Does going to the grocery store give you anxiety? This experience does not have to be horrid, scary, intimidating, and super costly! In fact, it should be just the opposite. Gain insight into the grocery shopping experience with these tips to help guide you..
1. Shop the Perimeter of the Grocery Store – The most nutritious foods are on outside! P.S. it doesn’t matter if you are shopping at Whole Foods, the “whole” foods are still found on the perimeter of the store! Although we all love Whole Foods, just because you shop there doesn’t mean everything is nutritious.
2. Shop According to What Is In-Season – Nutrient-rich and less expensive. If its available to you, utilize your local fruit stand or farmers market. This is a fantastic way to go all around! If needed, supplement with frozen items for those foods not in season.
3. Subscribe to the Market Bulletins – This makes it much easier to purchase high quality items at a low cost. This is your opportunity to purchase items that you may not normally buy!
4. Plan Ahead – Planning a few meals ahead keeps you in line with your wallet and your waist. If you go to the store with a grocery list, you are more likely to stick to nutritious foods and less likely to come home with lots of unnecessary, less nutritious goods.
5. Buy Full-Fat Products – Fat does not make you fat! Fat, is actually good for you! Low-fat options have more sugar added. Pay attention to labels as many foods you wouldn’t expect are often loaded with sugar and other fillers, such as; yogurt, salad dressings, packaged foods, cereal, etc.
6. Buy WHOLE foods as Much as Possible – Veggies, fruits, fish, meats, nuts etc. Stick to foods that come from a plant and stay away from those made in a plant. Buy packaged/pre-prepared foods in moderation.*
7. Pay Attention to Labels – Remember ingredients are listed in order by weight, so the predominant ingredients will be listed first. As a general rule of thumb, if there are more than 10 ingredients listed or you can’t pronounce the ingredients, ditch the food, because your body probably won’t be able to recognize and appropriately digest the food either. Remember to look at how many servings are offered, as the labels are based on serving size. For example, if you ate 1 bag of goldfish with 20 grams of carbohydrate per serving, and the bag contained 3 servings total, you must multiply 20 x 3 = 60 grams of carbohydrate consumed. Also, don’t forget about the sugar. Although there is no adequate amount of sugar, try and stay under double digits per serving.
8. Watch Out for Buying “Liquid Calories” – Juices, smoothies, energy drinks, alcohol, etc. are filled with sugar and calories, so be aware with what choices you are making. There are zillions of drinks on the market, and even if they are sold at a high end grocery store it does not mean they are healthy. Remember, water is your best bet!
*Thrivemarket.com is an excellent place to purchase dried goods online, at a discount. One advantage to this is you are less likely to buy unnecessary items!
Set yourself up for success, not failure. If you would like extra support, set up an appointment today and we can transform your grocery shopping experience together!
Comfortably rooted in going to the market!
