Go to the grocery store a few times a week
If you can manage it buy your meats the same day you are going to have it for dinner, or a day or two later. I love to buy my fish fresh from the counter and have it that same night. I also try to pick up a side of vegetables for a fresh salad mix.
Try a new fruit or vegetable each week
Try bok choy or kale instead of spinach. Bake a yam instead of a potato, or try a medley of berries in lieu of the typical apple. Break up the monotony of the same old foods and experiment with tastes.
Shop on the Periphery
As your eating becomes healthier you will be inclined to do the majority of your shopping on the outskirts of any grocery store. There you find the whole foods, and the best sources of nutrients that the body needs. I venture into the aisle only if I need oatmeal, (or I'm feeling weak). Everything in the center is packaged, low nutrient “food-like” items IMO.
The Cart: Our First Line of Defense
This week I pigged out on a whole bag of Pita chips (regrettably). They were on sale for $2 and normally they cost $4.48 at the Walmart. I put it in the cart lured by the deal, all the while knowing I should not bring this home.
So if you don’t want to be tempted by an item, do not even bring it into your home. (Instead open the package in the clothing aisle and eat a few helpings before you leave. Upon reaching satiety, walk away).
Fat free? So What
I used to buy “fat free” and “low fat” everything: milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, thinking it was better for me. Or that I could eat more of whatever it was that had “25%!” less fat. Not true. Fat free usually means more of something else, namely sugars. So because an item is lower in fat, doesn’t mean it is good for your body or a superior product.
Read It
Before I bring any item into my home, I check to see if I should give it that privilege by reading the label. I take note of the small print as if reading a contract. An agreement between this block of Havarti cheese and I! It promises to provide me with the best and I promise to eat it.
But really learn to read the nutrition information for a product, so you can compare and understand what you are getting.
And Rule of thumb I heard a long time ago: If you can’t pronounce it—-don't eat it!
Happy Shopping,
Perdita
