Grocery Shopping Tips

After enjoying the holidays, January is a great time to check in with our daily meals. Getting back to healthy eating can be overwhelming, but there are small steps that can be made to get back on track.

Taking inventory of your kitchen and making a shopping list can help with adjusting your food choices. Give yourself some time to think about the meals you would like to prepare for the week and make a grocery list based on those choices.

Things to consider while making your list:

• How many people will you be cooking for? 
  Adjusting your list based on this information will help with purchasing more than you need and overeating during the week.

• What is your planned activity/exercise level for the week? 
  Considering your energy expenditure can help guide your meal planning when it comes to carbohydrate intake. The recommended amount of exercise for an adult is 2.5-5 hours of exercise per week. If your exercise level leans towards 5 hours or more per week you may want to consider post workout meals that are higher in carbs. If you won’t be exercising as much that week, focus more on lean protein with healthy fats and high fiber vegetables.

• Will you be dining out this week or entertaining friends/family? 
  If you plan on dining out, that is a meal that you don’t need to buy for, helping to reduce the amount of food sitting around and avoiding the temptation to indulge. If you are cooking for others, plan ahead so that you won’t need to make an extra trip to the store.

Sticking to the list that you carefully thought out supports the choices you’ve made. If healthy foods are around you, you are more likely to eat it. Some other things to consider when hitting the grocery store:

• Do most of your shopping along the perimeter of the store. That’s typically where you will find fresh produce and protein.

• When you need to enter the inner aisles, get what you need and exit out of the aisle the same way you came in. Wandering the aisles creates space for unwanted purchases.

• Grocery stores tend to display their sale items at the end of aisles to entice customers. Only purchase these items if they are on your list.

• Avoid shopping when you are hungry. You’ll be sure to toss something in your cart that isn’t on the list.

Checking in with portion sizes can also be helpful during the holiday exit. You don’t need a scale, check out this guide for measuring food.