The DOs & DON'Ts of Going Grocery Shopping

Maintaining good nutrition and healthy eating starts with what you put in your cart. Making smart decisions at the grocery store can be daunting and overwhelming, especially with so many choices and sales promotions, the strategic product placement, and the attention-grabbing advertising and packaging of unhealthy foods. If you do not know where to begin, I do not blame you one bit. In fact, not only is it hard to steer clear of these junk food traps in the grocery store, but there is also an immense amount of information regarding foods we consider to be healthy that can also often be misleading.

All of these external factors, in combination with internal factors such as who you shop with, the available time frame, your own hunger level and unpreparedness, make it much more difficult to choose and purchase foods that are beneficial to your health and align with your goals. However, the good news is that by changing the way that you think about the store itself, you can also change your perspective and opinions on nutrition and what that looks like for you. When you have a clear strategy for filling your cart and making healthy choices, stress around navigating the grocery store quickly becomes obsolete.

Listed below are some strategies and tips for getting the most out of your grocery shopping experience:

1. Plan your meals for the week ahead of time and make a grocery list with the ingredients that you will need. When compiling this list, it can be helpful to look for meals that use similar ingredients. Another trick for making your grocery list is to write out the amounts of items needed and where those items can be found in the store’s layout (i.e. categories such as produce, dairy, meat/seafood, frozen, or center shelves). While this does take some additional time upfront, it tends to save even more time by eliminating trips to the store later on for any forgotten or missing ingredients. Not only will a well-organized list save you time and energy, but it also has the power to save you money from purchasing items you don’t need, as long as you don’t deviate from this list. Keep in mind that the store wants to sell you food, and lots of it, regardless if it is beneficial to your health or not. As much as we wish this were not the case, their end goal is to make a profit, not to improve your health or save you money. Typically the foods to avoid at grocery stores are displayed prominently in the front or on aisle end caps, so, by sticking to your list and avoiding unnecessary purchases you can foster feelings of empowerment and self-awareness, while also ensuring healthy foods end up in your cart and house.

2. Do not shop while hungry. Plain and simple. There have been numerous studies that have shown doing so will lead you to make poor food choices and overeat.

3. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. Fresh foods like fruits and veggies, dairy, meat, & fish are usually located around the perimeter of the store, while center aisles usually contain junk and highly processed foods. Spend the majority of your time in the produce section, as it is generally the first area you encounter when you walk into the store. When you pick out your produce, choose a rainbow of colorful fruits and veggies. These colorful foods contain high amounts of polyphenols, which are naturally occurring compounds that have properties studied and believed to promote health and fight disease.

4. Eat real, whole foods. Avoid foods that contain more than five ingredients, artificial ingredients, or ingredients you yourself cannot pronounce. If you have access to shop at farmers markets, co-ops, or the ability to subscribe to a community supported agriculture (CSA) or delivery service, then buying local food that was grown within a 100-mile radius can not only benefit the health of you and your family, but also the health of your community and the entire planet.

5. Learn to read and understand the facts listed on nutrition labels. Always note the serving size, be mindful of sodium, sugar and trans-fat levels, and look for high protein, fiber, vitamin and mineral content. Do research on anything that you are unsure of and educate yourself on the meaning and variations of any certifications, seals and claims. It is also important to recognize that food manufacturers are required to list all ingredients in the food on the label, and list them in order of predominance, with greatest amounts first, followed in descending order by those in smaller amounts.

6. Stock up on “convenience” health foods. Some examples of these staples include fresh fruits, bagged salad greens, fish fillets (individually wrapped and frozen), whole grains, yogurt, frozen veggies, canned beans, canned tomatoes, nuts & oatmeal. Not only are these items accessible, but they are also relatively easy to “grab and go” and often require less preparation than other options.

7. Allow yourself ample time to shop. Carve out a time in your schedule for grocery shopping and choose a day and time with as little distraction as possible. For example, in some instances bringing your kids along may not only take you longer than if you were to go alone but could also result in spending money on unplanned purchases you cannot do not want or need.

8. Do not discount healthy frozen, canned or prepackaged foods. If you have a tight budget or the fresh produce is simply too expensive, try the frozen versions or canned (no added salt or sugars is preferred). Research suggests that these varieties are just as good, and in some cases, even better, than fresh ones.

Whether you choose to adopt these practices or not is entirely up to you. There is a lot of research being done around different foods and their benefit, however, the industry itself is SATURATED with information that can be confusing, misleading and hard to interpret. For example, there is much debate over the benefits of choosing and buying organic foods over conventional ones. Despite it being a highly controversial topic, it is generally accepted and agreed upon that consuming ANY fruit, veggie or whole food is better than none.*

Regardless of your viewpoint, I highly recommend setting aside time to define and decide what “healthy” or “nutritional” food means for YOU. Remember “nutrition” looks different for everyone and there is no right or wrong way, especially when you are the one who knows your body best.

*If you are interested in learning more about this topic, visit the Environmental Working Group’s website at https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/ to see the most recent and up-to-date guides of 2020’s “Dirty Dozen" and “Clean Fifteen” foods.

Xx,

Leah Kutsch

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