Healthy Eating Grocery List

A comprehensive grocery list for healthy eating including kitchen staples, proteins, produce, frozen and dry ingredients! You guys enjoyed last week's post on Healthy Eating on a Budget so much, I wanted to provide an even more detailed list of how to grocery shop for healthy living!

When grocery shopping, having a list will help you manage time, money and stay on track with your healthy living goals. When you plan ahead, you are less likely to be tempted into buying unnecessary items and more likely to come home with foods that will create a great balance of meals and snacks for the week.

First, let's start with a list of kitchen staples to have in the house. These items should not need to be bought frequently and will help you create healthy meals on a daily basis.

Kitchen Staples

 Extra virgin olive oil

 Unrefined, extra virgin coconut oil (organic preferred*)

 Other plant-based oils like grapeseed, avocado or sesame oil

 Apple cider vinegar (raw, unfiltered)

 Balsamic vinegar

 Red or white wine vinegar

 Whole grain, spicy or Dijon mustard

 Low sodium soy sauce and hot sauces

 Spices and herbs of your choice

 Baking soda and baking powder

 Natural vanilla extract

 Dark chocolate or raw chocolate

 Natural sources of sugar: pure maple syrup, honey, molasses, raw sugar

 Tomato sauce (no salt or low sodium preferred)

 Tea or tea bags (such as green and herbal tea) and fair-trade coffee

 Dried fruit (i.e. raisins, dates, etc. with no sugar added)

Now, onto the the weekly items to purchase! Ideally you should aim to go grocery shopping once per week, in order to have a good supply of fresh produce and protein-rich foods.

Consider the following to create a master grocery list from which to shop with each week. When planning what type of produce to purchase for your weekly meal plan, select items based on price and what is in season. Buying in-season, local produce is better tasting, more nutritious, better for the environment and supports local businesses. #Winning.

Produce

 Seasonal fresh fruit (or specific types you may need for a particular recipe)

 Baby spinach or other salad lettuce (kale, romaine, bok choy, mixed greens, butter leaf, etc)

 At least 5 different varieties of fresh vegetables such broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, avocado, etc. (or select specific types you may need for a particular recipe)

 Garlic and onions

 Other items usually found in the produce aisle: Hummus, fresh salsa, olives

Proteins (both lean and higher fat proteins)

 Tofu, tempeh (vegetarian options of soy protein)

 Dried legumes (beans, peas and lentils). Cook large batches of beans/peas/lentils and store what is not immediately needed in the freezer or purchase canned, if preferred.

 Raw nuts (i.e. almonds, pecans, pistachios, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, etc.)

 Natural nut and seed butters (such as natural peanut butter, almond butter, tahini)

 Eggs (organic preferred)

 Wild caught fish and seafood (such as salmon, shrimp, tuna, etc)

 Cheese and cottage cheese (organic preferred, fat amount depending on preference**)

 Chicken or turkey such as whole chickens and chicken breasts (organic preferred)

 Select choices of beef (such as sirloin and flank steaks and 90/10 ground beef). If available, choose organic, grass-fed beef. The taste is better, it is better for the environment and better for you too!

 Select choices of pork (such as loin or tenderloin, Canadian bacon; organic preferred)

 Milk or milk alternative if needed such as unsweetened almond milk (fat amount depending on preference; organic preferred)

 Plain, Greek yogurt (fat amount depending on preference; organic preferred)

Frozen Ingredients

 Frozen vegetables (plain, no sauce added)

 Bag of frozen berries or fruit (especially if fresh is not available)

 Frozen meats or buy meat in bulk and freeze what is not immediately needed

 When bananas become overly ripe, peel and place in freezer bag and freeze

Dry Ingredients

 Loaf of whole grain bread/wraps/tortillas (either 100% whole wheat, whole grain or sprouted grain breads with no high fructose corn syrup; purchase gluten free if medically needed)

 100% whole wheat or brown rice pasta

 Brown rice or wild rice

 Whole grains such as quinoa, farro, spelt, millet, etc.

 Oatmeal (such as old-fashioned rolled oats, steel cut or Scottish oats)

 Whole grain flour (look for the words, “100% whole wheat or whole grain” or other types of whole grain flours including spelt flour, millet flour, amaranth flour, etc.). Also try grain-free flours like coconut flour and almond flour.

Notes:

*These are items I personally choose to buy organic. I prefer for meat, eggs, dairy, coconut oil, peanut butter and the dirty dozen to be organic. I am not perfect about this, but strive to purchase these items organic as much as possible.

**Everyone needs varying amounts of fat in their diet. If you prefer and feel better with full fat dairy products, go for it! If you do not eat dairy, leave these items out of your diet. Again, you do you.

If you are interested in adding superfoods (like maca or cacao nibs) and other specialty items to your grocery list, read more here about where I purchase those items to save money!

And in the words of one of my favorite authors, I leave you with this...

Your turn: Share your tips for how you grocery shop for healthy eating!