How to Grocery Shop

Choose foods closest to their natural form as often as possible. Usually you will find the majority of these foods along the outside of your local grocery store. Foods like Fresh Produce, Meats and Dairy. Usually you will have to travel to the middle of the store for your your Grains, Pastas, Cereals and Breads.

Protein:

Good sources of protein when choosing commercial products are lean, fresh cuts of meat and low fat versions of dairy products. Your fish choices may be higher in fat as long as it's the essential fatty acids our bodies need.

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Meats

When buying commercial meats, make sure you are choosing fresh, lean choices. Eliminate all meats with preservatives like commercial lunch meats if possible. If not, keep them to a minimum. If you have the choice to shop at a Deli where the meats are prepared and sliced fresh, choose the fresh over the pre-packaged lunch meats. Be sure to inquire about the preparation of the meats if you suspect any added ingredients.

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Dairy

Dairy can be a great source of of protein, calcium, vitamin D and other good things for us. Dairy can also be a source of a lot of calories. Use dairy wisely and although you don't have to choose non-fat, when choosing commercial, non-organic dairy, choosing lower fat options can be a way of keeping your calories lower. I have chosen to place dairy under the catagory of protein. Remember though, dairy is the source of protein that also has a lot of carbohydrates. These carbohydrates are usually in the form of sugar... milk sugar. Pay special attention to how you feel when you consume dairy as some people don't have the proper amount of enzymes necessary to break down milk sugar and can suffer from gastrointestinal distress after having a meal containing a lot of dairy. If this is the case for you, you will want to choose to keep your dairy intake to a bare minimum and get your calcium and vitamin D from other sources like supplements. Or, you may choose to add a supplement with the enzymes necessary for breaking down dairy before your meals.

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Fish

Fish is a great source of our essential fatty acids (EFA's for short). So along with being listed in the protein list, I have also listed fish in the Nuts/Seeds/Fats/Oils list. These fatty acids are essential because your body cannot manufacture them so you must get them from your meals. They are responsible for regulating cholesterol, brain function and proper cellular function just to mention a few things. Your best sources of fish will come from the Pacific Ocean, be wild, not farmed and be fresh not smelling too... well, fishy. Shell fish like clams, shrimp, and lobster along with gastropods like squid, octopus and eel should be kept to a minimum as these choices do not have a good means of elimination and can be more toxic than other choices.

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Grains/Carbohydrate:

This is the part of Grocery shopping that usually takes us to the middle of the store. Breads, Cereals, Tortillas, Crackers and others snacks are usually located in the center of the store meaning they don't need refigeration meaning you have to be especially careful when reading labels. It will be much more difficult to choose preservative and sugar free products. It will also be a challenge to choose products that don't include trans fatty acids otherwise known as hydrogenated oils. I will repeat this for most of the items listed below: Whole Grain is your best choice as the fiber will be higher which slows the absorbtion of the carbohydrate. Products that are whole grain will not cause blood sugar to rise rapidly.

Products that are not whole grain like white rice, white flour and sugar (or products made with these ingredients) will cause a rapid increase in blood sugar because they don't have the fiber to slow down the breakdown of the carbohydrate. This makes blood sugar rise rapidly and causes a big release of insulin. Big insulin spikes are to be avoided if you are seeking a more healthy and fit life.

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Bread

Generally you want to make sure your breads are not just wheat but whole wheat. You can do this by making sure that the words "Whole" or "Stone Ground" or "Sprouted" appear BEFORE the word wheat. If you see one or some of these words appearing befor the word wheat then you know you have a whole wheat product. Just read throught the ingredients and make sure there are no preservatives and that sugar is not a primary ingredient. Primary ingredients usually means that it is listed in the top three ingredients.

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Cereals

Cereals, like breads, should be as whole grain as possible. Make sure that the word "Whole" appears before the word "Wheat" when describing the product. Whole grain Oatmeal is a great choice with no added sugar. Be careful as some oatmeals can be marketed as healthy choices and yet they will have a lot of sugar. With any cereal choice, make sure that sugar is minimal when reading labels. More than ten grams of sugar per serving is excessive. Pay attention to serving sizes too when choosing your cereals as some serving sizes are only half a cup so when you are eating one cup, you will be eating twice the amount of sugar listed on the label.

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Pasta

With pasta, like bread and cereals, you are better off choosing a whole grain version. You can make sure you are getting a whole grain product by seeing the word "Whole" appearing before the word "Grain" or "Wheat" when describing the product. Regular pastas break down into sugar very easily and can elevate blood sugar levels quickly. This is why the whole wheat versions are a better choice. If you are an easy gainer or trying to lose weight you may choose to avoid large servings of pasta or having pasta late at night. You may also check to make sure there is not too much sugar and preservatives in the pasta products you are choosing.

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Tortillas

As with breads and cereals you are better off choosing whole grain versions of tortillas. You can make sure you are getting a whole grain product by seeing the word "Whole" appearing before the word "Grain" or "Wheat" when describing the product. If you are an easy gainer or trying to lose weight you may choose to avoid large servings of tortillas or having tortillas late at night. You may also check to make sure there is not too much sugar and preservatives in the tortilla products you are choosing. When reading labels, make sure that your Tortilla products do not contain any trans fatty acids also know as hydrogenated oils. 

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Chips and Crackers

As with breads and cereals you are better off choosing whole grain versions of chips and crackers. You can make sure you are getting a whole grain product by seeing the word "Whole" appearing before the word "Grain" or "Wheat" when describing the product. If you are an easy gainer or trying to lose weight you may choose to avoid large servings of chips and crackers or having chips and crackers late at night. You may also check to make sure there is not too much sugar and preservatives in the chips and cracker products you are choosing. When reading labels, make sure that your chips and cracker products do not contain any trans fatty acids also know as hydrogenated oils.

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Juices

When reading the labels on your juices make sure they don't contain high fructose corn syrup. Try to make your juice selections are as natural as possible. Artificial Sweetenters are to be avoided or at least used very sparingly as well as sugar. Stevia is a great alternative and it is becoming more an more popular in the grocery stores. Generally you will find Stevia in the same isle as the artificial sweeteners. Stevia is an all natural plant that is 100 time more sweeter tasting than sugar and does not absorb into our system so it does not cause a blood sugar spike. If you can choose a juice that is not from concentrate, do so whenever possible. Regardless of the good choices you make with juices, they can be a high source of carbohydrates and should be avoided if you are an easy gainer or are trying to lose weight. If you are choosing to use juices that are sweetened with artificial sweeteners, do so sparingly.

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Fats and Oils:

Your best choices when it comes to Fats and Oils are going to be natural products like raw nuts and seeds, fresh fish high in essential fatty acids and olive oil. You should try to avoid and trans fatty acids also known as hydrogenated fats. These are in a multitude of products as they have a high shelf life. Obvious places to avoid them are margarine and other artificial spreads and commercial cooking oils.

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EFA's

EFA stands for essential fatty acid. These fatty acids are essential because our bodies cannot manufacture them. We must obtain them from our food. EFA's are in fish, nuts, seeds, flax, olive oils and avacados just to mention a few. They are responsible for a great many health benefits like lowering cholesterol and proper cellular functioning.

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Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds can be a great choice for snacking or adding flavor and texture to a recipe. Make sure you are choosing all natural products. Any flavoring can be suspect as many ingredients are man made and just plain bad for us. Read the ingredients, they should be very simple and short i.e. Nuts and Salt or just Nuts. Almonds, Walnuts, Sunflower Seeds, etc are all acceptible. They all are packed with the essential fatty acids that our bodies need. Nuts and Seeds can be high in calories and intake may need to be monitored if you are reducing your calories. Avoid nuts roasted in cottonseed oil and any kind of hydrogenated oils. Raw nuts and seed are your best bet as roasing can lower their nutritional value.

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Avocados

Avocados can be considered produce (veges and fruits). The reason I have placed them in the Nuts/Seeds/Fats/Oils catagory is because they are high in fat. Avocados containt the essential fatty acids that our bodies need to get from the food that we eat because our bodies cannot manufacture them. Avocados are a great food choice. Because they are high in fat which is high in calories, if you are wanting to lower your calories you may need to monitor your intake of avocados.

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Cooking Oils

Olive oil is a great choice for cooking oil. It can also makes a good salad dressing mix. Olive oil is an unsaturated natural oil that is good for us. The trouble is that olive oil does not tollerate high heat before becoming rancid. Low cooking temperatures are perfectly fine with olive oil but if you see smoke, the olive oil is already rancid. Keep cooking temperatures 120 degrees or lower when cooking with olive oil.

Vegetable oils, canola oils and other general cooking oils must be used sparingly as many of them have been hydrogenated to increase shelf life. Again, any hydrogenated fats should be avoided as much as possible as they cause many problems in our system.

Coconut oil may be a good substitute for vegetable oil because it can tollerate higher heats when cooking and is usually not hydrogenated or altered in any way that will cause the same problems that trans fats can. Any cooking oils add a large amount of calories to our food.

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Butter

Butter is a dairy product. I have listed it under the fats and oils because butter is primarily fat. Saturated fat, so if you are choosing to use commercial butter you should choose to use it sparingly as it can add a lot of calories to your food. Butter can be a great choice for frying and baking as it can tollerate higher temperatures. Butter is a better choice than margarine or other spreads containing trans fatty acids otherwise known as hydrogenated fats. These trans fats are man made and are very bad for us as they lead to cellular inflamation and disease. Avoid them.

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Produce (Veges and Fruits):

Vegetables and Fruits are going to be one of the best areas to get your fiber. You will also be getting a good amount of fiber from your whole grain carbohydrate choices.

Vegetables

Vegetables are a great source of vitamins and fiber. Some vegetables may have a few more calories than others and may need to be monitored if you are trying to reduce you calories. Otherwise, vegetables natural and raw or steamed or lightly cooked in a good oil are always a great choice. Some vegetable choices that are low calorie and high in fiber are asparagus, bean sprouts, bell peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, celery, cucumber, eggplant, leeks, onions, kale, okra, parsnips, peas in the pod, radishes, salad greens, scallions, spinach, string beans, squash, tomato, turnips, water chestnuts, watercress and zucchini... just to mention a few

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Fruits

Fruits are another great choice from the produce area of your grocery store. They can be higher in calories and sugar than most vegetables so they may need to be monitored if you are reducing your calories. Fruits are packed with vitamins and fiber and should be included in your daily meal planning. Some fruits that are lower in calories and higher in fiber are apples (especially green apples), apricots, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cantaloupe, cherries, figs, mango, nectarines, peaches, pears, persimmons, pineapple (fresh), pomegranate, rasberries, strawberries, and grapes... just to mention a few.

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