Shop more efficiently, navigate the grocery store like a pro, reduce temptations and distractions and ensure you’re filling your cart with healthy foods!
I don't know about you, but I could spend houuuuuurs strolling through the aisles of my local market. And the farmer's market?!...forget it, just leave me be and I'll see you at dinner. Most people know that the market is one of my happy places but I know for a fact that some of you absolutely hate it, put it off until the last minute, and then don't have enough time so end up picking up take-out. You barely have time to throw dinner together, let alone navigate the grocery store to find the healthier items that should be finding their way into your cart.
Well, I have a few tips when it comes to just that.
First things first. MAKE A LIST:
Plan ahead and take the time to put a list together and ALWAYS shop with one. If it's not on the list, don't buy it. Just you, your cart and that list! This not only saves you time and money, but it saves the waste from impulse purchases.
DON'T GO UNDER-NOURISHED OR HUNGRY:
I know when I'm hungry, I shouldn't talk to people, make decisions or drive a car. I'm cray. Always be prepared for the grocery store. Have a healthy dose of vegetables, healthy fats and protein before making your way to the store and if you're on the go, never leave home without a little stash of nuts, veggies or a healthy bar in your bag.
MAP IT OUT:
Shop the perimeter of the market. The healthy items are found along the perimeter, so shop mostly here, where the produce, dairy and meat can be found. Try to avoid the inner aisles as best you can, which is filled with processed, frozen and junk food. If you should have to grab something from an inner aisle, enter and exit from the same side...no need to wander all the way through. Get what you need and head on out!
BEWARE OF THE AISLE-ENDS:
Markets tend to prop up sale items at the end of aisles and majority of the time they are not items that are going to help you shop efficiently and healthfully. Eeevery once in awhile there might be a good find , but that'll be a gem.
CART HALF-FULL:
Unless it is filled with bunches and bunches of kale and swiss chard or you're feeding a family of five, there's probably not a reason to fill your cart.
LABEL READING CHECKLIST:
When reading labels, there are a few things that you should look for.
- Whole Foods
- No more than a few ingredients
- Food that is close to it's original state
- Organic and local if possible
- Minimal or no packaging
And a few things to avoid.
- Sugar (Look for tricky words such as "syrup", words ending in "-ose", words beginning with "malto-", made with/contains real fruit, fortified with)
- Artificial sweeteners, additives, preservatives, coloring
- Hydrogenated oils
- Any ingredient you don't recognize
I hope this helps! I'm off to my happy place! xx