9 incredibly effective grocery shopping tips to support a healthy diet

Imagine that you just got out of a long and stressful work meeting. Your workday just ended. You’re tired. You’re hungry and your stomach is growling. You might even be “hangry”. You’re planning on swinging by the grocery store to pick up a few items. You’d probably agree when I say that your willpower may not be at its strongest in this moment…so let me ask you: What items do you imagine you’ll be throwing into your shopping cart right now?
 
If you’re anything like me, chances are your shopping cart might contain quite a few impulse buys. My guess is you’d probably find a handful of comfort foods and maybe a few nutritious foods tossed in. Some of those healthier foods might go to waste but they’ve already served their purpose of offsetting the impulse buy guilt so no biggie, right??
 
The struggle is real
“If I don’t have any junk food in my house then I won’t eat it. So just keep walking. Just focus on your list. No! Don’t throw that in the cart! You don’t need it. You’ll regret it later! Okay…maybe it won’t be so bad if I just buy this one box…”
 
This is how my internal dialogue often goes while on my weekly shopping trip to the grocery store. It’s a constant struggle to stick to the promises I made to myself about shopping healthy. I’m still learning and I’m getting much better at it. I’ve learned that if my house is not stocked with junk foods then I am far too lazy to seek them out during those weaker moments when I am craving them. This, along with a few other tricks almost guarantees that my shopping trips are a success.
 
Modern day hunting and gathering
Few activities are more primal than venturing out and gathering food. Every living creature on this planet has to find food one way or another. It’s an unavoidable task. But the landscape and circumstances in which we procure our food, has changed drastically over time. When compared with our ancestors, even the smallest, most minimally stocked grocery store is an oasis of temptation for our taste buds. Additionally, the food options that are available to us are highly processed, ultra-palatable versions of the foods that we already crave naturally.
 
As humans we are hardwired to seek out and indulge in the most calorie dense foods. We naturally crave sweet and savory foods. It makes sense because in nature it’s these sweet and savory foods that are often the most nutritious. Today, modern science has taken these natural cravings and it has created foods that give us exceptionally enjoyable gustatory experiences. But with this gift also comes numerous potential health consequences.
 
If you’re on a quest towards better health, it’s necessary to cut out highly processed, empty-calorie foods. It’s beyond this post to go too far in depth about all the reasons these foods are so bad for us. But in a nutshell, they are typically high in sodium, high in “bad” fats, high in calories, laden with chemicals/additives and empty in nutrients.
 
No more guilt
Because our propensity to submit to these cravings is a very natural thing, there’s no need to feel guilty or shameful about it. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with wanting to bring junk food back home from the grocery store. Despite their lack of nutritional value, it’s true that many of our food options really are quite delicious and irresistible. So our brains just light up when they see these exaggerated versions of the types of foods that they are primed to crave.
 
Essentially, these foods can easily hijack our brains. They’re so good in fact that they are actually addictive. We seek food when we aren’t even really hungry. Then we eat these foods and totally ignore our natural signals that tell us when to stop. Sounds like an addiction, right??
 
For this reason, if you’re trying to clean up your diet, it’s very important to develop a system of gathering healthy food. Without a system, it takes an extraordinary amount of willpower to override our strong affinity for junk food. It doesn’t have to be complicated. A system is just a plan. It ensures that our grocery store excursions are aligned with our current health goals. It all starts with the contents of your shopping cart.
 
What can you do?
If you’ve been struggling with temptation and you find it just too difficult to resist consuming junk food, there are some relatively easy ways to make it easier to stick to your important health goals.
 
9 tips for healthy grocery shopping:

1.) Don’t just try to rely on willpower all the time
Willpower is a limited resource. We really don’t have as much of it as we think. Sure, we’re able to rely on it here and there. But inevitably, the day comes when we may be running low on willpower at just the time we need it most. Relying on systems is a far safer method to meet health goals.

2.) Limit your number of trips to the grocery store
If going grocery shopping is a potential trigger for regressing on health goals, then it would make sense to lessen the chances of regression, right? This means minimizing the number of times you have to get groceries in one week. When you do go, just make sure that your list covers enough food to hold you over until the next week.  

3.) Allow some indulgences
I like to add a few indulgence items to my shopping list. They aren’t impulse buys because they’re well thought out and they are on my list. They are usually semi-healthy foods, in minimal quantities that I can look forward to enjoying. I find that it’s important to have at least some guilty pleasures in life. But if having even a few indulgences is enough to throw you entirely off the wagon, then this approach may not work for you. I totally get that too; “ One is too much and a thousand is never enough”!


4.) Make a list…and stick to it!
Ensure that your list has all the essential nutrients that you need for a balanced diet (i.e. vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, carbs).  Also ensure that it has enough variety so you don’t get bored. Having this list is actually a great way to visualize how balanced your diet is. Make an agreement with yourself that you will not purchase any food items that are not on this list. And stick with it.

5.) Have a budget
You definitely want to make sure that your shopping list falls within your food budget. If you make a lofty list only to experience sticker shock once you’re in the supermarket, then it isn’t likely you’ll be adhering to the list for too long. Make your list realistic for your budget.

6.) Avoid foods with more than 5 ingredients
Most heavily processed foods have a long list of unrecognizable, difficult-to-pronounce ingredients. Conversely, minimally processed ingredients have shorter ingredient lists and tend to be fresher and more nutritious. Try to include more of these, and less of the former in your shopping cart.

7.) Understand food labels…or better yet skip the labels altogether!
Similar to the previous point, foods that don’t have ingredient labels are usually those that come in their most natural forms. Typically these are your healthier foods. If you are buying labeled food, keep in mind that foods that are labeled as “fat-free”, “sugar free”, “all natural”, “no sugar added”, “light”, “made with real fruit” or  “organic” does not necessarily mean that they are healthier. These definitions can be tricky. Manufactures are allowed a bit of wiggle room by the FDA, which can make advertising deceptive. Do your research and try to stick with the whole foods.

8.) Shop the perimeters
This one is pretty much conventional wisdom. Generally speaking, grocery stores have fairly predictable layouts. When you already know what you want to buy, there’s no need to walk up and down every single aisle and tempt yourself unnecessarily. The perimeters are known to have the healthiest food options. Spend more time in those areas to knock items off your list and try to bypass the temptations as much as possible.

9.) Never go shopping when you’re hungry
As with the last tip, this one too is conventional wisdom by now. Willpower is low when you’re already feeling hungry. You want food and you want it now. Whether it’s healthy or not is an afterthought. You probably want something that’s already prepared for you (processed and packaged). Your eyes are bigger than your stomach and you’re convinced that you need all of this food, healthy or not. This is not a time when you’re making your best decisions. For this reason, it’s best to not go grocery shopping on an empty stomach.
 
The takeaway
As with any new system, it may take time to practice and perfect your shopping strategy. Be patient with yourself and be proud of any progress you make towards bringing home healthier foods. As you begin to consume healthier foods, your palate will change. Over time, you may begin to find it easier to resist junk food temptation. You get used to not having junk in your home and you find yourself filling up on healthier foods instead.
 
Lastly, take pride in the fact that every time you make a healthy food purchase, you are voting with your dollar. We are inundated with food commercials and advertising, 24/7. Manufacturers make products and we’re expected to consume them. But every time you choose your health over junk, you are making a statement. You are sending a clear message back to manufacturers that your health is your priority. As a consumer, you have the power to decide what you put into your body. If enough of us show them the demand for healthier food, then our grocery stores will start to line their shelves accordingly to meet our demand. In fact, slowly, they already are. Vote with your dollar.
 
Interested in learning more about willpower and resisting temptation? Be on the lookout for future posts from AndiamoFit to learn more about the real struggle of temptation and ways to manage it.
 
Do you have any healthy grocery shopping tips you’d like to add? Please feel free to share in the comments below!