Grocery shopping when you are trying to be healthy and eat clean can be overwhelming, especially when you are just starting out. I have created a list of tips and a lot of the things that I buy, as well as some that I don't personally buy but are great options.
Some Grocery Shopping Tips:
- Stick around the perimeters of the store. For the most part, you want to avoid things in boxes and bags that have a long shelf life. Things with a long shelf life generally mean that they are overly processed.
- Start with slowly making healthier choices and learning about how healthy products are. You don't need to immediately jump into 100% non-processed foods... in fact, if you do, you may end up going on a crazy binge from a drastic change. Start with adding more protein and fruits and veggies into your diet, while ditching the chips and cookies.
- Things that say sugar free and fat free are not necessarily good choices. For example, sugar free cookies are still overly processed crap cookies :-P Instead of always looking for those words, look for organic, all natural, and "no sugar added" kinds of things.
- READ THE LABELS. It gets confusing, but sometimes things like nut butters will say natural, but they still have things like added sugars and oils. Like I said in my previous post, look for products that have a smaller list of ingredients... less than two handfuls. And try to stick with the all natural brands!
- Try to go to more farmers market/health stores for less variety/healthier options: In my area we have Sprouts, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods, in addition to the larger chain stores.
Proteins
-White fish (tilapia, orange roughy, mahi mahi, etc.)
-Ground turkey (extra lean or lean)
-Chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
-Eggs
-Lean steak (top sirloin and filet mignon)
-Bison
-Tofu
-Greek Yogurt (plain and lowfat or nonfat; sweeten it yourself... see sweeteners... to avoid added sugars)
-Cottage Cheese (lowfat or nonfat)
-Protein powder (whey: fast absorbing, casein: slower digesting)
-Quest Bars
Complex Carbs
-Sweet Potatoes
-Ezekiel bread/tortilla/english muffin
-Brown Rice
-Quinoa
-Oats
-Cream of wheat
-Beans (black, navy, pinto, garbonzo)
-Whole Grain Breads/tortillas/etc
-Corn tortillas
-Granola (all natural and look for low sugar or no sugar added)
Healthy Fats
-Nuts (raw)
-Seeds (flax, sunflower, pumpkin, chia etc.)
-Nut butter (for the best options, only ingredient should be nuts. no added sugars)
-Oil (coconut, olive, grapeseed, sesame, avocado, etc.)
-Coconut
-Avocado
-Salmon (also a good source of protein)
Fruits
-Fresh
-Frozen
-In season and organic is best
-Dried fruit (no sugar added)
-Jelly (all natural, no sugar added)
-Applesauce (no sugar added)
-AVOID canned fruits as they are usually loaded with sugar
Veggies
-Fresh
-Frozen (I buy Steam Fresh)
-In season and organic is best
-AVOID canned veggies as they are usually loaded with sodium
Drinks
-WATER!!!!
-Tea (green tea is a great natural fat burner)
-Coffee (clean when it is black. add almond milk, natural sweeteners, or whey for flavoring)
Dairy
-Nonfat or skim milk
-Almond milk
-Greek yogurt (also listed as protein: plain and lowfat or nonfat; sweeten it yourself... see sweeteners... to avoid added sugars)
-Cottage Cheese (also listed as protein: nonfat or low fat)
-Almond cheese, fat-free cheese, light cheese
Sweeteners
-Stevia (plain or flavored)
-Raw Honey
-Raw Maple Syrup
-Raw Agave
-True Lemon
Condiments
-Spices (mrs. dash is a personal favorite)
-Herbs
-Mustard
-Hot sauce
-Salsa
-Vinaigrettes
-Apple Cider Vinegar
Baking Needs & More
-Flour (oat, almond, coconut, wheat)
-Cocoa powder
I, personally, like to make sure that I am eating both a portion of protein and a complex carb at the most of my meals to really fuel my body. I make sure to get enough healthy fats into my diet, but don't necessarily eat them at every meal. Vegetables, I will try to include in most of my meals as well, but if I am being quite honest, my vegetable intake is something that I really need to work on! So when I am grocery shopping I really focus first on making sure that I have the proteins and complex carbs that I need, then the vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats! And the rest is kind of just icing on the cake to spice it up! I will also be sure to make a post about some "fun" foods that are not considered "clean" but that I still like to eat daily! ;)
I hope this helps you guys a little bit, at least! If you have any questions, feel free to ask, or if you can think of things that I have not included on the list, feel free to throw them out there! I am sure I forgot something! ;)
Dream Big. Make It Happen. No Excuses.
xxox,
Ashley Scott