Think about how most grocery stores are designed. Walk through your grocery store. Look at the outer aisles. What do you see there? Fruits and vegetables, meat/fish, cheese, milk, eggs, other dairy, items….all the good food…….the whole foods. These are the foods that should be in your refrigerator. Now look into the inner aisles…..quick dinners, frozen foods, processed foods, canned items, sauces, salad dressings, chips, crackers, candles. These are the “bad foods”. Learn to shop primarily in the outer aisles, make sure you chose foods from all four foods to ensure a balanced meal never go to the grocery store hungry, plan meals ahead of time and always make a list.
The shopping list:
Protein Foods (meats, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes)
Poultry Do not eat the skin, as it is pure fat. Your leanest choices are skinless, chicken breast, turkey (white meat, no skin), ground chicken and turkey (white meat only, no skin added), and duck (no skin).
Fish and seafood - All fish and seafood provide high quality protein. Anything goes in this area.
Eggs – Eggs are a good source of protein; just remember that the yolk is high in fat and cholesterol. If you eat them on occasions, do not worry. However, if you eat them daily, go for just the whites.
Legumes (dried beans, peas and lentils) - These supply protein, calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium and b-vitamins! They are the only high protein foods that also supply fiber. Sources are : split peas, navy beans, lentils, black beans, great northern beans, white beans, chickpeas, red beans, just to name a few.
Fresh vegetables - Vegetables are naturally low in calories and fat. They also provide an array of vitamins, minerals and fiber. You add fat and calories in the way you prepare them. Try steaming, grilling, stir-frying or boiling. Watch adding butter, high fat and high calorie condiments, as they will increase the fat and calorie content. Frozen varieties without added butter or cream sauce are also an acceptable choice.
Fruits – Fruits are great, quick, nutritious snack or dessert. Stay away from dried fruit as it is very high in sugar. Stay away of canned fruit and frozen as many are packed with added sugars.
Dairy products – Dairy products are loaded with calcium, protein, A, B and D vitamins. There are many low-fat varieties in the market. Try them. If you do not like one brand, try another. The taste will vary. Some suggestions: skim or 1% milk, low-fat cheeses, reduced fat sour cream, and low-fat cottage cheese.
Grains (whole) – Do not be fooled by “wheat-bread”. It is a mixture of white and whole wheat breast. The first ingredient should say “whole grain”. Stick with the whole grain types like multi-grain, oat bran, cracked wheat, and oat.
Pasta and Rice – Remember they are high in carbohydrates! Stick to the whole grain varieties.