How To Shop Health Consciously

Do you think the thing that keeps you from losing weight is hiding in your kitchen? Let's fix it!

1) Go into your kitchen and throw out the following:

-Fried chicken

-Canned vegetables with added salt

-Flavored yogurts

-White bread, white rice, pasta that isn't whole grain

-2% milk

-Sugary drinks

-Ice cream

-Cookies

-Potato chips

-Crackers

-Anything that is marketed to kids and has a cartoon character on it or added sugars.

We can replace all of that with:

-Grilled meat instead of fried

-Fresh vegetables

-Plain yogurt (add fresh fruit and granola YUM)

-Whole grain bread, rice and pasta

-Coconut of almond milk

-Freeze bananas and cover in dark chocolate for a more healthy option then ice cream
-Brookside chocolate covered blueberries/pomegranate/crunchy clusters. These are SO filling and the crunchy clusters taste like a little crunch bar!

-Check instagram for healthy "cheat" meals, get recipes and add them to your grocery list

-Crackers made from seeds, like Mary's Gone Crackers. SO good with hummus. 

Healthier muffins! Thanks @neuroticmommy !

2) Make yourself a grocery list and a list of recipes you're going to make for the week with all of our replacement items. Go onto pintrest and instagram for other healthy, tasty things that look good to you and add those ingredients to your list. Two AWESOME accounts to look at for healthy recipes is @skinnykitchen and @neuroticmommy. They both actually give you amazing recipes to try instead of teasing you with tempting food photos.

3) EAT A MEAL. Never go to the grocery store hungry. If you do, the following will occur:

-You will buy what you CRAVE and veer away from your new list

-You will spend more money than you intended

-You will lose your temper with the old lady who is standing right in the middle of the aisle instead of just saying "excuse me" like your mama taught you.

4) Go to the grocery store. Try to avoid the aisles as much as you can. Get your vegetables and fruit from the fresh produce section. You can get frozen fruit if you're really big into smoothies and you don't think you'll use your fresh fruit before they go bad. 

5) Avoid anything with "trans-fats". Trans-fats are put into food to make them last longer on your shelf. Don't buy anything that you intend to keep for a long time. And remember, just because it says "gluten free" on it, it doesn't mean it's healthy. It just means it was made without gluten. It can still be full of sugars, trans-fats and other things you don't need. 

6) Go pay

7) Go restock your kitchen full of the goodies you've just bought! 

Bonus: Here's a quick and easy way to fill your tummy!

-Prepare a veggie burger. They make some really great ones, my favorite is the California veggie burger by Dr. Praeger's.

-Put some lettuce and cut up tomatoes in a whole wheat wrap

-Put a tsp of red roasted pepper hummus in the wrap

-Chop of the veggie burger and put that into the wrap

-Wrap it

-Eat up! Very yum. Enjoy!