Grocery shopping for healthy meals can be a daunting task. There are so many options and who even has time to read all the labels on every package? Thankfully with a little help on how to practice healthy grocery shopping, making smarter nutritious choices will become a second nature
With these simple shopping tips, your fridge and pantry at home will be a healthy oasis. In order to get started, the first thing you must keep in mind is being prepared.
Key Tips to Practice Healthy Grocery Shopping
In order to efficiently grocery shop for healthy items that your body will love, we have a few tips. Healthy choices are easy to find if you know how and where to look. The journey surprisingly starts before you get to the store.
1.) Plan Ahead for Success
Having a plan is always a must when going to the grocery store. Before you set out for the store, plan your meals for the week and have a set list to shop from. This prevents being side-tracked.
Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, and professor of nutrition at New York University explains a good point. She says “…keep in mind they [markets] are designed to get you to buy (and, therefore, eat) more food, not less,”. Nestle also says to avoid shopping while hungry.
2.) Splurge Correctly
If you are going to splurge on anything in the store, splurge in the produce aisle. This is (typically) the largest section in the store. Fresh organic produce is the best thing you can put in your body and will be worth the investment.
Colorful fruits and veggies have plenty of minerals, vitamins, and phytonutrients that are essential to your health. Aim for buying the rainbow when shopping for fruits and veggies.
3.) Don’t Forget the Superfoods
Along with fruits and veggies, superfoods are also a huge contributor to your health. While there are many superfoods that may be ridiculously out of your budget, there are some superfoods worth the splurge.
These lovely superfoods contain a high vitamin and mineral contain, helping your body to avoid illness. When incorporated into a well-balanced diet, these foods will provide that extra health boost to keep you radiant inside and out.
4.) Avoid Processed Foods
Aim to avoid processed and unnatural foods as much as possible. These foods are altered from their original state and contain fewer health benefits. Processed foods typically come in a bag or box and contain more than one ingredient. Stay on the lookout for words like “whole-wheat and organic”, these are promising!
It is unrealistic to completely avoid processed foods as some are actually healthy for example precooked whole grains, Greek yogurt, nut butter, and unsalted canned beans. The ones you really want to avoid are bags of more “snack-like” items.
5.) Check That Label
When purchasing foods, it is good to get in the habit of checking the label. The label will tell you all ingredients, how much fat, sugar, carbohydrates, etc. When purchasing something, it is best to aim for a sugar content at least under 10g per serving. You’d be surprised how much sugar is in items you never would’ve expected it to appear in.
It is also good to check the label if you are plant-based, vegan, gluten-free, have any dietary restrictions, or allergies. Some foods contain small traces of a certain ingredient that can be unexpected. The last thing someone who is lactose-intolerant needs is to accidentally consume dairy. That never ends well.
6.) Shop the Perimeter of the Store
Fresh organic foods like fruits, veggies, dairy, meat, and fish are usually located around the perimeter of the store. Center aisles are typically where most junk and processed foods are located.
However, in health-friendly stores such as Whole Foods or Sprouts, center aisles are filled with healthier alternatives such as nuts, grains, dried fruits, and vegetables.
7.) Choose “Real” Foods
Aim to buy foods that say 100% fruit juice or 100% whole-grain. It is best to avoid food with additives or processing. If you want more sugar or salt, you can add it yourself.
It is also best to avoid foods with more than 5 ingredients, artificial ingredients, or ingredients you truly can’t seem to pronounce. It is good to actually know what you are eating.