Grocery store list

I'm having a hard time shopping healthy
What are your top foods on your grocery list ?
Thanks

Replies

  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
    I figure out what I need for the recipes I plan to make and go from there. Start with healthy meals and get the things you need to make them.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    It kinda depends on what sorts of foods you want to eat.

    My general advice:

    -Start with veggies. Get some fresh stuff if it's inexpensive enough, frozen if not. This time of year, I mostly get frozen.
    -Get some fruit - again, go fresh if there's an inexpensive option you like, otherwise you can look at canned fruit. If you get canned, look for stuff that's not in syrup. Fruit is sugary enough on its own ;)
    -If you eat meat, see what's on sale at your local grocery store. Some folks here recommend picking up a whole chicken and roasting it or something similar. That's not my thing, so I usually pick up some chicken breasts. You can always do red meat or turkey, too, if you like.
    -If you're looking to keep the budget low, consider dry beans, lentils, rice and pasta as staples in your house. There's tons of stuff you can do with those!

    ~Lyssa
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    The things that are just about always on my grocery list are:
    Mushrooms, onions, spinach (frozen and fresh), broccoli slaw mix, diced canned tomatoes with no salt added, a variety of canned beans (including chickpeas).

    They can be eaten cold or hot; alone or in recipes.

    A good spinach and mushroom omelet for breakfast; diced tomatoes and broccoli slaw mix as a soup starter for lunch or dinner; broccoli slaw mix canned beans (drained) and fresh spinach make a great salad.
  • healthy_hermione
    healthy_hermione Posts: 64 Member
    edited December 2015
    Dairy:
    2% milk
    String cheese
    Block of cheddar cheese

    Meat/protein:
    Eggs
    Boneless and skinless chicken breasts

    Any fruit and bags of frozen vegetables.
    Other: all natural peanut butter, whole wheat tortillas, whole wheat spaghetti, unsweetened applesauce, potatoes, whole wheat bread, brown rice, organic jam, chili, on the border cafe style tortilla chips, wheat thins, trail mix, chobani Greek yogurt, Cheerios, Lara bars, skinnypop popcorn, granola, etc.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I plan meals and make my grocery list from that.
    Foods that are often on my list are: spinach, onions, bread, rice, pasta, frozen vegetables, fruit, potatoes, zucchini, milk, butter, yogurt, popcorn, dry beans, lentils, canned tomato, chicken breast, chicken thighs, tortillas
  • justsusie998
    justsusie998 Posts: 21 Member
    What ever you do...do NOT go grocery shopping on an empty stomach.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Chicken thighs, pork chops, eggs, beans, lentils, chic peas, rice, broccoli, yellow squash, green beans, snow peppers, cauliflower , asparagus, red bell peppers, chia seeds, almonds, yogurt, soy milk, frozen berries, apples..
  • theocine
    theocine Posts: 36 Member
    The key is, if it's not fresh, read the labels. Decide ahead what is important to you. My priorities includes things like no added sugar in nut butters; low or no added salt in canned beans and canned tomatoes; bread with no high fructose corn syrup but with either whole grain or high fiber. But YMMV.
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Deli Turkey/Chicken, frozen Brocolli & Blueberries, Low-carb Swiss Cheese, Macadamia nuts, Almond Buter, Coconut Butter, KerryGold butter, Organic Eggs.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    My list every single time:

    Chicken breast, ground turkey, fresh and frozen veggies of choice, fresh and frozen fruits of choice, avocado, onion, garlic as needed, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, soy sauce as needed, hot sauce as needed, butter as needed, almond milk, turkey patties if on sale,ground chicken if on sale, sodium free canned tomatoes and beans as needed, Pam, eggs, tomato, cheese, salsa,pb as needed, and sometimes English muffins and low sodium deli meat.

    Last week I went crazy and got ham steaks, Melba toast and wasa crackers. I also decided to try this artic zero ice cream. Its meh.

    I also replenish protein powder as needed.

    But I'm pretty boring. I eat the same things every day. Lol
  • ekruska802
    ekruska802 Posts: 79 Member
    We always plan our meals for the week and buy according to our plan. That way if we buy fresh stuff it gets used and not wasted. We also try to plan our weekly foods in categories, so we're having a soup, a pasta, a big salad, etc. This isn't every week - there are whole summer months where we eat nothing but big salads for dinner. But it's a good way to make sure we're not repeating or eating the same thing too often.
  • unigirl143
    unigirl143 Posts: 126 Member
    We always have precut 'cole slaw' cabbage on hand. I find it is good for salads or mixing into stir fry for some more fiber. I also keep oil sprays for our skillets to cut on the amount of extra fats. Low fat yogurts are a must for me and string cheese or turkey pepperoni slices are the snack of choice for my Husband.
  • RoseTheWarrior
    RoseTheWarrior Posts: 2,035 Member
    We plan meals also and make our list based on that. However, typical items include unsweetened almond milk, Kellogg's Protein cereal, steel cut oats, vegetables (enough for several salads), greek yogurt, cottage cheese.
  • SuperheroSadie
    SuperheroSadie Posts: 167 Member
    If I'm craving something, I'll buy those things, other than that my regular list looks like this:
    • Milk
    • Eggs
    • Cheese
    • Bread (always whole grain and 80cal or less per slice, I personally like Super Grains by Alpine Valley)
    • 80 Calorie lowfat yogurts
    • Lemon juice (If I'm out)
    • Whatever I see massively discounted for meats, if nothing it's a vegetarian week :wink:
    • Diet soda, for when I have those horrible sugar/carbonation cravings
    • Veggies! This is whatever is frozen/on sale, and I always have staples like potatoes/onions/broccoli around
  • toe1226
    toe1226 Posts: 249 Member
    I like to buy organic meats so I get those at Costco and freeze them - buy enough for 3 months at a time: chickens for roasting, salmon burgers, wild alaskan salmon fillets, turkey burgers, ground turkey, chicken breasts, eggs.

    I also buy sweet potatoes, almond butter, peanut butter, mixed nuts and almonds there.

    Then I supplement at the grocery store with spinach (I like this because you can make a salad, but then if its going bad you can put it in a stirfry, unlike spring mix lettuce), broccoli carrots brussel sprouts and cauliflower are all good veggies that last, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, basil and cilantro to season eggs and salads.
  • bevkidd1
    bevkidd1 Posts: 266 Member
    Hello:

    I need some help. I recently had my gallbladder removed and now I am having problems with food. I don't eat the best but have begun eating better. But even some of the foods that are better for me bother me. I'm thinking I am just going to have to try the food and if it bothers me, don't eat it again.

    I am seeing a nutritionist where I work but I don't know what help he is going to be for me. I just started seeing him so I will give it some time before I decide on what to do there. He concentrayes on weightloss as well as healthy eating. Maybe he will be able to help me, only time will tell. Anyway, in the meantime does anyone have any ideas that I could try?
  • yourad0rk
    yourad0rk Posts: 61 Member
    I've been trying to really stick my macros this month (C40:P40:F20), and so far I've managed to eat at around C42:P44:F16 which I'm reallllly pleased about. My meals tend to be the same and aren't varied - though I'm trying to change this, so my shopping list is generally pretty short and exhaustive. Weekly I go through:
    • 2 cartons of eggs (20)
    • 3 cartons of Innocent's Perfectly Pink
    • 12 pints of skimmed milk
    • 1 pack of Actimel
    • 1 loaf of wholegrain bread
    • 1kg of chicken breast
    • 500g of cod
    • 200g of salmon and/or tuna
    • Tomatoes
    • Spring Onions
    • Mushrooms
    • Kiwi
    • Broccoli
    • Baked beans
    • Chicken slices
    • Wholegrain rice
    • Wholegrain pitta bread
    • Olive oil - though I use this sparingly as I'm trying to cut down on all fat (good and bad)
    And that's literally all I live on, plus 2 scoops of protein powder a day, a bit of soy sauce, chilli sauce, and nandos sauce.

    It gets boring after about a month, but I definitely feel like I'm eating well, there's always something at hand that I can fix quickly to eat, and I'm really proud of my macros lol.
  • ButterflyLife4Me
    ButterflyLife4Me Posts: 24 Member
    WoW thank you All so much for your help, can't wait to go to the grocery store tomorrow and get down to eating better. The support means a lot
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Fage 0%
    Canned tuna
    Chicken sausage
    Ground Turkey
    Bags of prepared lettuce/veg
    Frozen Broccoli
    Egg whites
    Laughing cow cheese
    Powdered Peanut butter
    A low calorie ice cream
    Shirataki Noodles
    Zucchini/Yellow Squash
    Popcorn kernels
  • xmichaelyx
    xmichaelyx Posts: 883 Member
    edited December 2015
    I buy the same thing every time I shop:

    For my nightly turkey tacos:
    • ground turkey
    • tortillas
    • shredded cheddar

    For my chicken caesar salad lunches:
    • lettuce
    • chicken breast
    • dressing

    For my daily green drink:
    • kale
    • carrots
    • cucumbers
    • almond milk (because I like it, not because it's non-dairy)
    • coffee
    • (I also add protein powder, but I buy this online)

    For snacks:
    • strawberries
    • almonds
    • wheat thins
    • beer
    • Coke Zero

    This is pretty much my everyday diet (although I go out more often on weekends). I vary the amounts depending on whether I'm cutting, bulking, or maintaining.

    One you find things you really like, it's not difficult to eat the same things every day. It's also cheaper because you can buy in bulk, and easier because you never have to think about what you're going to eat.
  • allaboutthefood
    allaboutthefood Posts: 781 Member
    I pre-plan all our meals a week at a time. But the things that are always on my list are avocado, lettuce, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, carrots, onions, fish and cottage cheese
  • allaboutthefood
    allaboutthefood Posts: 781 Member
    oh and eggs
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I don't get most things from the grocery store, but as others have said, I think about it as follows:

    (1) Stock up on vegetables. I don't plan in advance, but I cook from the vegetables I have on hand, no matter what. As a result, I am more likely to find I'm out of things than for them to go bad.

    (2) Figure out what protein sources you will be using (i.e, meats (including fish), if you are not a vegetarian, and alternatives if you use them (like tofu, beans and rice)).

    (3) Figure out what you will be having for breakfast and have that on hand (for me this is mainly vegetables, eggs, and some lowfat cottage cheese/plain greek yogurt, plus some fruit). I'd have eggs on hand anyway, as they are great for snacks, lunches, and super fast dinners.

    (4) Have some fruit or other options for snacks or sides -- nuts, yogurt/cottage cheese, whatever you like.

    (5) I keep in the house and don't necessarily buy every time I shop a bunch of staples like rice, pasta, dried beans, canned tomatoes, vinegars, olive oil, any hot sauces (like sriracha or a pepper sauce) I like, that kind of thing.
  • nyponbell
    nyponbell Posts: 379 Member
    This is quite inspiring and motivating! I've fallen off the routine-wagon when it comes to my food, so this post came at the right time!
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    dry lentils, variety of dried beans, brown rice, spices as needed
    fresh lettuce, zucchini, cucumber, onion, potatoes and/or sweet potatoes, pineapple, apples & melon
    frozen berries, peppers, spinach, corn and/or green beans
    low sodium canned tomato sauce, canned chickpeas, canned tuna
    eggs, almond milk, shredded cheese(s), sour cream, extra firm tofu, imitation crab
    bread and/or corn tortillas