Blog Four: How to find “good” food in the grocery store and while eating out
Grocery shopping can be stressful and a tedious chore. I’ve found myself there as well. I also never really knew what “good food” meant. I would get the “organic” brands, use “healthy low fat” yogurts and eat tons of “high protein” bars. But I wasn’t seeing a difference in my physique or mood. I promise you most of those brands are tricking you, they use words like “low-fat” and “all natural” when they are PUMPED with additives, thickeners, gums, chemicals, and so so much more. What does it mean to have “good food?” An easy rule of thumb I use when I’m in the grocery store is to stay on the “outside aisles”, the dairy, the meats, the veggies, are all on the “outside aisles”. HOWEVER, I can find yogurt on the “outside aisles” with 14g of sugar per 1/2 cup. Or I can find a grass fed yogurt, with healthy bacteria and probiotics with 17g of protein and <1g of sugar per 1/2 cup. Make sure you check ingredients, and buy whole foods that are nourishing (look at Blog 3, I talk about this too!).
I try to load up once a week with all the meals I have planned. I typically have the same meal for breakfast, meal prep for lunches, and do different dinners each night. I literally write out the ingredients I need for the week, the meals I am making, and the snacks that I can eat (as crazy as I might sound, I have saved so much $$ prepping meals and knowing what I will eat). I have a couple go-to dinners for busy weeks and try to make my lunches easy and light for the work week. Have your meals written out with the ingredients you may need. Have a couple different meats, different carbs and veggies and fruits, and a couple different fats to incorporate into meals.
For example this was one of my meal preps:
Breakfast (monday-friday): eggs with a bed of microgreens
What I need: 2 dozen eggs, 2 containers of microgreens
Lunch (monday-wednesday): Spicy shrimp bowls with veggies and rice
What I need: shrimp, brown rice, edemamme, cucumber, peppers, carrots
Dinner (monday): Steak with salad
What I need: sirloin steak, arugula, goat cheese, pumpkin seeds, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, honey
Snacks (monday-friday): cuties, apples, and tortilla chips
Eating out is a different ballgame but it can still be fun and you can still meet any fitness or wellness goals you may have. I look for food that I could make at home. I typically look at fish, burgers, and loaded salads. If I get a burger, I always try to have a side salad (I usually can’t eat any fried food anyway). If I get fish, ask where the fish is from (yes, it’s okay to be this person!! If it’s wild caught, it’s probably good to eat. If it’s not, maybe get something else). Regarding salads, I love the loaded salads with greens, sweet potatos, different veggies, etc. I always ask for a side of protein too (usually grilled chicken or shrimp). ALSO! Don’t overthink it, it should be fun and you should enjoy yourself. Have another drink or have fries!! It’s up to you with what goals you have!!
Xoxo, Hads
Sources:
https://www.ewg.org/goodfood/ - this site is amazing!! There are PDFs on healthy and cheap meals
https://www.apwuhp.com/6-ways-to-eat-well-on-a-tight-budget/
https://drhyman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/FoodAsMedicineMasterclass-PDF-4-1.pdf - also a great resource!
https://drhyman.com/recipes/
