advance.  It used to take me hours to plan an entire weeks' worth of meals until I came up with a base plan to narrow it down.  My base plan consists of at least:

1 fish recipe
1 crock pot recipe
1 clean eating recipe
1 chicken recipe
1 salad recipe
1 cheat meal

Since it's just me and my husband we almost always have leftovers so these six meals turn into ten or more meals.  From here all you have to do is fill in a couple meals and add your snacks.  DONE.

Create a shopping list.  It may take a few minutes, but it will prevent extra trips to the store for missing ingredients.  I highly suggest making a list that is grouped by: lean proteins and dairy, veggies and fruit, whole grains, and extras.  It will save time at the store so you're not going back and forth. 

LEAN PROTEINS & DAIRY	VEGGIES & FRUIT
EXTRAS	WHOLE GRAINS

Don't shop hungry.  People tend to make unhealthy impulse buys on empty stomachs, so make sure to eat a snack before you shop!

Choose organic.  I realize organic food can be expensive, but try to choose it when you can.  You get the same benefits with fewer pesticides. 

 

Shop the perimeter.  This is where produce, dairy, meat, and whole grains are located.  Try to avoid the center aisles where junk food lurks.

Produce: This is the section you should spend the most time in and the majority of your shopping cart should be filled with colorful fruits and veggies.

 

Whole Grains: Choose whole wheat bread and pasta.  You can start with whole wheat blends and slowly transition to 100% whole wheat.  I personally can't stand whole wheat pasta, so I buy multigrain pasta instead.  Other grain options include: quinoa, brown rice, and barley.

 

Lean Proteins: Fish, skinless poultry, and lean cuts of meat such as top sirloin and tenderloin are good choices.  Be sure to watch your portion sizes!  One chicken breast isn't necessarily one serving.

Dairy: Low-fat and nonfat are the best options.

 

Frozen Foods: Frozen fruits and veggies are better than canned.  Canned fruits and veggies tend to be packaged in salt, sugar, and preservatives for taste and longevity. 

 

Canned Foods: When buying canned foods look for low sodium options, low-fat soups, and tuna or salmon packed in WATER instead of oil.

 

Foods to Avoid: Try to avoid foods that contain more than 5 ingredients, artificial ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.



 

Eating Out Tips

When you're eating healthy all week it can be easy to let your guard down on the weekends.  It's very important to have a meal plan in place to avoid temptation.  With that said, you should always have a Cheat Meal scheduled.  Notice I said Cheat Meal not Cheat Day.  Here are some tips to help you get through the weekend.

1.  If you are going to a restaurant check out the menu AHEAD of time.  Most restaurants post their menus online along with the nutritional value.  Decide on what you're going to eat BEFORE you get there, so when you sit down at the restaurant you won't have to open the menu and be tempted.  Skip the bread and tortilla chips, they have no nutritional value and will fill you up before you get your meal.

2.  If you are going to a party eat before you go or drink Shakeology on your way there.  Offer to bring a healthy appetizer or main dish.  Make every party about socializing with others and not about the food.  Keep your conversations away from the food table and offer to clean up so you're not forced to sit around and watch everyone eat. 

3.  No matter where you are make sure you drink lots of water!  You'll feel full quicker and will stay hydrated.

4. Always have a plan.  If you are traveling, going to a sporting event, or are running errands all day, pack a small cooler with healthy snacks.  Make sure to throw in an extra snack so you're not caught in a situation where you've been out longer than expected and have nothing to eat.