What I Always Buy at the Grocery Store

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When it comes to healthy eating, there are thousands of opinions, diets, theories and suggestions out there on what is considered a healthy or balanced diet. Should you eat vegetarian, low-carb, low-fat, paleo, pescatarian, vegan? The list goes on and on! Of course at the end of the day, it’s up to you whether you choose to subscribe to a specific diet, but from my experience, what I’ve found is that eating real, whole foods and avoiding processed, refined and packaged foods has made me feel my best. For me, putting too many limitations, restrictions or rules around my diet makes it more stressful than it needs to be. I don’t eat a lot of dairy, but sometimes I really get a craving for cheese. So, I’ll have some!

Fueling your body should be something you look forward to, not something you dread. If you’re trying to eat healthier, but feel lost on where to start, this healthy grocery list might be just the thing you need. I try to plan our meals on Sunday morning and go to the store that afternoon. This typically saves time and money because I don’t end up buying too much stuff that ends up going bad. I don’t buy everything on this list every time I shop because we simply can’t eat that much, but I wanted to share which foods I buy regularly and why!

Fresh Fruit

• organic berries
• apples
• kiwi
• pineapple
• cantaloupe
• lemons

If you follow my Insta Stories, you’ve likely seen the big bowl of fruit I eat every morning. I try to switch it up every week, but I’ll admit that berries and apples are my favorite. I don’t buy all these fruits every week because we simply can’t eat them all before they go bad, but the list above are my favorites! Fruits with deeper colors have more nutrients, so keep that in mind when shopping! If you’re scratching your head wondering whether organic is worth it, I think so. I typically find that they have more taste, last longer and are free of pesticides that can disrupt your body’s delicate ecosystem. II totally understand that buying all organic is a bit of a financial commitment, so if you’re not able to do that, I recommend buying organic on any products with thin skins or skins you’ll be eating—apples, berries are great examples of when it’s best to buy organic!

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Vegetables

• avocado
• kale
• some type of lettuce
• bell pepper
• red onion
• garlic
• broccoli
• brussel sprouts
• big carrots
• sweet potatoes
• herbs

One of the biggest diet changes I made this year was eating a whole lot more vegetables. I’m not perfect everyday, but if I have them in the house, it makes it easy to incorporate them into every meal. I look for veggies that are colorful and deep green as these have lots of nutrients. Variety is also really important! They all have different nutrients and vitamins your body needs, so keeping things varied will ensure that you’re getting a good dose of everything! I try to avoid starchy vegetables that don’t have much nutritional value like potatoes. Sweet potatoes on the other hand are packed with good stuff, so eat up!

Dairy

• cage-free brown eggs
• aged parmigiano reggiano
• 0-2% Greek yogurt

I don’t eat a ton of dairy since it doesn’t always leave me feeling great, but we go through a lot of eggs in our house. I used to reach for the cheapest ones, but after doing some reading, I’ve learned that cage-free or pasture-raised eggs are best. I like the brown ones and I honestly don’t know if there’s a difference between white and brown, but brown just looks more natural to me, ha! Basically, buy the best quality eggs you can get your hands on. The best eggs have bright yellow-orange yolks! Onto cheese —I don’t buy much, but you can almost always find a chunk of real Parmigiano-Reggiano in our fridge. It lasts forever and has superior taste to any of the pre-shredded stuff. As for other dairy—milk, yogurt, cheese, make sure to buy the very best you can. Avoid anything with added hormones or products made from cows treated with antibiotics and other weird stuff.

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Meat/Fish/Poultry:

• wild caught salmon
• free range chicken
• grass fed beef

While I’m more than happy eating a big salad for dinner, Rob requires protein with dinner—anyone else deal with this? I don’t have anything against animal protein, so I’m okay with it. I just like to make sure we’re not eating large portions and that we’re eating the best quality protein we can. I always buy wild caught salmon (or any fish) when possible. The fact that farm-raised salmon typically has color added to it really grosses me out! With all animal protein I avoid anything with added chemicals, additives or antibiotics. All those additions are unnatural for our body and best to be avoided. Lastly, I like to buy grass-fed beef instead of grain-fed. Grass is a cow’s natural diet and that’s simply the way it should be!

Whole Grains

• quinoa
• bulgar wheat
• brown rice

When it comes to grains, I do my best to avoid anything that’s overly processed or refined. We stick to whole grains and our favorites are quinoa, bulgar wheat, brown rice and wild rice. I never buy white rice or white pasta because they don’t provide much nutritional value. Honestly, we don’t eat pasta too often, but when we do, we always buy whole wheat. Personally, I love the nutty taste and al dente texture more than white pasta anyway!

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Miscellaneous

• dried mango, prunes or apricots, these make for great snacks
• Blue Diamond unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• roasted unsalted almonds
• olive oil
• unsweetened coconut water
• dairy free ice cream or sorbet, I have a sweet tooth!
• La Croix, coconut and mango are my favorite!
• hummus
• salsa verde
• ground flax seed, I put this on my fruit in the morning for added Omega-3s and fiber
• chia seeds, also goes on my fruit-added protein and omega-3s
• chicken broth or stock, good to have on hand in a pinch!
• tomato sauce, usually have a jar on hand
• honey: raw, local and organic is great if you have allergies, I use it in my coffee in lieu of sugar

For the most part, I suggest shopping the perimeter of your grocery and that’s what makes up most of our list each week, but there’s some random miscellaneous things in other parts of the store that we keep in our kitchen. Note, I don’t buy these every week, just when necessary! Again, simply look for the very best quality products you can

Things I Avoid

I try my best to avoid processed foods, refined white sugar, bleached table salt and white flour. Sometimes you just need regular flour, but salt is an easy one to switch up! I love using unrefined sea salt or Himalayan pink salt because they have valuable nutrients that you won’t get from bleached salt!

Have you made any switches to your grocery list lately? What items does your healthy grocery list have on it?

BTW, how to get a healthy summer glow, and the best clean beauty brands on Amazon.