Shopping Success?

Sometimes I really hate grocery shopping. There’s so many food options that it’s hard to know that when you’re going through the checkout line that you’ve actually got some healthy choices.

Plus it doesn’t help that I’m easily swayed by the pictures of oh-so-tasty yet probably not good for me foods. I’m usually able to come out with half to 75 percent healthy choices, give or take. I think it actually depends on who I’m shopping with and whether I listen to their advice…

Friday I’m heading back to campus, so Saturday I’ll be hitting the local grocery store to stock up my cupboard and fridge again. I’m hoping to start the semester off right. I’m turning over a new leaf for fall. While I’ve done pretty well on the Eat Right Challenge, it’s by no means over for me. I’ve got more inspiration, motivation and support. I can’t give up now.

So in an attempt to actually buy the right foods, I’m going to make a list of healthy foods (although they will have minor sweet snacks, like Hershey’s kisses to give into my chocolate cravings now and again) and stick to it. It’s going to take a lot.

Part of my problem is that I don’t know what is actually healthy to buy. Do you buy a specific kind of pasta? But my biggest challenge is grains. How do you know what whole grains are? I’ve never understood that. There are probably hundreds of explanations online, but it’s still hard to apply when you’re staring bags of bread in the eye, trying to pick the one that actually qualifies as whole grain. So much deception in a supermarket!

Does anyone else have any grocery shopping tips? How do you make sure that what you're buying helps maintain your healthy lifestyle? Here are some I found on the ACS website. It’s definitely a start. Hopefully I can start applying some of those suggestions and examples. I'll let you know on Saturday.