I don't know about you but I think grocery shopping and preparing nutritious meals is so confusing and frankly, a pain in the you know what.  So, I decided to enlist the help of  a health coach to help change my attitude and teach me new and easy ways to eat healthy.  She kindly agreed to conduct a grocery store tour for myself and my clients.  Here is a summary of some of the great tips she gave us.  I will include her contact information at the end of this post in case you are looking to work with her.  She is very motivational and has exposed me to some exciting foods I would have never known about. 

Some basics you may or may not know but a little reminder is always good.  First, do most of your shopping in the outer aisles of the store (all the junk is in the middle).  Second, shop with recipes.  Claudine recommends using three recipes and shopping of f a list of necessary ingredients.  Third, she recommends buying a little less then you think you might need.  There is definitely a sense of satisfaction found from using all of the groceries you purchased.  Lastly, pick a day to shop and prep for the next week.  She does it Friday nights.  Many others do it on Sunday afternoon.  Involve your family and make it fun.

Read your labels.  Did you know that  four grams of sugar is equal to one tsp of sugar.  Check your breakfast cereal and see how many tsp of sugar you are getting.  You might be surprised.  Also, look at the ingredients.  You will be surprised by some of the foods loaded with sugar such as breads, soups, and spaghetti sauces.  The shorter the list of ingredients the better.  If you cannot pronounce it or you see hydrogenated anything put it back on the shelf.    Finally, try to purchase high fiber breads, cereals, and pastas.  A good number to shot for is 3-4 grams per serving.  Most of use need around 30 grams or more of fiber per day.  Are you getting that?

Happy shopping and feel free to contact me with any great tips you might have to make shopping easier.  Here is Claudine's information:  Claudine Arndt, CHC, www.intergrativehealthcoach.biz, 612-202-7872.

Next time I will talk about some exciting new condiments I have discovered and some new foods I have tried since I began my journey to better nutrition.