Groceries: Grocery Shop Like a Pro!
Grocery Shopping Tips
Preparing your own food is one of the best strategies for healthy eating. We know what's going into our meals and we can typically prepare food in a healthier manner than someone else can.
But before the process of meal preparation begins, we must start with the proper raw materials. This is where grocery shopping comes into play.
Here are some tips to help with your shopping...
Plan ahead
Make a list. Stick to your list.
Plan your meals ahead of time. It takes a few extra minutes upfront but can make the rest of the week a lot less stressful.
Last-second decisions about meals are a sure-fire way to make poor choices. At the end of a long workday when you have nothing planned, what are the chances you'll want to spend time putting together a healthy salad?
When it comes to preparing healthy meals, you'll want to start with a protein source. Plan which protein (eggs, tofu, legumes, meat, fish, lentils) will be the focal point. Next, plan vegetables. Beyond that, look at grains or carbs (potatoes, rice, pasta, etc) as side dishes if you need them.
Protein and Vegetables
When you look at your shopping list, think in terms of categories of food: protein, vegetables, fruit, grains, snacks, beverages, etc. You'll want protein and vegetables to be your foundation. Make sure you have enough for each meal you plan to prepare.
Don’t go hungry!
We've all heard it before: don't go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. This is absolutely true. When you're hungry, everything looks delicious. You'll try every free sample and you'll be much more likely to load your cart with Hot Pockets and Pop-Tarts.
Try to eat a healthy, balanced meal before you go. Not only will it temper your hanger, but it will put you in the right mindset for making healthier decisions.
Plan your route
If we regularly shop for groceries, we know our way around the store. Stick to the perimeter. This is where the produce, dairy, and meat aisles tend to be. Avoid the inner aisles that contain frozen, prepared food and processed junk.
Don't just wander the aisles looking for ideas. Stick to your list. If you're getting anything not on your list, make sure it's a vegetable or protein.
Read labels
If an item has a label (many good food choices don't - vegetables, meat, fruit, fish), give it a quick glance. Look at fat, protein, and sugar content. Look at the ingredient list. Not that every chemically-sounding name is poison, but take note of the total number of ingredients. In general, the fewer, the better.
Set yourself up for success
Fill your kitchen with healthy options. If we buy chips and cookies, we will eat them. If you're sitting at home and craving Oreos, but you don't have any in the house, you have a fairly high barrier between you and the cookies. Is it worth getting dressed, driving to the store, spending money on Oreos, and driving home? Maybe.
If those Oreos are in your pantry, the only thing standing between you and them is a 10-second walk to the kitchen. That's a pretty low barrier.
So fill your kitchen with good vegetables, protein, fruit, and whole grains to make healthy eating a heck of a lot easier.