Healthy Food List And Other Grocery Tips

Healthy Food List And Other Grocery Tips

When it comes to eating healthy, you need to make sure you fill your cart with the right foods at the grocery store.

This is pretty straightforward stuff – if the unhealthy stuff doesn’t make it into your cart, it won’t make it home into your kitchen where you will be tempted to eat it.

Healthy eating starts at the grocery store. Here’s how to fill your cart with all the right foods.

This is easier said than done and you have to be vigilant when you go grocery shopping.

Grocery stores are filled with products that are often marketed to work against your waistline, hearth, and overall health.

Use these tips and strategies to improve your health and avoid the traps of processed junk food.

Making a healthy food list before you go shopping will simplify your trip. It may also save you time. The challenging part is to stick to the list and not give in to the temptations, even when there is a big sale.

For me, I like to stay focused, check things off and get in and out of the store as quickly as possible.

Get to know your store and categorize your healthy food list items by department.

Use a Notes App on your phone to always have the list with you.

I’ll put a list of healthy food list items at the bottom of this post.

Go Grocery Shopping Alone

This tip is for obvious reasons as you get to be the one that controls what goes in your cart. That being said, my wife and I do shop together. We are not a fan of grocery shopping, but we both like to eat healthy and we support each other and do our best to stick to the healthy food list we created.

I know, this can be a challenge for some larger families, but if you can’t shop alone, strive to avoid the traps of the cereal, cookies and snack aisles!

Eat Before You Shop

Don’t go to the grocery store hunger. People who are hungry and shop without a healthy food list tend to buy more food (many times it’s junk food).

Have a small snack (like a piece of fruit or 10 raw almonds) before heading out, or even just drink water to keep yourself feeling full.

If you find yourself hungry at the store, I have heard some people head right to the produce, buy a banana (or apple if you can find a way to wash it) and then pay for it and eat it before doing the rest of the shopping.

Shop The Perimeter Most

Typically the outer aisles of the grocery store have most of your healthy food list items. This includes product, lean meats, and even dairy. Once you have gone around the perimeter first, then venture into the middle aisles with focus.

Look for healthy food list items without added sugars. Think natural peanut butter, frozen vegetables, low sodium beans (or dry beans), plain rolled oats.

This will set yourself up for success.

Healthy Food List Items

(Download Healthy Food List PDF)

VEGETABLES

• Kale
• Spinach
• Brussels sprouts
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Peppers (organic if possible)
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Salsa (fresh)
• Avocado

VEGETABLES (starchy)

• Sweet Potato/Yams
• Corn
• Squash (any)
• Peas

FRUITS

• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Strawberries (go organic)
• Watermelon
• Oranges
• Apple (organic)
• Banana

LEAN PROTEIN

• Chicken Breast
• Turkey Breast
• Lean ground chicken or turkey (≥ 93% lean)
• Fish, freshwater and wild-caught (catfish, tilapia, trout, cod, salmon, halibut)
• Eggs (free-range)
• Tempeh (non-GMO)
• Cottage cheese, 2%
• Veggie burger, 1 medium patty (beware of sodium. Go for non-GMO)

WHOLE GRAINS

• Brown or wild rice
• Cereal (>3g fiber & <10g sugar per serving)
• Oatmeal, rolled, steel-cut
• Pita, whole wheat
• Popcorn, light
• Tortillas (corn or small 100% whole grain)
• Waffles, whole-grain

PANTRY ITEMS

• Beans, Lentils
• Broth, low sodium
• Chicken, Tuna
• Mustard
• Peanut butter (100% natural without added sugar)
• Soups, low sodium and low fat
• Tea, Coffee
• Tomato paste, no sugar added
• Tomato sauce, no salt added
• Canned vegetables, no salt added

NUTS/SEEDS

• Almonds, whole, raw
• Pistachios, whole, raw
• Pecan halves, raw
• Walnut halves, raw
• Pumpkin seeds, raw
• Sunflower seeds, raw
• Sesame seeds, raw

DAIRY

• Cheese (low fat, light string, Laughing Cow light)
• Cottage cheese, 1% or fat free
• Milk (1%, skim, light soy milk, unsweetened almond milk)
• Sour cream, light
• Greek yogurt, plain

How many of the healthy food list tips above do you already do most of the time?

If you said all of them, good for you! SO, when was the last time (if any) you bought something unhealthy at the grocery. What do you think influenced your decision?

Here’s To Your Health – It’s Never Too Late