Smart Shopping Tips for Your Health
By Sara Butler
Smart grocery shopping makes for smart eating. That’s why it’s important to hit the grocery store with a plan for success. Everyone struggles at some point with making good grocery choices, but these tips and tricks can help you to buy good food that you’ll actually cook. Here’s how to be a savvy and super shopper!
Eat First
A full stomach and a complete shopping list are essentials for a successful shopping trip. If you don’t have a list, then you’ll end up with items in your cart that have no place for a good use during the week. When you plan ahead, you know exactly what you need for meals throughout the week and how much, which will make a big difference.
Also, going on a full stomach will keep impulse buys out of your cart. When you hit up the store hungry, it makes it even more difficult to shop smart and not end up with snacks that aren’t very healthy but sound good because, well, you’re hungry.
Pick the Perimeter
The good stuff is always going to be positioned around the perimeter of the store. Fresh fruits and vegetables, proteins, dairy, and cheese are always on the outside perimeter, while the packaged and heavily processed foods tend to be in the middle aisles of the store. Fill your cart with the good stuff from the perimeter first and stay away from highly processed junk.
Take a Shortcut
There’s no shame in embracing convenience foods – if they’re the right kind of convenience foods. Pre-chopped frozen vegetables are a great time-saver because they can help save effort and time during the week when it’s time to cook. Maybe if you make it easier for yourself, then you’ll be inspired to cook more!
Plan the Post-Shop
Few things are as disappointing as buying loads of healthy food to get home and realize you don’t really want to take the time to cook any of it. The key to making your plan successful is to make sure you have a plan in place. Don’t worry about cooking things right when you walk in the door; instead make sure to have a few staples on hand you can toss together in a hurry such as eggs for an omelet or salad. Having a few items you can throw together in a hurry will save you, then you can worry about cooking all the great stuff you bought later!
Make the most of your shopping trip and shop smart for continued good health!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Riverside, Calif.
