Grocery Shopping... Tips, Advice & A Little Extra

Grocery shopping can be very stressful at times. You walk into the grocery store and have SOO many options of food. Everywhere you look there is unhealthy, processed, junk food. Then, when you go to the produce section there are tons of options and you think to yourself where do I even begin?

I am linking up with Catherine this week to talk about how we look at grocery shopping.

Now, if you have followed me from the beginning you know I am a big fan of buying organic foods. I don’t care if it is doubled in price, I like knowing my food is organic, it makes me feel good {I’ve argued with my dad lots about this, I won’t let him win, because ultimately I feel better when I eat organic}.

When I am at school my grocery lists are a lot smaller than they are when I am at home. Because I mainly eat in the dining center {which is not organic! Sad day}.

At school my grocery lists look something like this:

Peppers

Cucumbers

Carrots

Guacamole

Hummus

Rice Cakes

Plain Greek Yogurt

Frozen Berries

Honey

Oatmeal

Unsweetened Almond Milk

Unsweetened Applesauce

Tuna

Literally every time I get the same things. My friends make fun of me, but it is what I like and what works for me.

I have had people ask me to go grocery shopping with them and share my opinion on what to get and what not to get. I think it gets easier the more you go.  Eventually you will learn and you won’t have to read labels as much.

When you go grocery shopping you have to be whiling to put time into your shopping trip. You need to look at the labels of what you’re buying. Not the ‘calories’ or ‘fats’, I am talking about ingredients. I avoid soy, HFCS, artificial sweeteners, artificial coloring, anything I cannot pronounce and/or anything I haven’t heard of. Can I avoid this all the time? No. But I try my hardest.

The other week I bought almonds with cinnamon. It never occurred to me they would contain soy, I quickly gave those to someone who doesn’t mind soy.

Staying on the outside of the grocery store is key. AKA- where all the produce, frozen foods, meats, dairy items, etc. are kept. You will bypass all of the candies, crackers, fruit snacks, processed granola bars, sugars, cereals, etc. if you stay on the outside of the grocery store.

Another thing, does it matter that the sugary cereal is on sale? No. Just because it is a sale does not mean you need it. I don’t care if Kemps frozen yogurt never goes on sale. It has bad ingredients in it {make it an every once in awhile treat and get the single serving vs. ½ of a gallon}.

Grocery shopping can be easy and fun—but it may take some time to get to this point. If you have the ability to go to a local grocery store/market do so, if you have the ability to go to Trader Joe’s, GO, if you can go to a Whole Foods, DO IT. If you just have the ability to go to a chain grocery store {Target, Cub, Festival, Hornbockers, Walmart, etc.} that is ok, just put the time and effort into your shopping.

Remember, you always want to give you body HIGH QUALITY foods. Go for produce over cereal. Go for organic if possible. These little changes will help you.

Remember to swing on over to Catherine’s blog because she is sharing some of her favorite things about grocery shopping!

If you have followed me since the beginning, you know no post is complete without a picture. So here is my look when it gets chilly. 

I am LOVIN' this big scarf... So warm and cozy. I didn't 'try' this day but I got so many compliments on my outfit.