What goes into a healthy grocery trolley?

healthy grocery trolley

What you put in your supermarket trolley will either make or break your healthy eating plan for the week. If it’s not in the fridge or pantry, you can’t eat it!

A healthy grocery trolley means healthy food for the week.  So, before you think about heading out to do the grocery shopping I want you to sit down and plan what you’ll eat for the week, then use your menu plan to write your shopping list. If you’re a member of my Symply With You Mentoring you get a new menu every week! Or follow the 28 day menu in either book 5 or book 6.

With your grocery list in hand, it’s time to head to the supermarket.

Here are my tips to help you navigate the aisles:

Start fresh –

Load up your trolley with fresh fruit and veggies. Remember the healthy dinner plate? Your trolley needs to resemble it, which means half of the food in your trolley should be fresh salad and veggies.

Buy lean meat –

Why pay for the white stuff (fat) on the edge of the steak if you’re going to cut if off anyway? When looking at mince, choose the premium option. Choose skinless chicken breast and lean pork. Limit lamb as this is the fattiest cut of meat.

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Don’t forget the fish –

We should be including at least 2 fish meals a week, and you can include canned salmon or tuna in spring water in your weekly quota.

Look for whole grains –

When it comes to the best bread to buy, I like the Tip Top 9 Grain bread. When choosing crispbread and crackers, look for the words ‘whole grain’ in the ingredient list to find the healthiest option.

Which cereal? –

Choose a cereal that contains at least 3 grams of fibre per serve. Weet-Bix, Sultana Bran and natural muesli are good choices as are rolled oats.

Opt for low fat dairy –

Skim milk is best and choose the lowest fat cheese you can find, Bega have a 50% reduced fat option. The most popular yoghurt with the members of my mentoring program is the Formé no fat.

Avoid the lolly, biscuit and soft drink aisles –

Don’t include these items in your trolley for other members of the family if you know they will derail you in a moment of weakness.

Choose unsalted nuts –

I prefer natural almonds but unsalted cashews and macadamias are good choices too. Remember these must be portion controlled – never eat straight from the bag.

Choose low fat margarine –

I use Flora Light in my recipes, Nuttelex Reduced Fat is also suitable.

Compare labels –

If you’re not sure which food is the healthiest option compare the nutritional panel, the column per 100ml or 100g column is best for comparisons. To keep it simple, just look at total calories and total fat and choose the lowest one. This is obviously a very simplified way of looking at labels, I could write an entire article on this topic. But total calories and fats are a good place to start.

Never shop when hungry –

Shopping on an empty stomach will result in all the wrong foods ending up in the trolley and the shopping budget will be blown too, so write your list and stick with it.

And finally, here’s something I share with my mentoring group –

When you’re wandering the supermarket aisles and come face to face with temptation, put your hand up and say to yourself, “that’s not for me” and keep walking. Who cares if it’s a bargain. Who cares if you get 2 for the price of 1. Just because it’s there on offer, doesn’t mean you have to buy it. Saying NO once in the supermarket, means you don’t have to say NO 100 times at home.


Looking for more support on your weight loss journey? Click here to find out more about my Symply With You mentoring

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