Written by: Danielle Christy, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
It’s no secret that grocery shopping can be a very confusing and stressful task we encounter each week. Especially since the pandemic began, most people find it as one of the most anxiety-inducing things they do each week. From a health perspective, grocery shopping can just be darn right confusing. Why are there so many types of eggs? What chicken am I supposed to buy? Do I really need to get everything organic? The list goes on. Here are a few of my favorite tips to reduce stress while shopping and stock your cart with all the healthy foods your body and mind need.
Before you go to the store, make sure your kitchen is set up for success. Make a list of what you currently have in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. Keep a running grocery list in the kitchen; a chalkboard or whiteboard is great for this. This way, you shop purposefully and buy what you only need. Make a list of what you need and buy only what you will know what you will actually eat and use. This will save money, reduce waste and help to make shopping a more purposeful adventure. Don’t forget to add one new fruit or vegetable each week makes cooking more fun and gives your body the health it needs.
Make your list structured to the layout of the store. It is really important to focus on shopping the perimeter of the store. This is where all the whole real foods are located and helps reduce the temptations of all the boxed processed items. With over 40,000 items in stores on average, making a list will reduce the confusion and overwhelm of all the products.
Don’t go to the store hungry this might sound a bit odd, but when you shop hungry, your blood sugar is low you end up making impulse buys and purchasing overpriced processed foods. Studies have shown that people who shop hungry end up spending twice as much on groceries per year.
Start in the produce section, buy in season and stock your cart with all the colors of the rainbow. For fruits and vegetables that go bad quickly, buy frozen if needed and for organic, just focus on the dirty dozen and everything else. Purchase conventional. Shop the bulk bins buy only what you need to stock up the pantry. For meats and dairy, grass-fed and finished is best for your body and also the environment. Get to know the butchers, and they will help let you know what is fresh and on sale.
Shop purposefully don’t waste money on liquid sugar from juices to sodas. Read labels to ensure you know exactly what is in what you are buying. A good rule of thumb stick with any processed foods that have 5 ingredients or less and always ask yourself are these whole foods (can I understand what the ingredients really are) will it nourish or harm my body, and is this something that will provide my body with the nutrients it needs.
Grocery shopping is truly something that can take a bit of time to master but should not bring stress. Ultimately, choose items you like to eat so you’re not tempted to pick up takeout or microwave a frozen pizza. Think about how your family eats, their likes and dislikes, and walk the market with those needs in mind. With a plan and the aisles of your supermarket as your guide, you’re off to mastering your health on a shopping trip at a time.
Danielle Christy, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Danielle Christy is a holistic health coach and self-taught personal chef dedicated to helping families and people around the world stop feeling overwhelmed with healthy cooking by showing and coaching them on how to stock their kitchens with healthy ingredients, meal plans and get back to having family meals again. Danielle holds a BA in Hospitality from Northern Arizona University and Certified Health Coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. She has helped families of all shapes and sizes create and establish a concrete strategy to ultimate health by learning what individually works for them and using whole real food as a life medicine.
