Grocery Shopping?

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Michelle240022
Michelle240022 Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm on a 1,520 calorie daily limit & within the next week I plan to do grocery shopping for the month. I've never truly dieted before now and I'm wondering:

1) What are some good low to no calorie drinks that I can get. I love water but sometimes I just need a tasty drink too.

2) Almond milk, skim milk, or soy milk? Which is better for someone who LOVES milk & Which brands of them taste the best?

3) What is the best butter alternative for cooking and taste?

And finally,

4) What are some yummy low calorie sweet or salty snack alternatives (either store bought or recipes)?


I'm a newbie at all of this so any additional tips or recommendations will be greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    1. Add sliced fruit or cucumber to your water! Makes it more exciting, especially if you have leftover produce. I'm also a fan of Trop 50 juice, and Naked juice as well for a quick juice option with breakfast.

    2. I personally go with skim. I dated someone with a lactose intolerance...while I extreme couponed rice milk for them like it was my job, I could never bring myself to like it. Personal taste, though! Try buying the tiny boxes of a few different brands, and try them out. If you don't like it, stick with what you like. Skim is awesome for cooking.

    3. I use olive oil, just a lot less than usual. In regards to butter, don't be scared of it! You can incorporate it into your macros.

    4. Echoing above, I'm an extreme couponer. I usually stock up on the following at the store when I can get a good deal: Fiber One fruit snacks (70cals), Nutrigrain bars, hummus (70cal), wheat crackers (140 for 6), Food Should Taste Good multigrain chips (140cal for 10), fresh salsa (10cal per 2 tbsp), and Nature Valley bars. I HIGHLY recommend Food Should Taste Good. A great natural product, you can see the seeds and grains in your food, and they are AWESOMEEE! I eat them with hummus or fresh salsa. Great filling low cal snack!
  • cnhamilton12
    cnhamilton12 Posts: 45 Member
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    Hi! At my grocery store there is a drink called SkinnyGirl sparkling water and it comes in a few different flavors. It tastes like a soda cause it's carbonated. Very yummy! (Can't help you on the milk - I don't drink it a lot). I use for butter either coconut oil or something called Ghee. It's clarified butter and is organic. A lot of people with dairy allergies uses this, it's much better for you. I'm pretty new at this too so I don't have many other tips for you so I'll leave it at my few tidbits!! Good luck and you can do it!!
  • baker150
    baker150 Posts: 112 Member
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    1) I can't help much here but coffee and tea are pretty much calorie free if you drink them black/unsweetened.

    2) Almond milk is delicious! If you get Silk's unsweetened vanilla, it's only 30 calories per cup.

    3) Personally I boil or bake all of my meats so I don't use oil or butter at all really. But coconut oil and olive oil are great. Just measure it out.

    4) As for salty, there are mini rice cakes, Special K have a few different low calorie cracker/chips that are delicious. Also crackers with hummus! As for sweets, besides fruit or smoothies and that stuff, skinny cow has some pretty good chocolate bars for 100 cals eACH. Or my favourite dessert, a banana with melted chocolate chips and peanut butter, it's still fairly healthy :P.
  • caveninit
    caveninit Posts: 153 Member
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    I always put a bit of butter on my veggies...I use Land O Lakes light butter...it's butter and canola oil blend..it has half the calories and fat but tastes exactly the same as regular butter to me. As for water...definitely add some fresh fruit..I use an infuser pitcher and make lots of different fruit combos..or even just cucumber and lemon. I don't like skim milk at all, too watery for me..I buy 1% milk and Silk unsweetened vanilla almond milk. I like the almond milk by itself or over cereal and oatmeal, but for some reason my vanilla protein shakes taste weird when I use the vanilla almond milk, so I use the 1% for shakes. For snacks, i LOVE Atkins Endulge snacks, Bare Naked granola,fresh fruit salad with a bit of whipped cream, yogurt, jello sugar free dark chocolate pudding, dark chocolate covered almonds, bananas dipped in peanut butter, and Dole makes an amazing snack..frozen dark chocolate covered strawberries...super yum.
    I can't have salty snacks due to high blood pressure and watching my sodium so can't help ya there. Good luck!!
  • Michelle240022
    Michelle240022 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thank you all for your great advice! I'm not sure why I'm so scared of butter. I suppose most of the time people act like it's the only thing that puts weight on you lol.

    Baker150 - I was considering getting some bananas and dark chocolate for that exact same desert idea! Sounds delicious!

    CnHamilton12 - That SkinnyGirl sparkling water sounds really good! I am such a sucker for soda, so I think that might be a good treat for me!

    Missiontofitn - I adore the idea of adding things like cucumber or fruits to my water! I may get some raspberries specifically for that! Maybe freeze them for an extra chill
  • Mangopickle
    Mangopickle Posts: 1,509 Member
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    I love Kroger carbmaster skim milk, lactose free, 11g of protein and 60 calories a cup!! Tastes like 2%to me. Love 70 cal cheese sticks and slim Jim minis when I need a salty snack-only 40 cals. Walmart knock offs of crystal lite. Use Kroger private selection yogurt dips instead of mayonnaise, doubles the flavor and only 30 cals for 2tbsp!!
    I also use ghee for seasoning, takes so little but huge flavor impact.
  • Michelle240022
    Michelle240022 Posts: 6 Member
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    So, can you use Ghee for things like putting it on top of veggies or on toast? I've never heard of it before.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    So, can you use Ghee for things like putting it on top of veggies or on toast? I've never heard of it before.

    It's good for cooking, and has a high smoke point.
    Here's a Youtube video to make it at home! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1ZcIM9O2cI
  • sue_stef
    sue_stef Posts: 194 Member
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    For milk drink skim or 1% I do not drink a lot of milk but use it when I feel like having cereal I always have it in the house because I have teen boys and they drink a LOT of milk

    For butter substitute I use Smart Balance I use it for cooking if Im having toast I use real butter and just work it in

    For snacks things I like are Greek Yogurt mix in some unsweetened coco powder and I pretend it is pudding I buy Danon light and fit 80cal and only 7g sugar the vanilla or the toasted coconut vanilla are great for this .
    I also like the special K sea salt chips you can have 30 of those for a serving 110calories and the salt is not horrible
    Also Rice Chips I forget the brand but I love them

    For drinks green tea , coffee, water if I want flavor I add fruit usually a few squirts of real lemon lemon juice

    For wraps I love Josephs Lavash bread 50 calories of fabulous
  • Michelle240022
    Michelle240022 Posts: 6 Member
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    So, can you use Ghee for things like putting it on top of veggies or on toast? I've never heard of it before.

    It's good for cooking, and has a high smoke point.
    Here's a Youtube video to make it at home! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1ZcIM9O2cI


    Thank you! That's awesome. I'm really excited to try it!
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    I drink regular skim milk. I can't bring myself to buy almond milk because of the price.
  • ValeriePlz
    ValeriePlz Posts: 517 Member
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    I like light Chocolate Silk! It tastes just like regular chocolate milk. I also use it for making banana peanut butter smoothies.
  • Cathalain
    Cathalain Posts: 424 Member
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    1) What are some good low to no calorie drinks that I can get. I love water but sometimes I just need a tasty drink too.

    I use those Mio drop things. Drop a couple in your water and you're good to go. I like the fruit punch flavor the best, but there's others. The Tropicana 50 juices are good, too. (Pink lemonade is my favorite.)
    2) Almond milk, skim milk, or soy milk? Which is better for someone who LOVES milk & Which brands of them taste the best?

    I like them all, but I usually drink Blue Diamond almond milk (the coconut flavor, unsweetened). Good stuff. For soy milk, I LOVE Silk chocolate.... divine! But carb-heavy, so I have to limit myself.
    3) What is the best butter alternative for cooking and taste?

    I don't use butter at all to cook with. Just olive oil, usually, a mist of it will do. I have a mister that I use and refill. For taste I'll get the Olivio spray bottle - best of the bunch.
    And finally,

    4) What are some yummy low calorie sweet or salty snack alternatives (either store bought or recipes)?

    I love those Quaker Popped rice cake thingies. Rice cakes have come a long, long way from the lead weights of the 70's. They have apple cinnamon, caramel, ranch flavors, they're light in calories and they taste GREAT.

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