Anyone have some grocery shopping advice?

sheebyweeby13
sheebyweeby13 Posts: 10
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Just anything would be great. I going to buy veggies, fruits, oats. . What should i stay away from? And what should i go crazy on? Thanks!!

Replies

  • xoeva
    xoeva Posts: 209 Member
    Just anything would be great. I going to buy veggies, fruits, oats. . What should i stay away from? And what should i go crazy on? Thanks!!

    Stay on the edges of the store...around the walls where they have fruit, veggies, milk, eggs, yogurt, etc...not in the middle rows where they have junk and processed foods. Also, take a list and stick with it. Check the flyers before to see the sales and stock up on things that are on sale. Once in a while I give myself some time to go through the store without rushing to compare fat , sugar content of new products. Good luck
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    Just try to go for as much fresh whole food as possible then spend a little time planning your meals for the week so you know what to buy. Don't overspend on stuff you don't like just because it's "healthy" Trust me, you won't eat it.
  • sheebyweeby13
    sheebyweeby13 Posts: 10
    I never even noticed that. Stick around the walls. Thanks a bunch! :)
  • Sl1ghtly
    Sl1ghtly Posts: 855 Member
    Just anything would be great. I going to buy veggies, fruits, oats. . What should i stay away from? And what should i go crazy on? Thanks!!

    Stay far far away from the health foods aisle. And clip coupons. I get mine online.
  • 13519485
    13519485 Posts: 264
    My advice is to leave the store with at least 60% fruit and veg filling your bags. Also, park at the very back of the store, go directly to pet care and load the bottom rack of your cart with at least 100 pounds of cat litter before you start your shopping. While your shopping, walk quickly--don't be afraid of sweating in the store. Then, before you pay, take the cat litter back and restock it as fast as you can without injuring yourself. If you're not sweaty when you're done grocery shopping then you didn't do it right. :tongue:
  • Nopedotjpeg
    Nopedotjpeg Posts: 1,805 Member
    Just anything would be great. I going to buy veggies, fruits, oats. . What should i stay away from? And what should i go crazy on? Thanks!!

    Stay on the edges of the store...around the walls where they have fruit, veggies, milk, eggs, yogurt, etc...not in the middle rows where they have junk and processed foods. Also, take a list and stick with it. Check the flyers before to see the sales and stock up on things that are on sale. Once in a while I give myself some time to go through the store without rushing to compare fat , sugar content of new products. Good luck

    I never realized how all the clean eating food was on the walls of the store. This must mean that my beloved Ben & Jerry's Amercone Dream is clean eating since my grocery store has the freezer section on a wall!!!

    EDIT: Credit given to Acg67
  • kateroot
    kateroot Posts: 435
    My advice is if it's questionable (as in you really shouldn't eat it or very well may get home and completely pig out on it), don't put it in the cart! This is the hardest step for me, walking by all the Ben & Jerry's, spicy Cheez-its, and all my other vices... but if I don't put it in the cart, I won't buy it, and if I don't buy it, I won't eat it. I know that once my trigger foods are in my house, portion control becomes a laughable concept.
  • sheebyweeby13
    sheebyweeby13 Posts: 10
    My advice is to leave the store with at least 60% fruit and veg filling your bags. Also, park at the very back of the store, go directly to pet care and load the bottom rack of your cart with at least 100 pounds of cat litter before you start your shopping. While your shopping, walk quickly--don't be afraid of sweating in the store. Then, before you pay, take the cat litter back and restock it as fast as you can without injuring yourself. If you're not sweaty when you're done grocery shopping then you didn't do it right. :tongue:

    Haha! That cat litter is a great idea!! :D I will do that.
  • Ejwelton
    Ejwelton Posts: 331 Member
    Never buy anything with more than five ingredients, and nothing listed that you don't recognise!
  • lukeout007
    lukeout007 Posts: 1,237 Member
    Just anything would be great. I going to buy veggies, fruits, oats. . What should i stay away from? And what should i go crazy on? Thanks!!

    Stay far far away from the health foods aisle. And clip coupons. I get mine online.

    Good advice.

    I don't subscribe to the stay on the walls advice. Not that you shouldn't do it to some extent but there are healthy foods in the middle too...brown rice, oats, frozen veggies/fruits/meat.

    Make a list and stick to it. No impulse buys. Also try a smaller cart...if you can use a basket or one of those half carts go for it. You'll be less tempted to fill it.
  • lukeout007
    lukeout007 Posts: 1,237 Member
    Never buy anything with more than five ingredients, and nothing listed that you don't recognise!

    This is good too. Example...I don't make my own chicken stock....I buy it. You can go to the soup aisle and look at the different stocks and see lists a mile long...but i've found a few brands that have only a couple of ingredients...all of which I recognize. When I start seeing things that I can't pronounce I usually put it down.
  • Sl1ghtly
    Sl1ghtly Posts: 855 Member
    Never buy anything with more than five ingredients, and nothing listed that you don't recognise!

    ****, I'd starve!
  • sheebyweeby13
    sheebyweeby13 Posts: 10
    Never buy anything with more than five ingredients, and nothing listed that you don't recognise!

    This is good too. Example...I don't make my own chicken stock....I buy it. You can go to the soup aisle and look at the different stocks and see lists a mile long...but i've found a few brands that have only a couple of ingredients...all of which I recognize. When I start seeing things that I can't pronounce I usually put it down.

    Food with items i cant even say scare me, so i try not to get those. Haha.
  • runningfromzombies
    runningfromzombies Posts: 386 Member
    This is the oldest and best advice I've heard and it's the most basic: shop the perimeter of the store, not the aisles. The perimeter has things like meat, dairy, bread, vegetables, and fruits--all great things to stock up on while avoiding the processed garbage in the middle! Now, I venture into the aisles for stuff like granola, oatmeal, cheerios, coffee, frozen fruit, frozen veggies, and pasta...but nothing more. Go crazy on fruits and vegetables (get what's in season, as it's cheaper and better-tasting than the stuff that's not), keep a good stash of lean ground turkey, chicken breasts, and fish of any sort around (with some occasional red meat thrown in if you want--I personally don't eat a lot of it because it's so darn expensive and ever since my year as a vegetarian red meat really screws with my digestive system), make sure you have some whole wheat bread, eggs, cheese, and skim milk on hand at all times, and you're pretty set! Oh, and get a spice rack, and you'll never need to use salt again (well, that's an exaggeration, but you'll use less of it). :flowerforyou:
  • jodibelle
    jodibelle Posts: 79 Member
    Don't overspend on stuff you don't like just because it's "healthy" Trust me, you won't eat it.

    I compleatly agree - when I first started changing my habits I bought a TON of veggies to fill the fridge. Not only could I not eat it all before it went bad - there was somethings that just went bad because I didn't want to eat them.

    I get a lot of frozen veggies and fruit. Then I can portion it down in to small freezer bags and grab and go.
  • londonmoma
    londonmoma Posts: 3
    Fruit & Veg market - free of temptations!
  • Ejwelton
    Ejwelton Posts: 331 Member
    We also plan our meals for the week ahead, so we only buy what we need to create the meals we've planned.
    We're in the UK and have been making great use of the BBC Goodfood website and recipe books.
  • sheebyweeby13
    sheebyweeby13 Posts: 10
    Thanks! I actually dont eat meat. Im a veggie. But i am looking forward to using all of the advice you all have given me. Much appreciated. :smile:
  • rbn_held
    rbn_held Posts: 692 Member
    I make a list before I go and just stick to getting things that are on my list. If I go in unprepared I usually end up buying stuff I shouldn't.
  • Jennfur2610
    Jennfur2610 Posts: 67 Member
    Don't shop while you're hungry. Eat a snack before you go.
    My list always has apples, bananas, strawberries, blueberries and one "exotic" fruit for the seasons. Veggies are always fresh cucumber, broccoli, spinach and carrots. I usually come home with more than that, but those are the items I feel I must come home with weekly
  • TNTwedell
    TNTwedell Posts: 277 Member
    My advice is if it's questionable (as in you really shouldn't eat it or very well may get home and completely pig out on it), don't put it in the cart! This is the hardest step for me, walking by all the Ben & Jerry's, spicy Cheez-its, and all my other vices... but if I don't put it in the cart, I won't buy it, and if I don't buy it, I won't eat it. I know that once my trigger foods are in my house, portion control becomes a laughable concept.

    10000% - thats me too!
    i go with "if i saw this in someone else's cart, would i know they were trying to be healthy?".... judgement of others works really well for me in this instance -
    and yes - its easier for me to resist the temptation in the store vs in my cupboard!
  • Jezebel_Barbie
    Jezebel_Barbie Posts: 198 Member
    + Plan your meals
    + Stick to your list!
    + Eat something before you go so you're not shopping on an empty stomach

    That's about it really. If you know what you want, stick to it and aren't tempted to by hunger to buy random stuff you'll be ok.
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