Helpful Tips for Grocery Shopping
Plan your meals and list them out before you shop. Choose recipes that include lean proteins, lots of vegetables and fresh fruit. Get organic or locally grown as much as possible.
Use a meal-planning app.
Plan quick meals on those days you have a busy schedule. For example, you could choose something easy, like a fresh salad, tacos, sandwiches or double a recipe one night, so you have leftovers for the next night.
If you have children, include them in the meal planning process. This will ensure you pick healthy foods that your children will eat. Cooking is a great way to spend quality time together, include them in the meal preparation too!
Avoid processed foods and plan to cook from scratch as much as possible.
Once you have your meals planned out, make a shopping list based on the recipes you plan to make.
Include healthy snacks to keep you on track in between meals. Greek yogurt, cheese, fruits, BHU Keto snack bars and vegetables are all great options.
Many meal-planning apps will also create a grocery list for you.
If you haven't been making healthy food choices, you’ll want to change your diet gradually. Make a few healthier choices each week. For example, try Stevia in your coffee, whole-wheat bread instead of white bread or butter instead of margarine.
Eat before you go! Shopping while hungry may encourage impulse buying. You may find yourself buying unhealthy snacks instead of sticking to your shopping list. If you can, eat a healthy snack or meal before you go to the store to reduce the temptation.
Learn your store. Each store is set up a bit differently, but often the healthiest options (the ingredients rather than whole meals) are on the perimeter. For instance, produce, dairy, meat, bread, and frozen foods are often on the perimeter. Knowing your store, will allow you to determine which aisles you should skip such as the processed foods aisle.
Another key to making healthy choices at the grocery store is to look closely at labels. Always read labels and learn what they mean. “All Natural”, “Cage Free Eggs” and “No Sugar” are not as healthy as they sound.
Pay close attention to saturated fats, trans fats, sodium and cholesterol. For each serving, look at the daily value: twenty percent (or more) of your daily value is high, while five percent or less is low. Try to keep these items on the low end.
Choose: Non-GMO instead of All Natural (natural ingredients aren’t always healthy), Free-Range instead of Cage-Free and Cane Sugar or Stevia instead of Sugar-Free which usually contains harmful chemicals like Aspartame. Studies have shown Aspartame can cause Cancer. To learn more about ingredients to avoid click the button below…