So, you’ve made the decision to eat healthier. You know you need to eat more vegetables and cut back on empty carbs and processed foods. You know not to shop on an empty stomach and to focus on the outer ring of the grocery store, but every time you shop, you still come home, wondering how that bag of chips and donut holes ended up in your cart.
Even with the best intentions, walking past that great sale on frozen pizzas or Oreo cookies is too hard to resist. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools and tips out there to help keep your grocery cart full of the food you intended to buy.
1. Use an app such as Fooducate. By scanning the barcode, you get an immediate health rating, nutrition notes and suggestions for a healthier alternative.
2. Know the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean 15”. The Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists are great tools to help you evaluate options quickly. The lists are based on USDA and FDA data on pesticide residue.
3. Shop from a list. Plan your meals and then create your grocery list. Planning helps keep you on track and it saves money because you are only buying what you will be prepping, cooking, and eating.
4. Purchase fresh produce and keep it fresher longer. Check out Harvest app ($1.99). it gives you selection and storage tips for over 120 kind of produce. Kind of nice since I can never remember how to know if an avocado or cantaloupe is the right ripeness.
5. Weight the pros and cons of convenience. Pre-made foods like salad dressings, dips and fruit cups saves time but you can eat cleaner if you do the prep yourself. There are a lot of great recipes on sites like www.skinnytaste.com, www.teambeachbodyblog.com and Pinterest.
6. Purchase in-season, local produce. This is a great time of the year for fresh produce. Take advantage of it!
7. Buy healthy staples in bulk. Items with longer shelf lives are good candidates – grains, beans, nuts and dried fruit. Not only will you have these items on hand to make better food decisions, it will save you money.