Healthy Shopping Advice

NightOwl1

So far my weight loss has been progressing pretty well just counting calories and not really paying attention to the contents of my food (i.e. eating a lot of frozen processed dinners), but my long term goal is to not just lose weight, but to also live a healthier lifestyle. So tomorrow I'm going to head over to Whole Foods, empty my piggy bank (because lets face it, their prices are so high they almost constitute theft) and buy myself some healthier alternatives to the current food I've been eating.

I could definitely use some advice on things to buy from people who do this healthy eating thing regularly. My taste buds are pretty much open to almost anything, so I'm not that picky when it comes to the taste of the food. However, the key for me is ease of preparation and long shelf life. I can microwave just about anything, I'm great with my George Forman Grill, and am functional enough to remove wrappers and stir or mix anything that doesn't require cooking. Outside of that, most other forms of cooking are too complex for my feeble mind to comprehend.

Also, I'm a single male who lives alone, so I don't have much use for food with a really short shelf life. As awesome as salads are, buying a huge thing of different greens that go bad three days later are probably a big waste.

So does anyone have advice for some simple, semi long lasting, healthy food items I can get when I go? Any help would be much appreciated.

beethedreamer

you dont need to go to whole foods in order to get healthy wholesome foods. I don't have one near me (yet) and I get healthy foods at my normal grocery store and even walmart.

that being said, I am also a single person who lives alone, so I do find that veggies will go bad before I use them. I do buy some frozen fruits and veggies that don't have any sauces added. you could also make a big batch of soup, stew, casserole type things,etc and just put it in single servings and freeze.

also, I've found that the steamer packages of frozen veggies are the greatest things ever! the veggies are always crisp and amazing, and they taste like you cut them and steamed them fresh. they are more expensive than buying your own veggies and cooking them yourself, but it's worth it if there is a possibility the fresh veggies will spoil before you get a chance to eat it

kelika71

Bump...curious to know what advice is given.

I've never been to WF, but wondering if their stuff is fresher. I'm tired of hitting Walmart, Meijer and even Kroger to find rotting food in their produce! Even worse, when I bring it to a worker's attention at Meijer that the grapefruit is ripe with mold...not just a little spot, either...they leave it!! I'm just disgusted by that and the fact they think people will buy that.

CherokeeBabe

You don't necessarily always have to pay an arm and a leg to eat healthier, but I concede than it can be more expensive at least initially to get started with eating better. I fell off of my "good habits" when the money got tighter lately, but I'm spending the extra $20 this week to get back on track with more fruits, veggies, salads, etc.

frostiegurl

This is what I get when I do go there
Wild Albacore Tuna Burgers *Blue Horizon Brand
Grapes
Turnips
Rutabagas
Carrots
Spinach (fresh)- I use it every single day either as a salad, in recipes or in an egg white omelet
Steel Cut Oatmeal
Blueberries
Plain Yogurt
You can pick up various frozen food items and canned items as well that are low in sodium as well as healthy, just make sure to check the labels. I tend not to buy frozen meals, I stick to frozen vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper strips as well as frozen strawberries, peaches and mango for smoothies.

Do you have a Trader Joe's nearby? I find that they have better prices on many of the very same things sold at Whole Foods.

colita123

Krogers has the best vegetables and you can get a lot of containers and seperate all your vegetables carrots,cabbage,asparagas, tomatoes, onions, bell pepper and stem your vegetables or stir fry with olive oil make a meal for example Mon cabbage ,corn, frozen okry and cut you some tomatoes remember have everything cut in containers so when you get home stem your meal . fresh is better but you can mix frozen.

colita123

Krogers has the best vegetables and you can get a lot of containers and seperate all your vegetables carrots,cabbage,asparagas, tomatoes, onions, bell pepper and stem your vegetables or stir fry with olive oil make a meal for example Mon cabbage ,corn, frozen okry and cut you some tomatoes remember have everything cut in containers so when you get home stem your meal . fresh is better but you can mix frozen.

believetoachieve

I can microwave just about anything, I'm great with my George Forman Grill, and am functional enough to remove wrappers and stir or mix anything that doesn't require cooking. Outside of that, most other forms of cooking are too complex for my feeble mind to comprehend.

Haha, you're a cutie! I'm in a similar situation though - I'm a single female, on a student budget. I read in a magazine though (either fitness magazine, or shape) that you can shop at "regular" grocery stores - just stay in the edges of the store. All the processed (ie bad!) food is in the middle aisles, but if you stay around the periphery, you'll find the veggies/fruit, milk, meat, etc.

Also, it sounds cheesy, but use coupons and go for sales whenever/wherever you can! Keep in mind that if you can't get (either because of price or availability) certain foods, canned/frozen are often a good alternative - many methods maintain the nutrients Good luck!

Ps, check out some of the "for dummies" books on cooking. There's no shame in them - I adore them!

AdamATGATT

I'd also like to hear some more, but I'll throw out this suggestion as well...

If you like quick, easy meals, then get a Food Saver. Make yourself a full sized meal of 6 - 8 servings, then freeze (into serving size portions) whatever you won't eat that night or the next day. There are quite a few recipes that work great this way. Whenever you need a quick dinner, pull out a serving and reheat. I just did this for dinner tonight, with vegetable lasagna.

virginiagomes

I am a separated woman in the same boat. Don't know how to cook much, but try allrecipes.com and find ways to cook what you have in hand.

AdamATGATT

Which reminds me...two good books:

- 4 Ingredients Cookbook
- 6 Ingredients or Less, by Johnson (CJ books) - my favorite

BoresEasily

believetoachieve is dead on in regards to the outter aisles of the store. Frozen veggies and fruits are great but check to make sure they have very little if any sodium and or added sugars. I only ever buy my things on sale. There are about 3-4 items in a store that I will buy at regular price and everything else is on sale or it doesn't get bought. I always have a clamshell of spinach and I always get it on sale. It's always on sale at one of the stores. I try to buy the little clamshell because I find it VERY difficult to go through the larger clamshell on my own. I do buy the larger one when it's on sale and try my damndest to empty it before it goes bad. Anyway for frozen fruits blueberries and strawberries nothing added are great for adding to oatmeal or cereal at breakfast. Almonds for me are a must have it's one of the few items I'll pay regular price for. I buy a 1kg bag and put it into smaller bags for the week. Veggies that are good to have fresh are baby carrots and cucumbers as they make a great snack with a low fat dressing or apparently hummus, which I've yet to try. I just eat them raw myself. I cut the cucumbers up and put them into baggies and I rinse the baby carrots and place them in separate baggies as well.

Spinach, blueberries, bananas, milk and ice make a great smoothie. You can use milk substitutes or even water if you prefer.

NightOwl1

Thank you everyone for the awesome advice! I'm definitely going to be taking a lot of your suggestions with me when I head to the store tomorrow.

BoresEasily

You're very welcome.

NightOwl1

Okay, so here is what I ended up getting. I'm pretty proud of myself.

Frozen Chicken Burgers
Frozen Bison Burgers
Frozen Tuna Steaks
Uncured Maple Bacon
Organic Frozen Strawberries
Organic Frozen Raspberries
Organic Baby Spinach - Fresh
Organic Apples -Fresh
Organic Bananas - Fresh
Mix 1 Protein Drinks
Organic 2% milk
Organic Apple Morning Cinnamon O's (aka Bootleg cheerios)


And some sushi for today's lunch

Overall, not too terrible in price either. Thank you all for the suggestions, they really helped!