Grocery Shopping

This is where it all begins: you eat what you buy. So make sure to buy only what you should eat. Got it? Good.

First of all, make sure you go grocery shopping when you are NOT hungry. I'm sure you have all experienced this. I'm walking down the aisle and something catches my eye. Mmm, that sounds good. Next thing I know, the doughnuts are making their way into my cart. Just then I pass something else. Looks delicious. In my moment of weakness, I buy it. Avoid this by not being hungry when you shop.

Next, have a plan. Make a tentative plan of the meals you are going to eat for the week. This way you can plan for health. This will help you make a list of healthy foods you need for those meals and eliminates buying processed, fattening food or going out to eat last minute because there is nothing to make. Keep a pad of paper in your kitchen and write down food items you need for the next week as you think of them. Having a list of healthy food will prevent you from buying not-so-healthy things that you see.

You should also go grocery shopping often. I recommend setting aside one day a week for that task. I always go Monday afternoon. It is too hard to plan meals for an entire month, but a week is manageable. Also, going shopping once a week allows you to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.

To give you an idea of what type of food to buy, here are some staples on my grocery list:

• Whole wheat bread
• Whole wheat tortillas
• Low-fat yogurt
• Low-fat cottage cheese
• Skim milk
• eggs
• part-skim mozzarella cheese
• string cheese
• lunch meat
• Frozen skinless chicken breasts
• Frozen veggies

And here come the fruits and veggies.

• mushrooms
• tomatoes
• red onion
• bananas
  
• green bell pepper
• spinach
• carrots
• celery
  
• lettuce
• oranges

Hopefully this can give you an idea for your grocery list. Follow these tips for easier, healthier eating.