Grocery Shopping...
There are some simple things that you can do when grocery shopping to move toward a more healthful lifestyle. If you are starting from the beginning, remember it is a process. You don't need to break your budget or eat tofu exclusively to be healthy. Scan through some of the following tips, and see if there are any that could make a difference for you.
Additional Information:
How do we eat healthy when we are on a macaroni and cheese budget? I recommend shopping the grocery store backwards. Figure out how much money you have to spend for the week (or day or month) and spend the majority of it in the produce section (for this reason, it makes sense to visit the store more often and buy less). Find what fruits are on sale, and buy one or two varieties for the week (try to alternate fruits on different weeks, so you don't build up a sensitivity from eating the same food week after week.) Next, hit the vegetables, and once again look for the sales. Only buy what you will use. This will probably require figuring out your menu ahead of time. Buy vegetables for a healthy, varied salad. You can use some of the vegetables you bought for the salad to add to a stir fry. I try to always have onions, garlic, peppers, celery and mushrooms on hand for the starter for many recipes I make. A great tip is to buy frozen peppers (red, yellow and orange) from Trader Joe's to have on hand (they are a great deal at $1.99 for a good size bag already chopped!). Once you have figured out your produce, go to the meat section (if you eat meat, obviously). Our grocery store has a section with meat that is approaching its sell by date. I can usually find meat that is either organic or natural (2nd choice) for a much lower price. Keep in mind that meat should be a side dish, rather than the main part of the meal for most people. Next, go to the dairy section - if you can, buy organic or free range eggs. I buy a dozen to hard boil and a dozen for regular cooking. If you can, buy raw cheese, organic milk and butter, and cottage cheese, and use them sparingly. I then go to the ethnic section and the organic aisles to find rice noodles, tortilla wraps, broth, legumes, and ground flax. With careful planning, you can make healthy soups, stews and stir fry's that can last for a few meals. Planning ahead will make all the difference. If you avoid the main aisles of the store, you will hopefully find that it takes less food (more quality foods) to meet your needs, and your grocery bills will go down. It is when we fill up on empty calories with no nutrients, that our bodies want us to overeat so we can try to get those nutrients.
There are some simple things that you can do when grocery shopping to move toward a more healthful lifestyle. If you are starting from the beginning, remember it is a process. You don't need to break your budget or eat tofu exclusively to be healthy. Scan through some of the following tips, and see if there are any that could make a difference for you.
- Replace one item that contains numerous unknown ingredients with an organic item (examples: Ice cream, potato chips, cereal)
- Take your time shopping in the organic section of your grocery store. Look at labels and compare to items in the general grocery area.
- Go window shopping at a natural health store. This will give you an opportunity to do comparison pricing and see what is available.
- Find a farmer's market in your area and search out the organic produce. I feel more energy walking through a farmer's market then in the produce section at a grocery store.
- Look through health books in the natural food store or organic section and see what jumps out at you. You can always check the books out from the library.
- Make shopping an adventure and set a side some extra time.
- Before you shop, find one recipe on the internet, and go to the store with the idea that you are going to get all organic ingredients for that recipe - including spices. If you do this each time you shop, you will begin to add many organics to your cupboards.
- Shop the outside of the regular section of the grocery store. The outside aisles contain the majority of the whole, natural and fresh foods. The processed foods are generally located in the inside aisles of the store.
- Question products that say fortified. Why buy something that has the natural vitamins taken out of them and then replaced with synthetic nutrients?
- With water - keep it simple! Water can be over processed. If you need to buy bottled water, look for purified or reverse osmosis choices.
- If you don't buy items that are unhealthy, you won't eat items that are unhealthy. It is as simple as that.
- Each time you shop, choose one additional organic item to add to your cart. The cost difference won't be noticable, and you can start to move toward a healthier lifestyle. Most people are amazed at the taste difference between regular and organic items.
- When you shop, be aware of energy that you feel from foods. Pick up a piece of produce - you should feel positive energy. See how you feel when you are holding something that is highly refined. Does it sap your energy?
Additional Information:
How do we eat healthy when we are on a macaroni and cheese budget? I recommend shopping the grocery store backwards. Figure out how much money you have to spend for the week (or day or month) and spend the majority of it in the produce section (for this reason, it makes sense to visit the store more often and buy less). Find what fruits are on sale, and buy one or two varieties for the week (try to alternate fruits on different weeks, so you don't build up a sensitivity from eating the same food week after week.) Next, hit the vegetables, and once again look for the sales. Only buy what you will use. This will probably require figuring out your menu ahead of time. Buy vegetables for a healthy, varied salad. You can use some of the vegetables you bought for the salad to add to a stir fry. I try to always have onions, garlic, peppers, celery and mushrooms on hand for the starter for many recipes I make. A great tip is to buy frozen peppers (red, yellow and orange) from Trader Joe's to have on hand (they are a great deal at $1.99 for a good size bag already chopped!). Once you have figured out your produce, go to the meat section (if you eat meat, obviously). Our grocery store has a section with meat that is approaching its sell by date. I can usually find meat that is either organic or natural (2nd choice) for a much lower price. Keep in mind that meat should be a side dish, rather than the main part of the meal for most people. Next, go to the dairy section - if you can, buy organic or free range eggs. I buy a dozen to hard boil and a dozen for regular cooking. If you can, buy raw cheese, organic milk and butter, and cottage cheese, and use them sparingly. I then go to the ethnic section and the organic aisles to find rice noodles, tortilla wraps, broth, legumes, and ground flax. With careful planning, you can make healthy soups, stews and stir fry's that can last for a few meals. Planning ahead will make all the difference. If you avoid the main aisles of the store, you will hopefully find that it takes less food (more quality foods) to meet your needs, and your grocery bills will go down. It is when we fill up on empty calories with no nutrients, that our bodies want us to overeat so we can try to get those nutrients.
