The Last Healthy Eating Grocery List You’ll Ever Need

Eating for your goals sounds complicated. But it doesn’t have to be. It’s all about eliminating the opportunity to make unhealthy choices, and creating as many opportunities for healthy eating success as possible. That’s what this Healthy Eating Grocery List – and the tips in this article – will help you do.

Need a healthy eating strategy tailored for you? See if Fully Fit Nutrition Coaching is right for you.

Want ideas for creative healthy cooking? Try out one of my favorite recipes or meal plans!

A Better Strategy Than Relying on Willpower

Self-discipline. Self-control. Restraint. Resist temptation. Override impulses.

Whatever you call it, willpower is a type of control we hope to use to keep ourselves from doing something we don’t want, or don’t think we should, do. And willpower works, to an extent.

Willpower stops working when you get tired, or stressed, or anxious, or overwhelmed. That’s because willpower is like a muscle. Yes, you can practice using it and building a strong sense of it control. But there’s almost no way to guarantee you won’t ever exhaust your supply of it. Which is why a lot of us fall pray to overeating and poor food choices when we feel like we’re at the end of our emotional rope.

What if there was a better way?

If you didn’t have to rely on you – your will power, self-control and restraint – all the time?

Imagine that instead, you had a system that set you up for success no matter what?

Your Environment Plays Crucial Role in Your Success

Think about a situation in which you have been successful. Maybe you have a vibrant career. Or a meaningful relationship and family life. Maybe you’re a great dog mom or have found success with your meditation practice.

I bet that in all of these instances, you set yourself up for success by creating an environment that supported your goals.

There’s a reason we head to the library alone, with headphones on and a stack of books. To really absorb what you’re learning you need to be in a quiet space with no interruptions, and a wealth of knowledge at your finger tips. So you put your phone on silent and tell your friends you’ll catch up with them later. You create your environment.

At work you have a calendar, an email account, and walls around you for a reason: so that you can nail your deadlines and get sh*t done. You block off time and prioritize tasks. A salt lamp sits on your desk and an office plant basks in the sunlight (because feng shui) and you create your environment for success.

You create an environment that encourages success in a lot of areas of your life.

Now you’re going to create that environment for success in your world of nutrition and dieting.

It starts with throwing out the junk that interferes with your success.

Kitchen Makeover

If there is one “law of healthy eating” that I will always remember from my Precision Nutrition course it’s this: if the food is present, someone will eat it.

Before you can restock your refrigerator using the Healthy Eating Grocery List you need to make room. This is the first component of creating an environment that supports your dieting success.

First sort through what’s currently in your kitchen. Make 3 piles. Keepers: any food that is still fresh and good to eat, and supports your goals, can stay. The rest of it goes. If it can be donated, great! If not (if it’s open or past it’s expiration date), take a deep breath and throw it out.

>> This guide will help you figure out what to trash and what to keep.

Restock Your Kitchen Using the Healthy Eating Grocery List

Now for the fun part! You get to restock your pantry and kitchen with fresh, delicious, healthy ingredients. And you don’t even have to think about it – I’ve done all the grunt work for you.

How to use this list

This list is extensive. I’m not suggesting that you go out and get one of everything on this list! Instead, put a check part next to the ingredients you already have. Then use a highlighter to choose 1-3 options from each category. That’s your list.

Be bold – try something new!

Proteins

• Poultry – chicken or turkey. Choose free-range when possible. When buying breast or thigh choose bone-in, skin off.
• Wild caught fish – tuna, salmon, cod, swordfish
• Shellfish – shrimp, lobster, clams, mussels
• Beef/Bison – bison is naturally lean and these days most stores carry both bison steaks and ground bison. When choosing beef, aim to buy leaner cuts like tenderloin and flank, though if you are making a stew then fattier meat is better!
• Pork – tenderloin is a great choice because it runs so lean.
• Eggs – try to buy organic and free-range or pasture-raised when possible.
• Tofu – a great vegetarian protein source.
• Greek yogurt and cottage cheese – another great source of vegetarian protein. Always buy plain (you can add your own fruit at home) and don’t be afraid of a little fat!

Carbohydrates

• Potatoes – sweet, white, Yukon, red potatoes, you name it!
• Oatmeal – steel cut oats contain the highest amount of nutrients but rolled oats are a great substitute for mornings that fly by too fast.
• Grains – quinoa, buckwheat, bulgur, millet, spelt…
• Brown rice or wild rice
• Whole wheat bread, pitas or wraps
• Beans – beans contain protein so they are a double punch of nutrients. That said, unless you are a vegetarian, count beans as a carb source for the most part.
• Corn – corn is very starchy so it counts more as a carb choice than a vegetable choice. Plus, it’s in everything (corn tortillas, anyone?).

Vegetables

For both vegetables and fruit I recommend variety as the spice of life. When choosing what kinds you are going to buy keep this motto in mind: eat the rainbow.

• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Greens
• Mushrooms
• Peppers
• (see the list below for an abundance of veggie options)

Fruits

• Apples
• Bananas
• Citrus
• Berries
• Melon
• Pineapple
• (again, see the list below!)

Fats

• Healthy oils – look for cold-pressed olive oil and expand from there! You can find a great variety at most stores: avocado, walnut, coconut and sesame are all great options.
• Avocado
• Nuts and seeds – expand your horizons here and branch out past the typical almonds and walnuts. Try macadamia nuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds and pistachios!
• Nut and seed butters – keep it natural and low sodium. After that, crunchy or smooth to your heart’s delight.
• Olives

“Pantry” Essentials

“Pantry” is in quotations because not all of these belong in the pantry, but they do belong in your healthy eating kitchen!

• Milk alternatives – almond, coconut, oat
• Broth – chicken, pork, beef, veggie, seafood
• Sweeteners – maple syrup and honey, when locally made and low-processed, actually have nutritional value! And a little goes a long way so don’t shy away from the high quality stuff (it’ll last you a while).
• Pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut and other fermented foods

Flavor Boosters!

In my opinion, this is where the healthy eating magic happens. You can take a plain chicken breast and cup of rice and turn it into something phenomenal IF you have the right supplies.

• Vinegars – balsamic, red wine, white wine, rice, apple cider
• Mustards
• Hot sauces
• Fresh herbs
• Fried herbs

Got all that?

Great. Now here it is all typed out and organized for you!

Tips for Healthy Grocery Shopping

Learning how to navigate the grocery store is a big part of making your healthy eating lifestyle easier and more effective. Here are a couple of quick tips to streamline your grocery shopping and make it easier to find items on the Healthy Eating Grocery List.

1. Shop the perimeter. Picture yourself entering a grocery store. You’re probably standing in the produce section. If you look along the walls of the store from where you are standing, you’re going to find the seafood department, the meat counter, the dairy case and probably a bakery too. This perimeter is where most of the whole, unprocessed ingredients.
   
2. Avoid the middle aisles. For the most part, the aisles of the grocery store are lined with row upon row of processed, shelf-stable foods. These are the foods that come in boxes and feel the need to claim there health-related qualities. They also typically come packaged with additives, preservatives, trans fats, sodium and sugar. There is one exception to this tip…
   
3. The natural and organic aisle. Most grocery stores have a section dedicated to products labeled natural and organic. You’ll find some great ingredients in this aisle but beware, just because something is natural or organic does not mean that it is inherently healthy for you. “Health food” is, apparently, subjective in the eyes of the FDA. Take the time to read labels before you buy!
   
4. Understand that a products placement on the shelf has nothing to do with how good it is for you. Companies pay for product placement. The more a company pays, the closer the product is to eye level. That means that more often than not, smaller companies with fantastic products find themselves on the bottom shelf.

In general, the ingredients on this list are easy to find on the perimeters of the store.