Whether In-Person or Online, Smart Shopping Can Help You Achieve and Maintain Your ideal Weight

Do you enjoy grocery shopping? Or is it a love-hate expedition?

Here are some tips to make it more painless and ensure you’re getting the best nutrition possible. Let’s look at some guidelines our clients follow when they begin their weight loss program at Bon Vie. In short, it involves shopping for and preparing their own meals with healthy proteins and low glycemic vegetables. For some clients, this means a big change in their grocery shopping routine because they are no longer taking the “easy route” by picking up tempting foods and processed goods.

So, let’s talk about shopping.

 PLAN AHEAD

It all starts before you even leave the house. Taking initiative and putting a little time and thought into planning your grocery trip will always set you up for success. How many times have you gotten to the store and thought “hmm what was it I needed here?” Here are some tips:

1. Take a look at your calendar and see what kind of a week you’ll be having. That way you can figure out what your meals for the week will consist of and it will prevent making unplanned purchases.

2. Keep meals simple! Find recipes that don’t need a lot of ingredients, and don’t take up much time, yet provide the nutrients you need.

3. Change it up! Think about what you’ve purchased and prepared over the past few weeks. This will add variety to your palette and keep you interested in eating fresh and healthy.

4. Check the inventory in your kitchen, then make a list and stick to it.  This will ensure you buy only what you need.  Be sure you have planned your list to include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

5. Do NOT go shopping hungry! This is a recipe for disaster. When you shop hungry, it creates a massive distraction. Everything will look good - even the not-so-good-for-you foods and you will fight yourself in the aisles of temptation.

 SHOPPING RULES

1. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. I know, I know, you’ve all heard this before, but I’m reiterating because it’s crucial! By shopping the perimeter, you eliminate the center aisles where the junk/processed foods are. You can get everything you need from the perimeter.

2. Get real food! Fresh veggies, fruit, meat, dairy. The fewer ingredients = the better. No nutrition label? That means it’s real and the best option for you.

3. If you don’t recognize what the ingredients are…WELL, you probably shouldn’t purchase it.

4. Organic produce and meats are the best. Look for USDA-approved stamps and read the labels of the packaging. For meats if it has USDA, states “no antibiotics, free-range, no hormones added,” informs you what farm it’s from or has all three- you’re golden. You might be paying more for it now, but in the long run, you’re saving yourself health costs, which could be a lot more!

5. Take a look at your cart before you leave and ask yourself:

• Do I have enough protein for the week?

• Are there plenty of vegetables in my cart

• Are most of my foods fresh?

• Do I have more un-processed items, than processed?

Try planning and using these rules and your shopping experience will be more productive and enjoyable. Time to get planning and shopping!