What should I buy at the grocery store?

I think that knowing where to shop is also a very good solution. There are places where you can go to get what you need. I think that this article is very helpful in that: http://myhealthessentials.blogspot.com/2008/07/where-to-shop-for-healthy-food.html

Well said Karen!  Looking to our interiors to find the answers rather than looking externally for validation or reassurance is a dramatic and very radical shift from our current way of thinking about food.. we actually start to see that food isn’t just something separate from us, but that we actually have a relationship with it- a relationship composed of much depth and layers.  Yet this kind of thinking seems to be percolating on the edges of consciousness and I think that as we continue to collectively inquire into questions around food and how we prepare/eat/perceive/relate with it in a way that radiates with positivity and purpose we'll see a dramatic shift in our cultural structures… and not just around food, but in many arenas!

I like Karen's answer.  Thanks for putting eating and shopping to the level of the average Joe... No nonsense is good sense.

I think a simple answer to your question is: Shop the outer aisle, and pick the items that have the shortest ingredient list, or are fresh.

By department, start with the produce section (anything there is a good pick), move on to the meat and poultry (white meats, lean cuts of red meat), then to the dairy (skim organic  milk & related products), and the bakery (whole wheat products).  Stop by the frozen section for more fruits and vegetables, and pick up some eggs on your way out.  That should take care of 90% of your needs.

Shop smart, it's a Healthy Thing 

Good question.  There's very little at the grocery store that is going to build your body up.  Unfortunately, there are thousands of items there that will tear your body down.  That's what I'm always thinking about when shopping for foods and drinks., "Is this item going to build my body up or tear it down?"

Here are the few items I buy at the grocery store:

Nuts (with little or no salt) - Walnuts, peanuts, almonds and cashews that we scoop from the bins.  Also, raw nuts are better for you than roasted nuts.  Organic nuts are best, but good luck finding those at your local grocery store.

Peanut or Almond Butter - Just ground nuts, no fillers, sweeteners, preservatives or chemicals added.  Organic is best.

Dates and Raisins (organic)

Organic fruits and veggies

Smart Balance (instead of butter or margarine)

Legumes

Whole grain bread

Rice Milk or Almond Milk instead of dairy products

Now you might ask how someone can live and be a serious athlete with so few items to eat each day.  I get my primary nutrition from concentrated health foods and drinks that combine natural whole foods with modern technology.   These concentrated foods and drinks provide more nutrition in fewer calories without the bulk, the hassle or the cost of all the useless nutrition from the grocery store.

So, I say, get out of the store and onto the Internet to discover some innovative new products that deliver advanced nutrition for a modern world.

 

 

 

There is no easy answer to the question of what to eat--and therefore buy at the grocery store. In terms of nutrition and health, you have one type of answer, but only you know exactly what you crave, so make sure you buy foods you enjoy as well as ones you believe are healthy. We've become a society dependent on diets and expert advice on what to eat, but that can make us feel too regimented and deprived of foods we love. Try to live and eat in balance.

Best,

Karen R. Koenig, LCSW, M.Ed.

You may note that my grocery list has absolutely no suger items listed. Since agave syrup is a highly processed suger, I would not approve of it for my shopping list. However, if one needs to make allowances for childrens palates, which will require some sweet foods, agave nectar is one in which I would consider using for baking cookies for the children and thereby avoiding any baked item that can be purchased at a store.