Tips for Healthy Grocery Shopping
Prioritizing our health has become more important than ever. One of the best ways to nourish our bodies and promote well-being is through healthy grocery shopping. Grocery shopping can be overwhelming and a bit tedious. These tips will help to ensure that your shopping trip is a success.
- Plan ahead.
- Before going shopping make a meal plan for the upcoming week and create a grocery list based on the plan. Be sure to include some healthy snacks and plenty of fruits and vegetables.
- Eat something before shopping.
- Shopping on an empty stomach can lead to “binge buying.” When this happens, we often leave the store with a basket full of food, but nothing that was actually on our list.
- Shop early in the day to avoid decision fatigue.
- By the end of the day, we’ve made around 30,000 decisions. Making all of these decisions takes a toll on our mental and physical energy. This is why shopping later in the day can feel like such chore. Save yourself some mental headache by getting your shopping done early in the day.
- Pick up your healthiest foods first.
- Shop the perimeter of the store to grab your fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains before moving to the center isles where the more processed foods are typically found. Adding your healthy foods first helps with the decision fatigue that we might experience while shopping.
- Know that it’s okay to purchase canned and frozen foods.
- Canned and frozen foods can help to avoid food waste, can often be less expensive than fresh foods, and might be a better option for those with limited time. Try to but canned and frozen with few added ingredients such as salts and sugars.
Being intentional about how and when we shop can help to remove some of the stress from grocery shopping and help us reach our healthy eating goals. Remember, you don’t have to be perfect, making one small change can have lasting impact.
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/cooking-skills/shopping/grocery-shopping-tips https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthy-grocery-shopping-guide#at-the-store
