Keep it Simple While Grocery Shopping

When entering a grocery store, it is generally recommended to stick to the outer areas of the store. This is typically where the fruits, vegetables, and proteins are located. The highly processed foods are usually in the inner isles of the store.

Knowing where healthy choices are located in a grocery store can save you time.

It is also good to have a grocery list in hand or on your phone.  You can type your list in the “note” feature on your phone. Guess what? You are less likely to leave your list at home or in your car if you have it on your phone.

If your grocery store has a bakery section that is also along the perimeter of the store, steer clear! However, if you have to pass by the baked goods to get to the really good, healthy food, just avert your eyes. You don’t have to look at it! Right?

Just keep your grocery cart moving. Do not stop or linger nor breathe deeply as you pass by the bakery section!  Remember, this is NOT your food.

Fresh Vegetables

In choosing your vegetables, get what you like. When I first started eating healthy, I’d get the lettuce that I had to wash. No more! I just don’t have the time or patience to do that anymore. So, I get the already “triple washed” lettuces.

I prefer Spring Mix lettuce. It has a variety of lettuces with some color and different textures. The mix includes types of organic baby lettuces, spinach, red chard, radicchio and more.

Baby carrots are a must for me. It’s a staple for all my salads and servings of raw vegetables. Although, I prefer them shredded in my salads.

There are many types of vegetables to choose from. It’s also good to try some new veggies. If you haven’t already, try roasting parsnips. They are root vegetables that look like white carrots. I cut them in strips, the approximate shape of French fries. Spray some olive oil on them, with salt and pepper.

Then bake them in an oven at 400 degrees for about 35 to 40 minutes, just until they get cooked all the way through. They are yummy! Boom! New vegetable. Try it!

Fresh Fruits

Just as it’s important to choose a variety of vegetables, it’s also important to choose a variety of fruits as well. My usual go-to fruits are apples. We are blessed with so many varieties of apples. I’ve tasted many kinds but have yet to taste all of them. My favorites are Gala, Fuji, and Red.

I also get blueberries and raspberries. They contain the antioxidants that are good for our bodies. I get a few bananas, but I try to eat them sparingly, due to the naturally high sugar content in them. Fruit with high sugar content can raise blood sugar levels.

Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is key.

Whole Grains

When it comes to choosing grains, stick to simple whole grains because you can easily get into trouble in this area. For instance, granola is a no, no because the sugar content is too high even though it’s honey, it’s still sugar.

For convenience, I get the regular oatmeal in one-ounce packets because it’s already measured out. One ounce of oatmeal is what I eat with my breakfast. I also eat a cereal called, Ezekiel, which is full of whole grains.

Brown rice is also a beneficial grain. Did you know that white rice starts out as brown rice?  They take out most of the nutrients when processing it into white rice. Brown rice is a whole grain that is typically higher in fiber than white rice.

It helps you to feel fuller, lowers cholesterol levels, controls blood sugar levels, lowers risk of heart disease and more.*

Proteins

For protein, I typically choose from a variety of different types of meat and beans.  They include ground turkey (Jenni-O), chicken, fish, tuna, beef, and beans. As you probably noticed, I’m not a vegetarian.  If you are a vegan, then just choose vegetarian choices.

Keeping my food simple helps make my grocery shopping easy and efficient. I no longer wander down every aisle, picking up donuts, chips, cookies, and the latest featured junk food. When I go to the grocery store these days, I already have a mental list of the foods that I need. Keeping my grocery shopping simple has made my life less stressful and less complicated.

I get in and out!

I hope this blog post has been helpful to you. Please leave a comment. Share your grocery store tips or your struggle with grocery shopping.

 

Cynthia

*(https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/brown-rice-vs-white-rice)