Shopping at the Grocery Store
13 05 2008Not everyone can go to the fresh market every day; for most Americans, shopping at a grocery store is the reality. How can you shop at a grocery store and still maximize your hard-earned health gains?
My number 1 rule for shopping at the grocery store: Stay in the periphery! The middle of the store has nothing but processed foods.
Rule number 2: If the food you’re looking at has a shelf life longer than the average pet’s, then it’s bad for you!
Rule number 3: NO SODA (period) Try to buy drinks that say 100% juice (but even then, be careful to make sure there isn’t sugar added, or artificial flavors, things like that).
Rule number 4: Avoid foods that say “enriched.” Go for whole grain foods. At Giant, they sell “Nature’s Promise” whole grain wheat bread and it’s the best bread I’ve ever tasted that came from a bag.
Rule number 5: Buy fresh fruits and vegetables!!! If you can’t buy fresh, then buy frozen.
Rule number 6: Avoid sugars, especially refined sugars and things that say high-fructose corn syrup.
Rule number 7: Buy lean meats. I like to buy my meat in big packages, and then place the unused meat in freezer bags to cook later.
To help you stick to healthy foods, make a list before you go. And don’t ever go to the grocery store hungry; that’s waist-line disaster waiting to happen.
What are my essentials when I shop?
bell peppers
chicken breast
nice cut of porterhouse steak (not every time though)
squash
zucchini
juice
eggs with omega-3 fatty acids
brown rice (not that instant kind…eww)
salad stuff
fresh fruit (especially blackberries, apples, oranges)
What are your tips for shopping healthy at a grocery store? Share!
I adore omega-3 eggs. And I like to compare the different brands because even something like a can of chickpeas will have verying levels of sodium and such between different brands… its hard to believe that perfectly natural foods like that can even have a bunch of junk added to them.
I love grocery shopping.
That’s a good point about checking different brands!
when I can afford it LOTS OF FRESH FISH FOR DINNER.
(sushi grade tuna. ok it’s a rarity but still…im my MizFit Mind is a staple :))
I totally follow the “no shopping when I am hungry” rule - the junk food that I pile up whenever I break the rule, makes me follow the rule with a vengeance
Absolutely agree on going with a list - else you end up roaming around each aisle and bulking up on junk in the process.
Indeed. I was just thinking about you today, wondering where you’ve been since it’s been a while since I heard from you
Don’t take away my Diet Coke!!! Ohhhhh noooo!!!!