by Deanna Minich PhD: No matter how organized you are, making a healthy grocery shopping list in minutes may seem like a difficult task…
Taking unhealthy diets can alter your health goals. Therefore, you need a handy grocery list at your disposal always so that you can be out of a grocery shop in a jiffy each time you go shopping. Statistics show that 5 out of every 10 Americans spend more time in grocery stores because they don’t make grocery lists before shopping.
Steps to Take
Step 1 – Meal Planning
The most vital step to making a healthy grocery shopping list in minutes is meal planning. This positions you to streamline your grocery list to fit your eating plan.
Step 2 – Organize Your List
Divide your grocery list into food types and sections like:
- Beverages
- Dairy or non-dairy products
- Healthy fats
- Carbohydrates
- Protein
- Fruits
- Vegetables
Step 3 – Discipline Yourself to Focus on Healthy Foods Only
You should discipline yourself to stick to buying only the items listed on your grocery shopping list. Incorporate vegetables and fruits into your list for healthy meals.
Types of Food to Consider
1. Bread and Bakery
When shopping for bread and bakery related foodstuffs, look out for “whole wheat flour” or “whole wheat” as the key ingredient on the label. Your best choice should be whole-grain bread with less than 100 calories per slice and at least 3-4 grams of fiber.
2. Seafood and Meat
If you’re shopping for meat and seafood, your grocery list should contain:
- Your favorite seafood, mackerel, trout, halibut, Salmon
- Chicken, Ground turkey
- Turkey breast or skinless chicken
As much as possible, stay away from red meat. But if you must, then choose the ones that contain little marbling (leanest cuts). Also, you should select ground turkey or chicken breasts instead of ground beef because they have a lesser amount of fats.
3. Rice and Pasta
When shopping for rice and pasta foodstuffs, your grocery list should contain the following:
- Whole grain pasta or whole wheat
- Brown rice
Whole grains are always the healthiest. Therefore, you should always choose whole grain products like niacin flush benefits found in this review.
4. Condiments, Salad Dressings, Sauce and Oil
Your grocery list should contain:
- Hot pepper sauce
- Olives and Jarred capers
- Nonfat cooking spray, canola oil, extra virgin olive oil
- Salsa
- Red-wine vinegar
- Barbecue sauce
- Mustard
- Tomato sauce
Most condiments and sauces are unusually high in sugar and sodium. Therefore, you must look out for sugar-free options.
5. Breakfast Foods and Cereals
For breakfast and cereal foods shopping, your grocery list should contain:
- Whole-grain cereal bars
- Steel-cut or instant oatmeal
- Whole-grain or multigrain cereals
Choose cereals that contain low sugar and high fiber. You can also use nuts, dried fruits and berries to sweeten your cereal foods.
6. Canned Goods and Soups
If you’re shopping for canned goods and soups, your grocery list should contain the following:
- Diced green chilies
- Split peas, lentils, garbanzo beans, soy, kidney, black
- Broths and low sodium soups
- Salmon or Tuna packed in water
- Whole peeled or diced tomatoes.
Always cross-check the label for the sodium content of the canned soups and vegetables and choose low-sodium products. If you want to buy canned fruits, don’t choose brands packed in syrup. Instead, go for brands packed in juice.
7. Frozen Food
Your grocery list for frozen foods shopping should contain:
- Frozen shrimp
- Frozen fruits: Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries
- Carrot, peas, spinach, broccoli, and frozen vegetable
- Whole-grain vegetable pizza
- Whole-grain waffles
- Frozen yogurt or low-fat ice cream
Your best choice is frozen vegetables for stew, casserole, and soup. Similarly, frozen fruits blended with low-fat frozen yogurt makes a healthy and quick smoothie.
8. Eggs, Cheese, and Dairy
When shopping for dairy products, eggs and cheese, your grocery list should contain the following:
- Firm tofu
- Eggs or egg substitutes
- Low fat or fat-free yogurt
- Soymilk, low-fat or skim milk
- String cheese snacks or low-fat cheese
- Low fat cottage or fat-free cheese
If you’re a fan of butter and whole-fat cheese, you can still go-ahead to have them but take smaller quantities. Look out for strongly flavored cheese to buy like goat cheese and Parmesan so that you can consume smaller amounts without sacrificing great taste. Never buy flavored or pre-sweetened yogurts because they contain high sugar and calories. Instead, go for plain yogurt.
9. Crackers and Snacks
For Crackers and snacks shopping, your grocery list should contain:
- Hummus
- Whole-grain crackers
- Dark chocolate (containing more than 70% cocoa)
- Dried fruit: Cranberries, raisins, prunes, figs, apricots
- Soy butter, almond or peanut butter
- Nuts: pistachios, pecans, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, almond
- Seeds: sesame seed, sunflower seeds, ground or whole flaxseeds
10. Produce
Your grocery list should contain the following when you’re shopping for produce:
- Fruits: blueberries, strawberries, mangoes, oranges, apples, bananas
- Vegetables: carrot sticks, broccoli, baby spinach, sweet potatoes
Vegetables and fruits that are locally grown in-season cost less and taste better. More so, colorful vegetables and fruits contain more nutrients.
Conclusion
Most times, when you go shopping, you can easily get carried away and end up buying foodstuffs and junks you never planned to buy. The best way to avoid this temptation and stick to your healthy nutrition goals is by using a grocery list. Preparing a healthy grocery shopping list will help you save money and time.
Deanna Minich PhD is a functional medicine-trained clinician and researcher. She has an experience in medicine and willing to write and help people, also she is a part and a volunteer at Marijuana Detox. So, if you want to know the best how to detox your body and, feel free to contact her. Deanna is passionate about researching medical models to clinical medicine that combines physiology and psychology.
