Healthy Grocery Shopping Tips
by Denise Austin |
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Featured
March 3, 2018
Hi Everyone! March is Nutrition Month, so what better time than now to take a look at how we are eating than with these 7 simple and healthy grocery shopping tips? From choosing food to preparing it and - most importantly - enjoying it, food should be a part of your overall health and wellness strategy! So each week this month, I will offer up blog posts on food and nutrition - make sure you visit my Blog so you don't miss any. I am also using these food insights to introduce my newest LifeFit 360 Plan that will be launching this month: Eat Like Denise! Stay tuned for more info, or start your free trial of LifeFit 360 now and join me as it launches!This week I want to share with you my favorite healthy grocery shopping tips! Healthy eating all begins at the market - it's where you are going to be making choices that fit your lifestyle, are satisfying, and hopefully are healthy. As a mom, I get it, it feels like we are always running to the store - so use those trips to challenge yourself to select healthy foods that will give you and your family the most nutritional bang for your grocery buck! These 7 simple and healthy grocery shopping tips are a good place to start - apply them to your next grocery run.My Healthy Grocery Shopping Tips:
- Never shop when you're hungry. Every tempting food will call your name and climb into your grocery cart. Plus, a growling stomach may force you to tear into a box of something fattening and high-calorie while you stroll the aisles. Before I hit the grocery store, I like to start with a snack, like a small apple and a handful of raw almonds. Having a healthy meal or afternoon snack before you shop can help to quell cravings and keep those doughnuts, chips and other goodies from landing in your cart.
- Plan your weekly menus before leaving the house. This will ensure that you stock up on the foods that will help you prepare daily meals that are quick and healthful. With the right items in the house, healthy eating is a cinch. Of course, if you’re a LifeFit 360 Member, just print out your weekly meal planning menu, or keep your phone with you and check the items off as you go.
- Do your research! Read the Nutrition Facts labels of unfamiliar foods to determine whether or not they fit your diet. Talk to the produce manager to see what’s in season, and the butcher to find out what’s fresh. And if you are unsure if a packaged food is less-than-healthful, shelve it, do some research and buy it the next time if it passes muster!
- Shop the perimeter of the store and avoid the center aisles. Most of the healthy items like fresh, organic produce and dairy are generally in the outer aisles, so start there and fill your cart with the good stuff first! The center aisles are typically where you'll find processed foods like boxes or bags of cookies, chips, and cakes. You may even try to avoid those aisles altogether - out of sight, out of mind AND out of your shopping cart!
- If an unhealthy food is even the tiniest bit tempting, don't buy it. You can't eat what you don't have in the house, so avoid the unhealthy foods that tempt you late at night. If they're not in the cupboard, you won't hear them calling your name!
- Stock up on essentials like whole grain pasta, frozen fruits or vegetables, nuts and eggs. Always having these items on hand means a good-for-you meal is just minutes away.
- Shop solo. If going to the store with your children or partner means you'll come home with a cartful of unhealthy treats, then try to hit the store on your own. This way you won't be talked into buying foods that no one in your family needs - whether they’re watching their waistlines or not. Eating real food is great for you and the whole family, plus you’re teaching good habits to last a lifetime.