How to Shop the Health V Way
The Grocery Store
It is truly one of my favorite places to go to every week. I love to casually walk down the aisles and see all the new produce and products that have been carefully stocked on the shelves… Who am I kidding, the grocery store can be a madhouse sometimes and can take up most of your day.
The grocery store… It is truly one of my favorite places to go to every week. I love to casually walk down the aisles and see all the new produce and products that have been carefully stocked on the shelves… Who am I kidding, the grocery store can be a madhouse sometimes and can take up most of your day.
This guide will instruct you HOW to make the most of your grocery shopping for an efficient and healthy trip.
The Pre-game:
1. Make a Meal-Plan:
Trust me, this will be a time-saver and keep you from making that random spontaneous purchase. Planning out what you, and your family, will eat for the week will help with making the shopping list. It also helps you to think about what you already have in your pantry so you don’t double, or even triple, up on things.
When making the meal plan make sure that each meal is balanced. You want each meal to have a protein, a healthy fat, and a fiber (preferably found in vegetables and/or fruits).
Examples will be:
Breakfast: smoothie made with frozen berries (fiber), chia seeds (healthy fat), almond milk, protein powder (protein) and kale.
Lunch: Green salad (fiber) with canned salmon (protein), avocado (healthy fat), sugar snap peas, and frozen quinoa.
I love a good leftover for lunch. Plan to double up dinner.
Dinner: Roasted salmon (protein and fat) with asparagus (fiber) and quinoa (fiber and protein).
2. The SHOPPING LIST
Look at your recipes (if using) and fill out the shopping list in each category. This will help so you will not forget the basil when walking through the produce department or the kalamata olives when walking past the condiments aisle (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten the kalamatas!)
You are now ready to grab your reusable bags, find those darn car keys, and get on over to the grocery store.
Game Time!
Most grocery stores are set up the same way, the HealthV way of shopping is going along the perimeters first. Thats were you are most likely to find all the healthiest fresh foods that make up the bulk of your diet.
I like to start with the produce department and let my eyes feast on all the beautiful apples and crisp lettuce. The green green beans… the red red bell peppers… Yum!
Then I move along to the dairy cases for yogurts, whole grass-fed milk for my family and nut milk for myself. Then to the meat and seafood departments for grass-fed meat and wild caught seafood… you get the idea. The permitters are where its at!
WARNING! WARNING! HAZARDS
When venturing into the middle aisles you will need your super reading powers! You know, the ones you were super proud of as a kid… Super Readers, you must read the labels on any boxes, bags, or anything with a barcode! What you are looking for are:
ADDITIONAL SUGAR!
Here is a link to an article by the FDA: “Added Sugars on the New Nutrition Facts Label
Basically, Total Sugars means the sugars that are naturally found in food such as milk or tomatoes.
It is the “Additional Sugars” you want to look out for. That is sugars added to the product in processing. Sucrose or dextrose are the most common but beware of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Not only is HFCS not natural (its lab made) but it goes straight to fat and can clog arteries, yikes!
Best rule to keep in mind with sugars is to buy products with 5 grams or less of additional sugars. Know that if it has more than 5 grams you should consider that product a dessert or a “some-times treat”.
BUTYLATED HYDROXYTO…. WHAT??? WHAT IS THIS??
Super Readers, If you can not pronounce an ingredient or you do not recognize the ingredient, or it has more than 5 syllables…. Most likely than not it is NOT REAL FOOD. Put it down and step away slowly. Our bodies don’t have instructions on how to metabolize these “ingredients” and it will default to storing it to fat or it can have greater consequences on your health.
WHERE IN NATURE DO I FIND BLUE #5?
While we are on the topic of NOT REAL FOOD if an ingredient has a number attached to it or is in all-caps letters use caution, it will spontaneously combust! No, it won’t ignite but it should not be consumed.
OILS SPOILS
Not all oils are healthy and good for you. When looking at products look for avocado, coconut, or olive oil. If it says canola, corn, safflower, sunflower, vegetable, soybean, grapeseed, cottonseed, and rice bran oil, PLEASE AVOID. These oils are created using heat and chemicals; the heat oxidizes and speeds up spoiling in the oil. Chemicals.. well, I don’t need to elaborate on that.
When you consume avocado, coconut, and olive oil the fruits are pressed to release their oil.
Remember, try to stick to products that are as close to nature as possible.
You are NOW ready! Armed with the knowledge and know-how to make this the best… and Healthiest… grocery shopping trip ever!!