There are so many misconceptions out there about what is good and what is bad when it comes to buying food. In this day and age, you can get a nutritious meal, you just have to plan for it appropriately. I am constantly amazed by how many people really don't know how to cook food in general. If it isn't microwavable, they are dumbfounded. If you want to be successful with your nutrition plan, I'm sorry, but you will have to suck it up and learn the basics on how to cook.
With that in mind, you have to have an idea of what to look for when you go grocery shopping. So here are my top 5 tips of for grocery shopping so that you can make the correct choices:
1. To find a good protein choice, you need to look at the meats available. Chicken or turkey breasts (boneless, skinless) are good as is fresh fish (which is stocked with omega fatty acids). In a pinch, the frozen options for these meats are satisfactory. If you like red meats, try something with a loin (like pork loin) in it. This is usually a leaner cut. Try to stock up when the price is good and freeze the meat, so you can use it later. For the sake of this newsletter, I'm not going to discuss protein choices if you are a vegetarian. That is a topic for another day.
2. I'm going to say a word, but I don't want you to get scared....CARBOHYDRATES. There has really been a misguided perception towards carbs. Processed carbs are very bad, but whole carbs are essential. You need carbohydrates for energy. So, get your carbs from potatoes, sweet potatoes, 100% whole wheat pasta, brown rice, oatmeal, fruit. Processed carbs to avoid are foods such as cookies, crackers, regular pasta, doughnuts, pop.
3. I really think fruits (which I mentioned earlier) and vegetables are the key to keeping you healthy throughout the year. Fresh vegetables are the best, but sometimes you might not know how to prepare them properly. So, your next option is frozen veggies, followed by canned veggies. There is a decrease in nutritional value as you go through your choices, but I don't think it is that big of a difference. I have canned mixed veggies daily.
4. There are some fats that are good for you, some would even say essential. Some good choices for those would be canola oil, olive oil, flax seed oil, almonds, walnuts. These have essential fatty acids that taken with the right portions can really benefit you.
5. Finally, AVOID a lot of flour products, those boxed juices, most dairy (you can get a lot of your calcium with fruit and vitamin D with sunlight), all sugars, processed snacks. These provide hardly any nutritional value when you pop them in your mouth, but tons of calories.
So I hope that helps you out next time you go shopping. Remember, if you plan ahead and stay organized, just like you should be doing with most things in your life, this can be a rather painless process. Pretty soon, this could be a lifestyle change for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment