Five Ways to Crush your Weekly Grocery Shopping
Dear Consumer,
Are you confused going through the aisles? Do you walk around the store like a deer in headlights? If so, that is exactly what we are aiming to cultivate among our shoppers. We pride ourselves on confusion. We thrive off of trendy and hot marketing schemes. We love to put stickers on just about everything and we love placing tags underneath foods to highlight their proposed nutritional value. Money, money, money.
Want to know what else we pride ourselves in? Variety. Since 2013, it has been recommended to sell approximately 45,000 products in our stores. We love products, boxes and packages, especially the colorful ones. We know you will most likely put it in your cart if you have looked at a product for longer than five to ten seconds. We assume you will say, “what the hey, why not?!” Money, money, money.
We loooove holidays. We know just how to influence you into buying just about anything. You may not realize it, but we make a giant profit off of your social gatherings as you purchase baked goods and snacks galore. Oh, and if you didn’t think you needed holiday crunch cereal guess again…we know how to place that product so you can’t say no.
Our favorite thing to do is to stock our shelves with gluten-free, non-GMO, dairy free, sugar free, fat free, no sugar added, free-range, Organic, vegan, Whole 30 approved and everything diet related. Need some gluten-free oreos? We’ve got that. Looking for vegan peanut butter? We’ve got that, too (it has always been vegan, but we love to highlight this fun fact). Do you crave dairy-free milk? There is an entire aisle designated just for this. Again, we pride ourselves on confusion.
We know you have to shop here. You have to eat. We know we can be risky. We know we can market mixed messages. We know exactly what you want, when you want it. Thank you for being a loyal customer. See you soon.
Sincerely,
Your Typical Grocery Store
Week after week you most likely make trips to a grocery store that sells anything and everything. If you grow your own food and hunt or fish for your proteins then you are at a slight advantage, but I am assuming that isn’t your reality. I am assuming you purchase the majority of your food at a local grocery store.
Every Saturday or Sunday, you know it is coming. The dreaded grocery trip (bravo to you if you love grocery shopping) in which you struggle finding a parking spot and you struggle getting out in less than 30 minutes. I am going to spend a little time discussing how you can improve your shopping experience as well as your overall health. Please read through the following strategies and tailor as needed:
1. Spend at least 10 minutes in the produce section. This is totally the place to hang out. Didn’t you hear? Things get pretty rowdy in that part of the store. Green beans fall on the floor, apples find themselves rolling around and everyone is hanging around the avocados these days. In all seriousness, spend quality time picking out your produce for the week.
a. Choose at least one type of leafy green. Spinach is a great example.
b. Pick two to three non-starchy vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini are staples for me, but pick what you love.
c. Always grab two to three onions, garlic and a lemon. These ingredients just make everything else better.
d. Don’t forget a pint of tomatoes, one to two cucumber(s) and a few fruit options. You can never go wrong with bananas and apples as they are easy to bring on-the-go.
e. Have fun with starchy vegetables by adding one to two to your cart. These could be seasonal or something local. For example, sweet potatoes in the fall (shoot, any time of year) are quite delicious.
I find a lot of folks don’t know what to get in this section because they don’t know how to cook them. Buy them and then figure it out. Because you purchased something, you are kind of forced to do something with it. Consider that a win. A good example could be beets. I love a good beet, but it could be a little scary with that thick skin and giant stem thing coming from the top. Google some recipes and conquer the beet. I know you can do it.
2. Plan your protein ahead of time. Go into your meat, poultry and seafood section with a game plan. If you happen to see something on sale, by all means purchase it and freeze extra if needed. The main reasons I suggest planning proteins in advance are because the proteins can inspire dishes and flavors. For example, if you decide to purchase shrimp for the week your entrees could be as such: shrimp scampi, pesto shrimp pizza, shrimp stir-fry, shrimp tacos, etc.
What happens when you plan proteins ahead? The rest of the grocery shopping becomes easier. Don’t worry if you got to the protein section and realized you forgot something from the produce area…you have two legs and you always back track. When planning out your week, consider the following:
a. Plan at least two seafood dishes with one including salmon.
b. Aim for two to three poultry dishes. Make extra so you can enjoy leftovers the next day for lunch.
c. Red meat is encouraged once per week. Some ideas include homemade burgers, beef stir fry, and Italian meatballs.
d. Try one vegetarian inspired dish once per week. I personally love having eggs for dinner. Why not?!
e. You probably go out to eat once per week, so avoid planning for more than five-six dinners.
3. Don’t spend too much time reading labels. The food industry loves when we spend time reading boxes and labels because a lot of us will just go with it. The food industry loves when we stare at something or pick up something because of a new marketing ploy such as “made with real sugar.” A good rule of thumb is if something doesn’t have a label then it is probably something awesome. Boom. Read less labels and you will automatically consume more whole foods. If you aren’t sure on label reading remember these three things:
a. Serving size matters. The serving may be different than your portion. Ask yourself, “Would I realistically eat whatever the serving suggests?”
b. Some ingredients may matter to you. Some foods are extremely hyper-palatable, sometimes binge-worthy. If certain things trigger you, check the ingredient list to figure out if a product isn’t the safest to have in your personal space. Some ingredients of common concern: added sugar, salt, saturated fat, MSG, etc.
c. Don’t be fooled by the language. A lot of pre-packaged food will have certain verbiage that will entice you to buy their product. Save yourself money by avoiding products that market irrational things. An example would be buying gluten-free oats just because they say gluten-free. If you aren’t Celiac then save yourself the money and buy the regular version of oats.
4. Use the middle aisles for flavor plus added nutrition. Spend your time exploring the spices and seasonings so your meals aren’t bland. I suggest purchasing garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried rosemary, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder, turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper for a kick start. Another area to focus your attention includes the oils and vinegars. Start your pantry with extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and white balsamic vinegar. Don’t forget to purchase a variety of nuts and seeds for the week as these can provide a healthy dose of protein, fat, fiber and texture. I would start with a least one nut you can snack on during the week (e.g., almonds), one nut to add to morning oats (e.g., walnuts) and at least one seed to throw into a smoothie (e.g., flaxseed). Other things to purchase could include oats, rice, quinoa, corn tortillas, dark chocolate, and more.
5. Embrace the dairy section. This is where I get a little lost. Have you seen the yogurt section these days? It is crazy. In regards to choosing yogurt, I would suggest choosing plain and flavor it with your own honey or fruit. If you are picking out one or two cheeses for the week, choose cheese that actually packs some flavor. For example, sharp cheddar cheese and feta cheese have amazing flavor and you don’t need too much to make a difference. I would suggest buying a dozen of eggs every week. When you buy your eggs, you can’t go wrong with locally raised eggs; however, you may not have access to something like that. Avoid getting caught up in the marketing on the eggs unless it is something you truly value as well as not minding the price point (e.g., cage-free, free-range, organic, etc.).
The next time you go into the grocery store, remember the few tips provided above. I completely understand the confusion around all of the products, but I am confident you can avoid some stress if you spend more time in the produce section as well as planning ahead. Don’t neglect the middle aisles and take your time so you don’t forget things to only run out of food later in the week. Last, but not least…you got this! I am personally sending you a fist pump from afar.