You’ve made a list, and checked it twice. Now let’s buy some foods that are nice.
Last week you cleaned out your kitchen and prepped your healthy shopping strategy.
This week, let’s put it into action.
Grab that list of green-light foods you made last week along with our healthy eating Supermarket Survival Guide.
Getting started: You CAN do this
If you live in an industrialized country in the 21st century, there’s a darn good chance you can buy many healthy things at your local grocery store.
The grocery store is where the magic happens. If you can master your shopping, you can master your health. And trust us, if we can grocery shop successfully, you can too.
While many of us get frustrated with all the degenerate food choices at grocery stores, let’s get real. This place has everything you need.
Use intuition
Keep it simple. Put nutritious foods in your cart. If you think it’s not nutritious, you’re probably right.
Use some intuition: Don’t spend your time scavenging the bread aisle for a lower net carb English muffin while your cart is overflowing with Pop Tarts. That’s like mowing your lawn while your house is on fire.
Fruits and vegetables: Say hello to my leetle friends!
Welcome to the produce aisle and your new buddies: Fruits and veggies. Get acquainted and learn how to read your pals’ labels.
Welcome to the produce section. This has things like vegetables and fruits. These are nutritious foods. If this is news to you, go ahead and call your local school district and re-enroll in the 2nd grade.
When you’re checking out produce numbers, if it starts with a 3 or a 4 it’s conventional. If it starts with an 8 it’s genetically modified. If it starts with a 9 it’s organic.
Bring your reusable shopping bags
Your healthy shopping strategy isn’t just about your health; it’s about the environment’s health too. If you can cut down on plastic, do so. Bring reusable bags if possible, and don’t put every little thing into plastic produce bags.
Buy local and in season
Local, seasonal foods will be fresher, tastier, and cheaper.
Why are these snow peas so expensive?
“Because it’s grown in winters only.
Frozen is fine
Instead of those Peruvian peas, why not try some frozen veggies for things that are out of season?
Frozen vegetables and fruits are some of the best things ever, and not just in the grocery store. No waste from bulky leaves, stems and rinds. What’s that? Frozen foods are fine. And make sure to check out the country of origin labeling on back.
No waste from bulky leaves, stems and rinds, and they’re easily handy for a quick meal (or a makeshift ice pack for gym injuries). Look for plain veggies if you can.
Good fats
Remember that you’re looking for fresh, minimally processed fats from nuts, seeds, and cold-pressed oils. Beer nuts don’t count.
Some roasted nuts can be OK, but they are best to not have a sugary glaze on top. Whenever you’re getting nuts and seeds, you’re best to go for the raw, unsalted, un-sugared varieties the majority of the time. Things like raw walnuts – you can get these in bulk – hemp seeds, natural peanut butter.
Those are a few of the many options. When you’re storing these, keep them in the fridge for long-term use.
Whole grains and legumes
Canned vs. dry
Bulk dry legumes are just about the most cost-effective and nutritious foods available. However, if you want convenience, it’s OK to get canned.
Whole grains
Look for unprocessed, whole grains: Quinoa, amaranth, brown and wild rice, etc.
If you must buy bread, choose wisely.
There are a lot of bread options at the store. Let us show you two of our favorites. When you’re getting bread try to get one that’s, well, nutritious.
Sprouted grain bread, you can keep this in the freezer for long term storage. Tasty, nutritious. Definitely won’t mow through a loaf of that anytime soon. Whole Foods bakery, they make some good simple breads without a lot of preservatives, added sugars, added salts, things like that.
This has whole wheat flour, spelt, quinoa, amaranth, and kamut. That’s about it. So go for some very nutritious bread when you’re getting it.
Reading labels
Don’t be fooled by the front of the package
Remember that many food manufacturers make false health claims, or put their product into an appealing package. Stay skeptical.
Any claims made on the front of the package mean diddly squat. You gotta check ingredients. And honestly, if you find yourself always reading ingredient lists, you’re probably buying the wrong foods.
Remember those “trick” health foods
Just because it’s at a healthier grocery store (or in the “health food” aisle, or marked “healthy”) doesn’t mean you should be eating it.
Being a smart shopper
Cheap food is an illusion
“Cheap” food such as sugary drinks isn’t really cheap — it’s cheapened through things like big subsidies and mass industrial production. And you do pay for this with your health.
“Cheap food is an illusion. There’s no such thing. The real cost is paid somewhere. If not at the cash register, it’s charged to the environment, the planet, animals, or the public purse in the form of subsidies. Remember, you get what you pay for.”
Don’t be fooled!
Ignore what the front of the package says. Look at the back of the package.
Remember, if a packaged food claims to be “healthy”, it probably isn’t. “Organic sugar” is still sugar.
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