Health Journey: Grocery Edition

When it comes to getting fit, there is so much frustration and confusion. There seems to be a plethora of advice but a lot of them contradict each other making it is easy to get lost. I am currently on this confusing health journey. Now I say "health journey" specifically here because although I want to lose weight, my primary goal is to be healthy long-term. Personally, I believe that in order to achieve this goal I should stick to the basics; eating better, getting enough sleep, drink water and being more active.

---

A disclaimer before I share some of my humble steps. I am not a doctor and each person has different needs/wants. I recommend checking with your doctor if you have any concerns. My advice here are simply suggestions. Furthermore, I am not benefiting monetarily recommending the products I am about to mention. I highly suggest researching any brands or services for their price, ethics and benefits.

---

Since I have a growing list of changes I have made in my life, I am going to go through one change one, blog post at a time each Friday for Form Friday.

This week's topic is about shopping for healthier groceries. I have three criteria when I shop for groceries: affordability, the ease of preparing the food and practicality (that I would find it satisfying to eat).

Personally, I find it easier to order my groceries online. That way I can meal plan, research sugar, fat and sodium levels, compare prices and keep myself within my budget a lot easier by not buying unnecessary food on a whim (which can be of the unhealthy variety). That being said, I do not recommend buying produce using this method since I believe that freshness is something that should be checked personally.

Here is what my online grocery list consists of-

Canned Goods

There are great to buy because they last longer than produce, are affordable and will not get freezer burn. They do lose nutritional value/freshness so try not overstock on this portion of your groceries.

• Soups low in sodium (tomato, chicken & noodle, easy to pack for lunch at work)

• Vegetables like corn, green beans, peas and carrots

• Tomatoes/tomato paste (for pasta)

• Canned Tuna (in water)

• Polar Skinless and Boneless Salmon Fillets

CAULIPOWER Italian Sausage & Vegetables Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Frozen Items

These items consist of frozen meals that are great for work/on days you're too tired to cook, ingredients which are a perfect temperature for smoothies, and are useful items for your meal prep. The downside to these foods is that most people have a limited amount of space in their freezer so be conscientious of the amount/size of the products you buy!

• Fruit (pineapple, mango, strawberries, blueberries)

• Vegetables (string beans, chopped peppers, zucchini)

• Sweet potato fries (I air fry these)

• Dumplings (steamtable)

• Pizza made with Cauliflower crust

• Lasagna

• Chicken Breast

• Healthy Choice Simply Steamers Frozen Dinner (I go for the stir fry)

• Mochi Ice cream (My favorite treat. The coffee flavor is my favorite!)

Sun Chips Garden Salsa

Pantry

My pantry is my go-to to get ready for work. I use foods in this category to pack healthy snacks for lunch and even breakfast. It is not as healthy as produce but their convenience makes up for it. By packing ahead of time, I'm not tempted by my work's mostly unhealthy vending machine selection.

• Veggie Chips (I don't care much for the veggie sticks, ha-ha!)

• Sun Chips (the salsa flavor is my favorite!)

• Whole wheat crackers (Italian seasoning)

• Baked Cheetos White Cheddar Puffs (you can buy these in a pack)

• Dark chocolate bar (I aim for 70% cocoa)

• Voortman Sugar-Free Oatmeal Cookies

• Fiber One bars (cinnamon coffee cake is my current go-to, chocolate is good too!)

• Kellogg's Special K Breakfast Cereal (blueberry is my favorite so far)

• NUT-rition Heart Healthy Mix

• Annie's White Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese (microwavable)

• belVita Soft Baked Banana Bread Breakfast Biscuits

• Unsweetened applesauce (they come with a variety of different fruit flavors too)

Dave's Killer Bread Thin Sliced 21 Whole Grains & Seeds

Bread Isle

Bread is a staple for a reason! There are endless possibilities with bread and bread-like products since you can put anything and any combination of things on it! It can be healthy in moderation and by being conscientious of which product you choose.

• Dave's Killer Bread

• Whole wheat tortillas

Ocean Spray Diet Cran-Grape

Drinks

What we drink can be our biggest source of sugar intake. Although it is heathier to replace our drinks with water, sometimes we might want a little more flavor! Here is what I suggest-

• Sugar-free Tea (you can add a little sugar if you want, the plus is that YOU control how much)

• Ocean Spray Diet cran-grape juice

• Diet Coke mini (to satisfy craving without being too unhealthy)

• Crystal Light drink mix

• Gatorade Zero Sugar (the regular kind has too much sugar)

Dairy

I LOVE dairy. There is probably not a day that goes by that I don't have a bit of dairy in my diet. That being said, sometimes I can go overboard. Recognizing trends and having a variety of food to try can help tremendously to prevent overindulgence.

• Too Good yogurt (finally a healthy yogurt that tastes good!)

• Fat free milk

• Sugar-free Creamer for coffee

Some of these foods are not new or earth-shattering discoveries but I do hope that some of my suggestions may be the catalyst to inspire others to start (or restart) their journey. I also recognize that they are not the healthiest options, but I see it as a step forward from where I started which was mostly eating out. In a year, my grocery list will be tremendously different as I will have different needs, more experience, and hopefully, be a better cook by then!

If you find my advice helpful, please download the "Spaces by Wix" app to keep yourself up to date as I will make more posts about physical health specifically every Friday at 3pm. My invite code is MQCVSP.

Thank you for reading my article and remember to stay vivacious!