So your starting over and changing your lifestyle! Its time to clean out your pantry and refrigerator. Many women find themselves going to the grocery store with good intentions of buying healthy foods, only to come home with low fat cookies, potato chips, crystal light, flavored oatmeal, and lean cusines meals. It can be very difficult to change the way that you shop for your weekly foods to match your healthy "diet" plans. When your first starting out.
Before leaving home, make a grocery list. But before you make a grocery list, make a list for your upcoming week. Developing your meal plan doesn’t have to be difficult, consider some of the foods that you already have. Once you got your meals planned out for the week, look for the the ingredients that you will need for each meal and make a note of the ones that you will need to purchase. Once you found out what you need, make your grocery list, list the foods you need to buy by the aisle. That way your not making unnecessary stops in aisles you don't need to be in. Tempting yourself to buy unhealthy items.
Look for whole grains near the rice and pasta. Look for labels that read 100% whole-wheat to be sure you are getting whole grain products. Take some time to find the healthier foods rather than going for your old eating habits.Fresh vegetables and fruits make up the largest part of your grocery list. I recommend that you eat at least seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Choose seasonal produce and get a variety, especially if you are feeding a family. If you buy a lot of fresh fruit freeze some and refrigerator the others. It's less expensive and last longer.
Your proteins and meats should consist of mostly seafood (shrimp, fish, etc.), poultry(chicken, turkey) and lean meats. When buying your poultry look for the labels that say 100% natural, and locally grown. These are the best and healthiest meats. Eggs, nuts, and beans should be part of your list as well. Beverages should be kept simple. Water, almond milk, powerade or gatorade, and herbal teas are all good choices. NO soda's not even diet. Try almond milk or rice-milk for tasty alternatives to whole milk or low fat milk. Don’t forget, many fruits and vegetables are good sources of calcium too.
Take caution when buying condiments. They can be sneaky sources of refined sugars and high in fat and calories. Read labels to choose the best condiments. When choosing dressings for your salad make sure they're made with healthy oils such as olive oil and canola oil. Coconut Oil is a great oil options as well. Frozen vegetables are convenient and nutritious. If you are cooking for one, there are a lot of single serving frozen entrees that cook up in minutes. These make it easy to have a variety of vegetables. (Green Giant is one of my favs.)
Peanut butter sandwiches can be very healthy made on 100% whole grain bread. When buying bread, look out for labels that say enriched flour. These are not good for you, enriched means all the nutrients that once was in the bread are gone and replaced with sugar. Look for homemade peanut butter without the added sugar. Almond butter is also a great healthy altervative as well. Deli meats, such as turkey and chicken slices are better choices for sandwiches then processed lunch meat.
Quick Tips For Every Day Shopping
• Never go to the grocery store when you are hungry.
• Bring a pen and check off everything on your grocery list.
• Park your car further out in the parking lot, for more exercise.
• Don’t eat in your car. It will keep you from mindlessly eating while driving down the road. Having the tendency to forget about the calories, sugar and fat that we consume when driving.
• If your going to have a long outing, bring a small cooler. Stock it up with fresh fruit, water, and poweraide or gatoraide. This will give you healthy options on the go. Not tempting you to stop by the fast food drive-thru.
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