Healthy Shopping = Healthy Eating

While you may think that eating healthy is a super difficult thing to do, the majority of your food decisions come while grocery shopping. If you can make the right decisions at a grocery store, then eating healthy becomes so much easier.

How to Shop Healthy & Avoid Empty Calories

I’ve found that the most efficient way to shop for healthy foods is by only buying foods that fit into the five essential food groups: protein, grains, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. If any food doesn’t directly fit into one or more of these categories, it is most likely not very nutritional and is known as an “empty calorie food”. Empty calories refer to foods high in fat and sugar, but low in actual nutrients. We want to avoid these foods at all costs when grocery shopping!!! Side note: Grocery items that add flavor to meals are a rare exception to this rule (spices, sauces, etc).

Allow Occasional Indulgences

Obviously, we are all human and it is innate for us to crave some unhealthy foods. I typically allow myself 1-3 cheat items (box of cookies, chips, ice cream) during each grocery run. This allows the majority of my food to be healthy while still allowing myself a few guilty pleasures.

Check out the my other articles on Proteins, Grains, Dairy, & Fruits and Vegetables for additional information and specific examples for your grocery shopping needs!