Beginner's Guide To Healthy Grocery Shopping For A Healthy Life [Part 1]

The grocery store is how we get healthy food home.

I would argue-  If you don't buy healthy food- YOU won't be healthy.

The grocery store makes or breaks our health. [Tweet this] 

Don't worry. Healthy grocery shoppers are not born, they are made.

I struggled being a healthy shopper for the better part of 2 years after I started focusing on being fit. When grocery stores look like this, who wouldn't struggle?

I had NO idea how to shop healthy. I'd never done it before. I was drawn in to the pretty packages. The marketing mumbo-jumbo (fat-free, calorie-free, sugar-free). I knew nothing about nutrition labels. I was clueless!

I hope this beginner's guide to grocery shopping will help you avoid the same mistakes I did.

Wandering aimlessly just throwing things in the cart.

Buying the same foods for no other reason than you know where they are.

Staring at nutrition labels trying to figure out if it is a yes or a no.

Buying fat-free, sugar-free, zero calories automatically thinking it's healthy. 

Getting as much health food as you can, get home, and say- "I've got nothing to eat!"

Been there, done that, and put it all in my re-usable bag.

OK- let's jump in.

Beginner's Guide to Healthy Grocery Shopping

First things first.

What foods to shop for.

The goal is to buy as many REAL foods as we can. This means we shop and buy for foods that are grown, raised, harvested, or caught and are still as natural and fresh as possible. 

Here's the easiest way to check if it's REAL food or processed food.

Think outside the box.

Avoid foods that are boxed, bagged, or packaged. They have gone through a process to get in that transportation container. Therefore, processed food. If at all possible, skip these.

If you must buy something in a box- keep these in mind.

1. If you can't read a word or don't know what it is don't buy it.

If you found something and didn't know what it was would you eat it? Didn't think so. So don't buy it!

2. Buy processed foods with no more than 5 ingredients.

Less than 5 to stay alive.   :)

3. Avoid foods high in sugar (or sugar substitutes) and salt (sodium).

On the ingredient list, if either of these are in the top 3- It's not meant to be.

Here's some food for thought for first timers.

Don't feel that you need to ditch what you eat and buy 100% REAL food right now. Don't get me wrong. You need to start switching over. BUT be smart. If you trash everything you know and buy all new food it will not end well. You may even end up eating at McDon'tAtAlls.

Try swapping out one processed food from your list each time you go grocery shopping. So that is approximately one small change a week. Totally doable! Eventually you will look back and forget you ever ate that way. Trust me, I did!

Start swaps to start moving away from processed food:

• Try eating bakery fresh 100% whole wheat bread instead of white bread
• Milk instead of coffee creamer
• Water, tea, or milk instead of soda
• Plain Greek yogurt with your favorite fresh fruit instead of flavored yogurts
• A piece of fruit, nuts, or healthy trailmix instead of candy or cookies
• Frozen blended bananas instead of ice cream
• Cook with olive oil or a small amount of butter instead of margarine or Crisco

What are some other simple swaps to start moving away from processed food? Share you ideas in the comments at the end of the article.

Skydiving is all or nothing. To be successful at getting healthy focus on small steps in the right direction. Each one will gets us closer to our goal.

Now it's time to actually get to shopping...

Navigating the Grocery Store

Start in the produce section.

This is where most of the shopping takes places. You have free range. Pick and choose whatever you'd like.

You can, and should, fill your cart with SO much vegetables and fruits that you have little room for much else.

Search for vegetables and fruits you know and love. Food you have an idea how to eat. Don't buy kale because I say to then stare at wondering what to do. Go in with a recipe that needs certain foods or a list of veggies and fruits you want for the week.

Pick your produce by looking it over, feeling it, smelling it, and comparing it to the other ones in the container. Think like Goldilocks. Too hard, too soft, pale, or bruised are all giveaways that its not just right.

You can buy vegetables and fruits as snacks, side dishes, appetizers, or as the main-course. 

Aim to eat more vegetables than fruits because they are typically more nutrient dense, have less sugar, more fiber, are more versatile for cooking, and sustain hunger for a longer period of time.

Once you packed in the produce...

Second stop is the meat market.

The deli, the fish market, the meat market. I know the lines are long and the number machine never works, but waiting for fresh, quality proteins pays off.

Protein is a MUST in any meal or snack. I rarely have a meal or snack that does not contain protein whether it be animal or plant (nuts, beans, quinoa) protein. Protein helps to build and repair muscle. Protein is also broken down slower in the body making us feel fuller longer.

First stop by the fish counter. Wild caught is where it's at for fish. Wild caught, fresh, never frozen is ultimately the best option. Houston has that option. Mattoon, Illinois may not. Fresh never frozen can be bypassed. Wild caught should not. Farm raised means they were fed a hormone enriched diet and swam around in fish poo. Not good for you!

The meat counter is where you get your animal proteins. Meat must be fresh and additive-free. This is the simplest one. Nothing added. Buying beef? Make sure it is strictly beef. Chicken? Same thing... And so on for all the other wonderful animal proteins- pork, turkey, lamb, bison

If you swing by the deli counter for lunch meat, which is the only place you should buy lunch meat, read the deli nutrition. Some of these meats are packed with preservatives. Salt, sodium nitrate, or other "natural" solutions. Bologna! The best deli meat is the in-house no or low sodium meat. Steer clear of the extra flavor additives. Remember your just trying to buy lunch meat.


It's a lot to digest. 

That's why this is a 2 part-er. Part 2 will walk you through dairy, the bakery, bulk foods, canned foods, and other food to buy when grocery shopping. These sections will be smaller because a bulk of our time and food comes from the produce and meat sections and we've already covered those.

What do you think about part 1? Are you already shopping like this? Do you have any questions? Do you have any simple swaps to share? I'd love to hear! Leave a comment below.

Be sure to check back for Part 2.

2 Minute Tasty Treat- Peanut Butter Banana Boat

Need an afternoon snack?

Kids won't eat the healthy snacks you give them?

In this brief video I show how to create a quick and simple snack.

Peanut Butter Banana Boat

Why You Should Eat Raw Vegetables

Why is eating raw vegetables weird?

My eating habits are often....critiqued by the teacher's lounge lunch crew.

"You eat such weird things." A comment passed while I was eating raw green peppers.

"So, what have you got today?" Regarding my "re-thought" sandwich.

"I just don't understand how you can stand to eat like that?" Is apparently what both of us were thinking as I ate my mushrooms, carrots, and hummus; watching a co-worker eat cafeteria lunch with more plastic than produce on the tray.

I am not a raw foodist! I consume cooked produce...BUT I do believe raw fruits and vegetables are vital for a healthy diet. If that makes me weird. I'm okay with that and I hope you join me.

How to Say NO to Cupcakes

I am offered 575 cupcakes a year! ...And I say NO!

Let me elaborate.

I am offered 575 cupcakes a year, by elementary age children, ON THEIR BIRTHDAY! ...And I say NO! Am I a jerk? Not at all. I do it very politely.

"Happy Birthday! Ooh... For me? That is so nice. Thank you, but no thank you I am going to pass. I hope you have a fantastic birthday!"

I didn't start this way. I said yes to all of them. I felt like I was denying there happiness. I felt like accepting the cupcake and scarfing it down before they left was the way to celebrate and acknowledge their day of birth. They also came 45 minutes before the end of the day when I was tired and hungry. I think dessert foods knows when we're weak. Two years ago I gave them up. I decided I would say no to all the cupcakes. I realized the taking of the cupcake didn't make them happy. It surely didn't make me happy. The acknowledgement of the individual and not the food made them happy.

Don't sacrifice your health for someone else's happiness. Of course one cupcake will not make you fat. It is when eating cupcakes becomes the norm rather than the exception that it becomes a problem. That is what happened with me. Learn from my mistake. Carve your line in the concrete. Make it permanent. Decide you are going to stick to it. Your cupcake may be donuts at the office, candy from a co-workers desk, or another round of drinks. You don't need to evangelize your healthy decision. People will notice anyway. Be polite. Be consistent. Be happy and proud of the personal willpower you display!

172500 reasons to say no. 172500 is the number of calories in 575 cupcakes. That is 49 pounds! Burning 49 pounds of cupcakes requires 183 hours of running an 8 minute mile A YEAR! Still struggling with resisting the temptation? Lay out the numbers. Calculate the calories in the food via MyFitnessPal. Compare the food calories with the amount of exercise needed to burn them off. I've always said it is faster and easier to eat pizza than it is to burn one off.

Plan for the parties. I am not the Great and Powerful Oz behind the curtain saying "NO" to everything. I indulge in moderation. You can too. Just be intentional. Exercise longer or harder to allow yourself more wiggle room. If there is a party, plan your meals accordingly. Celebrations, birthdays, and holidays are not the norm. Plan ahead. Failing to plan is actually planning to fail. At the party scan the scene. There will be food you really want. Some food you don't. Eat the food you want, then walk away. Parties are a time to celebrate someone or something. Celebrating them doesn't have to mean eating all their food. You can celebrate them with praise, attention, or gifts. (When you attend my party best bring all three to be safe.) Don't steal the show with any health evangelizing. Hold a private party, for one, in your head and celebrate your healthy decisions.

Limits and boundaries are crucial in every healthy relationship. Especially your relationship with food. Decide what matters to you and what you can do without. Live out your decision. Saying no is not hurting others. NOT saying no is only hurting your health. Saying no is not the end of the world; it is the beginning of finding fit.

What is something you say "NO" to?

Share a situation where you said "NO" and survived.

Healthy Texas Week- Thirsty Thursday

I argue that if you live in Houston that 50% air can still hydrate you. Seriously, 100% humidity! 

Someone please find out to see if humidity can in fact permeate the skin and re-hydrate you...  My glass if half empty on that possibility.

Hydration is vitally important for a healthy life. We, as a culture, tend to be dehydrated. While we drink TONS of beverages, many of them do not adequately hydrate us. Water is the simplest, lowest calorie form of hydration...period. 

Signs you are dehydrated:

Hunger. Just finished a meal. Still starving. Or...middle of the afternoon and your mouth is watering uncontrollably. You reach for something sweet or salty. Do either of these ever happen to you? You may be dehydrated. Thirst is often mistaken for hunger. Our mouth waters. We get cravings. We must be hungry. Try drinking an entire glass (or two) of water and waiting 5-10 minutes to see if you hunger subsides.

Headaches. Our bodies are made up of about 57% water. That's over half for those who are still contemplating the full glass above. Picture this- Your body is like a car. A car needs oil to run properly or it grinds to a halt. Your body needs water to keep your bodies parts functioning as well. A car low on oil grinds, slows, and burns. Imagine your headache. Does it burn? I know when I am dehydrated I can feel the grind in my temples. So, keep a glass or bottle of water with you. Drink small amounts constantly throughout the day to avoid the dehydration headache.

Tired. Teaching Physical Education means I am quite active. I basically run 10 exercise class a day. The days I forgot to drink water. I am a slug. I get cranky. Tired. Worst of all, I lose my enthusiasm. I carry a water bottle with me. Always. Usually in my back pocket. Yes, it looks funny. A good friend of mine once told me that when he is hydrated he feels more awake than when he drinks coffee. I believe him. That days I am hydrated, and well nourished, are the days I have to most energy.

The most interesting man in the world says, "Stay thirsty my friends!" For your benefit I say, "Stay healthy and hydrated mis amigos!"

This week I will post every day in honor of Healthy Texas Week. Each day will have a new health and fitness theme. Healthy Texas Week is an initiative by It's Time Texas for which I am a Health Ambassador. They are doing amazing things promoting health and fitness in Texas and especially Texas schools. So get up, get active, and encourage your friends and family to do the same. Have them swing by Move It Monday if they need some ideas. In closing- 

 Move more, Eat better, Live well, and Find Fit!

Healthy Texas Week- Try It Tuesday

Try it Tuesday! You never know you may just like it!

I am not saying try Life cereal. I am saying try something NEW!

We often get stuck in a rut. I am no different. I eat the same foods. (Turkey "re-thought" sandwich every day!) I even get stuck creating the same exercise routines for my boot camp every now and then.

The other day at boot camp we tried something different. Something radical for this tenured group. We incorporated super high intensity interval training. The workout included jogging with sprint intervals, full-body combination exercises, and intensity bursts of 30 seconds with a 10 second rest. We did this for 1 hour. (Want something to try today- Jumping jumping jack- do the entire jumping jack while in the air. We did it. So can you!)

I have to say I was nervous that people would quit. Or hate it. Or worse, hate me. I was dead wrong. They LOVED it. My wife and I (the instructors) were thanked and applauded that day more than any other. Since then we have tried to increase the workout intensity and vary the activities and each day elicits the same response.

We all have some recipe, some fitness class, or some activity we want to try but are too....apprehensive. Well, today is the day. Try It Tuesday means you single out the one thing you want to try today. (Mine will be--- Radishes) You never know you may like it; just like Mikey.

This week I will post every day in honor of Healthy Texas Week. Each day will have a new health and fitness theme. Healthy Texas Week is an initiative by It's Time Texas for which I am a Health Ambassador. They are doing amazing things promoting health and fitness in Texas and especially Texas schools. So get up, get active, and encourage your friends and family to do the same. Have them swing by Move It Monday if they need some ideas. In closing- 

 Move more, Eat better, Live well, and Find Fit!

What It Would Look Like If Dave Ramsey Taught Health Instead Of Finance

Dave Ramsey is known for helping millions get out of debt, manage money, and build wealth. Well that, and cutting up credit cards with a giant pair of scissors. He is an amazing teacher, speaker, and author. His ability to simply state the complex financial troubles we deal with is genius. He has built an enormous empire around coaching people. What if he would have coached on a topic besides finance. What if Dave Ramsey was a health and fitness coach?

Here is what I think Dave Ramsey would teach if he were a health and fitness coach:

- The Total Body Makeover. Is the name of the book he would write. He would walk people through the 7 Baby Steps necessary for losing weight, building muscle, and living like no one else. 

- Create a zero-based calorie budget. This is first because you need to know where you stand. Find your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Figure out how many calories you need to survive each day and eat within your means. Every calorie has a name, on paper, each and every day!

-The Weight-loss Snowball. Now that you know how much you have to eat it is time to start dropping weight. Rice and beans, beans and rice. (His saying-but it kinda works). Fruits and veggies and lean proteins. Hold a garage sale for all your unhealthy food. Or, throw it in the trash! Eat less, exercise more and do WHATEVER you can to create a 500 calorie deficit each day to maximize your weight loss.

-Be Gazelle Intense. You wanna lose weight and live healthy? You need to be mad. Mad at the fast food. Upset with Hostess. Mad at the T.V. for its addicting shows that waste my time. You need to work so hard that you think that cheetah chasing the gazelle is a heart attack or diabetes chasing you. On second thought, why don't you eat like a gazelle too! (It's plant based, like our diet should be for the most part).

-Trash the Processed Foods! Dave cuts credit cards. Can you imagine Dave Ramsey running around on stage with a GIANT trash bag?

I can. He would be calling for processed purge-ery! Throw me your Twinkies, your soda, your potato chips. Toss out your Takis, your candy, and your ice cream. The interest they charge is ridiculous! You eat like that and you will lose ALL interest in being healthy.

-God's and Grandma's Way of Living Healthy. "Do you not know that your bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit...Therefore, Honor God with your bodies." (1 Cor. 6:19a & 20) (I know that it is out of context and is actually about sexual immorality, but that doesn't mean God does not want us to treasure and take care of the body he gave us.) Dave would remind us that Grandma would only go out to eat for "special occasions." Back then they ate whatever grew in the garden or they raised on the farm. Grandma also cooked and baked...everything.

- Eat like no one else, so later YOU CAN EAT LIKE NO ELSE! Dave always lifts you back up after tearing everything you know down. He would instill the hope that once you learn to manage your eating and have discipline in your diet you too can enjoy the "finer" things in life...in moderation, of course.

Dave's Fitness Peace University isn't that far off the mark. In finance and fitness you need live on a budget, plan ahead, and enjoy things in moderation. I respect and look up to Dave Ramsey and his organization tremendously. (I have personally taken his class, read his books, and am well on my way to Financial Peace) The best thing Dave and his company do is provide HOPE. I hope to provide that same hope for people starting or struggling with their health and fitness journey.

Do you have anymore Dave-isms that apply to health? 

Share them in the comment section

Like what you read? There's more to come... Sign up to have Finding Fit delivered straight to your e-mail.

 @Jon_Kidwell on Twitter                           Finding Fit on Facebook

The Side Effects of Vegetables In Your Diet

"I don't eat vegetables because they make me gassy."

Is something I would never say. I figure just embrace it. I hear a multitude of excuses for people not eating vegetables. "I don't like them." "I don't know how to cook them." My husband only eats meat and potatoes." Any sound familiar?

Pish-posh. The following is a list honoring the "terrible" side effects vegetables may have on you.

Celery- Nature's answer to flossing- 

Permanently Embedded In Your Teeth! 

Corn- Installs "The Golden Grill" 

...whether you want it or not

Do I have something in my teeth?- Jim Carrey (Ace Ventura)

Carrots- The Car Horn

Noise polluting those around you saying, "Yea, I'm eating healthy and each chomp will let you know it."

Asparagus- Mr. Sticky P

no need for more explanation

Garlic- Vampire (Killer) Breathe

** side-note** Be sure significant other or group also has garlic with you so it is a level playing field

Onion- Nature's Visine

"Gosh darn, Sinclair allergies"

Cauliflower- Cutting The Cauliflower

It may be good for you, but it is sure bad for me!

Spinach- Swollen Arm Attack

I don't want giant bulges on my arms like Popeye....

Nowhere on the list was heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, or cardiac arrest! (You know, A heart attack!)

When you first start eating vegetables your body will need some time to adjust. You may be stinky, gassy, and/or a frequent visitor to the porcelain throne, but at least you are on the right track toward health. An added bonus is anyone that sticks with you through the bad breathe, crying, and embedded food in your teeth must truly be a great friend.

What other "side effects" have you got for us?

Post them in the comments section!

Rethinking the Sandwich

The sandwich is a staple in American food culture. I wonder if that has something to do with America's current obesity epidemic.

Cold cuts, subs, packed lunches, burgers, and most fast food is basically a sandwich. A sandwich is bread with protein, veggies, and sometimes cheese and/or sauce in between. After reading Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes and learning more about food and nutrition I am beginning to rethink the sandwich.

This isn't as easy as it sounds. I love carbs and I eat a sandwich EVERYDAY! The people at work can even tell if I make it or if Meg makes it because she is sweet enough to cut it for me. So after debating living with or without the daily "wich" I decided to collect some data.

I began to find that after lunch I was feeling quite lethargic. I thought it was because I was exhausted and ready for a nap, but then I thought what if it was something I was eating. I decided to do a little test with my sandwich. My two-bread sandwich was replaced with a one-slice and giant lettuce topper. (Jimmy John's Unwich helped inspire my idea.) My new sandwich is whole-grain bread, turkey, veggies, and romaine lettuce leaf as the "top bun". So far I have not been as tired following lunch and have enjoyed it just as much as the original sandwich.

I think little changes like this are what truly make the difference. Is extreme than answer? No sandwich, EVER... No. On the flip side if I see a change that will benefit me I should make it. Look for small, but beneficial healthy changes in your life as well. Sandwich or not you could rethink something.


Share in the comments section what your rethinking to make more healthy.

Finding Balance for a Healthy Life

Is your shower bipolar?

Photo courtesy of morguefile.com taken by Alchem

What Foods Keep You Dreaming All Night Long

Do you ever dream about food?

How about garbanzo beans?

Where Does All The Candy Come From?

I can't ever remember buying candy from the grocery store.If you ask other people they never buy candy either. Who buys all this candy and how does it magically appear in your and my lap at our moment of weakness??? (My moment is 3:30 pm)

10 Weight Loss and Calorie Cutting Tips

Do you want to save calories and eat the same food?

Of course you do! We all do! The trick is to cut the "fat." Get rid of the unnecessary crap that adds calories and keep you from losing weight. Here are ten quick and easy tips to cut calories and help you lose weight.

How To Combat That Hungry Feeling

Do you ever have those "I'm so hungry I may eat my finger!" moments? 

I get so hungry around 4 PM that I will eat just about anything. My finger saving trick is to have something healthy around to eat instead. Why do we get so hungry and what can we do about it?