Stress-free Healthy Grocery Shopping

Faced with aisles upon aisles of products, the weekly or monthly grocery shop can be a daunting experience. Here are some helpful tips to make your visit to the shops that much more manageable:

• Do one big monthly grocery shop for all staples, and smaller weekly trips to the shops for fresh fruits, vegetables, milk and bread. You can cash in on some “buy bulk and save” specials which will ease the pocket too.
• The basic pantry should consist of the following items:
  • Whole grain carbohydrates: pasta, couscous, wild rice, brown rice
  • Snacks: Provitas, Ryvitas, corn thins
  • Cereals: muesli, All-Bran, Special K, Oats, ProNutro
  • Dried fruit: pears, apples, mango, prunes, guava rolls
  • Assorted nuts
  • Long-life milk: skim or low-fat
  • Spices, dried herbs and rubs
  • Tinned and dried legumes: chickpeas, beans, dried beans
  • Tinned vegetables: corn (not cream-styled), tomato and onion mix (various flavours)
  • Tinned fish: tuna, salmon, pilchards, sardines
  • Oils, vinegars and glazes: avocado, olive, canola, peanut, sesame, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, fish sauce
• A common reason why people don’t eat well is because they are too disorganised. Disorganised shopping leads to disorganised meals. Make a list every time you go into a food store. Not only will you save money but you will also stock up on good, healthy foods. If you don’t have a list you will buy impulse purchases which are often the less healthy foods that are expensive and not necessities. 
• Most people are unable to get to the shops more than once a week and complain that buying fresh vegetables daily is an inconvenience. Stock up on frozen vegetables like baby carrots, peas, broccoli, Brussel sprouts and corn, and use the frozen vegetables on busy days when you can’t get to the stores. Now that it’s winter, frozen soup packs are also great to bulk up your weekly vegetable intake.
• Avoid the sweets and chocolates aisle completely – that way you won’t even be tempted. A good idea is to chew on gum while you shop so that you avoid the temptation of buying a chocolate or sweets in the aisle near the till points.
• Always shop on a full stomach. Studies have shown that hungry shoppers are more likely to buy unhealthy foods then those who shop on a full stomach.