A healthy grocery list is the first step to eating healthy and getting rid of those junk food issues. It can help you to manage your weight, increase your nutrition intake, and reduce the risk of many health conditions.

Healthy Grocery List Tips To Take With You

Generally, a grocery list should include fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, whole grains, fish, and nuts. A grocery list that includes more raw foods and low fat foods than processed, sugary foods can not only keep you fit and healthy, but also saves you plenty of money.

Your grocery list should contain the following:

1. Healthy Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet. They are vital to maintain energy throughout the day, and essential for many body functions. However, choosing healthy carbohydrates is very important to keep your energy stable and keep your body running as it should. The healthiest carbohydrates found in nature include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and beans and lentils.

Fruits

Fruits contain healthy carbohydrate and include vitamins, minerals, fibers, and different antioxidants than those found in vegetables. They are nutrient-dense snack food and should be included in your grocery shopping list.

Healthy fruits choices include:

• Tree fruits like apples, peaches, plums, and pears
• Summer fruits like grapes, melon, and berries
• Citrus fruits like limes, oranges, grapes, and lemons
• Tropical fruits like kiwi, mango, pineapple, and bananas

 

Vegetables

They are the healthiest carbohydrates for several reasons. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, fibers, and antioxidants. Vegetables are known to fight against cancer as well as various other diseases.

Healthy vegetables include:

• Green vegetables such as cucumber, eggplant, muchrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, snow peas, green beans, zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes
• Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, chard, bok choy, cabbage, collards, chard, kale, and sprouts
• Fresh herbs and spices such as mint, garlic, cilantro, ginger, basil, and parsley
• Starchy vegetables like potatoes, carrot, radish, beets, sweet potato, ritabaga, squash, and celery root
• Onions like red onion, sweet onions, green onions, yellow onions, chives and leeks.

 

Whole Grains

Whole grain products should the first ingredient on your healthy grocery list. It contains all of the parts of the original grain without being processed. It provides you with valuable fiber and is a long-lasting source of energy. Consuming a diet rich in fiber, minimizes the risk of getting heart diseases and lowers bad cholesterol levels in the body.

Healthy whole grains include:

• Quinoa, amaranth, millet
• Toasted or untoasted buckwheat
• Whole grain pasta: quinoa, corn, brown rice, buckwheat, kamut
• Puffed cereals (kamut, rice etc.), rice cakes
• Short or long grain brown rice
• Rolled or steel cut oats
• Wheat berries, barley
• Pitas or wraps: rice paper, corn, sprouted grain, whole wheat

 

Beans and Lentils

Beans and lentils contain plenty of fibers, complex carbohydrates, and minerals and is considered the healthiest carbohydrate you can eat. They can be easily added to soups and are low in fat too.

Healthy beans and lentils include:

• Canned or dried beans: kidney beans, black beans, cannellini beans, black eyed beans, chickpeas
• Legumes: split peas, lentils (red, brown, green)
• Fermented soy (Tempeh)

 

2. Lean proteins

Adding lean protein to your grocery list can help you increase your protein intake. Protein is an important nutrient for maintaining healthy cells and muscles. They are simple and quick to prepare.

List of food rich in protein to include in your grocery list includes:

• Chicken breast (boneless and skinless), ground turkey, beef tenderloin, lean meat
• Fish (halibut, salmon, sea bass, herring, trout), tuna, shrimp
• Eggs or egg whites

 

3. Healthy Fats

Fats are needed for good health. However, consuming more fat may lead to obesity and other health problems. Certain foods contain healthy fats that are essential for heart health and brain health, in addition to maintaining your immune system. While consuming fats, it is necessary to keep your portion sizes reasonable to prevent eating too many calories.

Healthy fats include:

• Oils like safflower oil, olive oil, corn oil, canola oil
• Nuts like almonds, peanut, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts
• Seeds like flax seed, sunflower seed
• Natural style peanut butter or almond butter

 

4. Low Fat Dairy

Let’s say you aren’t vegetarian or vegan. A healthy grocery list should include dairy products, because adults and children need calcium to grow and maintain strong bones. However, dairy products can be high in fat and cholesterol. Selecting low-fat or fat-free dairy products not only give the required nutrition but are also low in fat and cholesterol.

Low fat dairy includes:

• Low or no-fat milk
• Low-fat cottage cheese
• Low-fat or fat-free plain yogurt
• Greek yogurt which is naturally fat-free and lactose-free
• Low-fat or part-skim cheese

If you don’t do dairy, then another option to get your calcium is to use almond milk which is what I use in my shakeology. It contains 50% more calcium than dairy milk, has no cholesterol or saturated fat like milk, and contains antioxidant vitamin E, while milk has none.

Grocery Store Tips To Prevent Unhealthy Temptation | Healthy Grocery List

1. Do not visit the grocery store without a list, otherwise your basket may fill up with unnecessary and impulsive items
2. Compile your list of items needed after collecting some favorite health recipes to cook for the week
3. Separate items by type, so that getting in and out of the shop is easier. This way you can avoid temptations, such as chips and candy
4. Have a healthy snack or meal before grocery shopping. Being hungry will put you in trouble, and you will be tempted to but what you don’t need
5. Fresh and unprocessed food items are always the best
6. Get acquainted with ingredient labels and nutrition for better informed decisions
7. When shopping for beverages, prefer diet sodas to avoid extra sugars

Foods To Avoid When Preparing Your Healthy Grocery List

Certain foods are to be avoided while preparing your healthy grocery list. They include:

1. Sugars: Foods with concentrated sugars like pastries, soda, and candy should be avoided in the grocery list. Sugars are nothing but empty calories that can end up making you crave for more food by the time it is over. Not only that, sugar is addictive because of its short energy bursts. Apart from this, sugars can cause oral health issues, and weight gain leading to diabetes.
2. Simple carbohydrates: Simple carbohydrates are nothing but 3 units of sugar linked together. They are digested quickly and converted immediately into glucose in the body. This leads to a quick rise in blood sugar levels in the body and end up making you crave for more food by the time it is over. So, it is best to avoid simple carbohydrates like White potatoes and refined grains such as white rice, white bread, and enriched pasta.
3. Deep-fried, breaded fast foods should also be avoided as they are high in sodium and fat

Conclusion:
It is important to have a healthy diet in order to become fit and healthy. Healthy nutrition requires preparation before you head out to the store. For people, who find it difficult to prepare a list that is healthy and nutritious, the above tips can help them make their healthy grocery list in just a few minutes.

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