Benefits Of Healthy Food Shopping
by: Cam
Date: 16 Feb 2023
Introduction
Have you ever wondered why the first and last thing you see at a shopping center are the chocolates, chips, lollies and soft drinks? These are the processed foods that we like to “treat ourselves” with from time to time. As consumers, we are taught to shop as the stores want us to (and everything is placed in a particular place for a reason)! As we focus on our health and fitness (incorporating our 5W’s and THE REALM exercise routines), we need to re-train our shopping strategies to lower our processed food intake in favor of natural and whole-food alternatives.
But what’s the big deal with processed foods?
Processed foods are delicious, but far from nutritious. If you look at the nutrition guide on the back of any processed food packet, you’ll usually find that processed yet tasty choice is:
- High in sugars, fats and salts.
- Contains artificial ingredients.
- Low in nutrients.
- Low in fiber (which is important to fill us up and lowers our cholesterol).
All these things increase our risk of obesity, make us considerably more tired and does not give the body the nutrients it needs. Ultimately, processed foods are unhealthy options for us when purchasing foods.
Benefits of whole-foods
Cutting out processed foods will go a long way to assisting weight loss and overall health and fitness. Whole-foods have a number of benefits which include:
- Improving your immune system, as you are getting more nutrients, vitamins and minerals from your meals;
- Increased energy and awareness; and
- Feel fuller for longer, meaning you end up eating less.
So how do I shop better?
The secret to better shopping is twofold; awareness and planning. Next time you do your weekly grocery shop, have a look around your store of choice. Did you notice that non-processed foods are all around the outsides of the aisles? If you’re not purchasing any processed foods, you should have no need to even stray into a grocery aisle! A good way to manage this is to do all your food shopping first and only go into the aisles you need to for other necessary items.
Have a look at the above diagram. Your grocery store may not be identical to this, but let’s use it as a guide. All the fresh and whole-foods can be found around the outside of the store – you can make your way around without needing to venture into the aisles for most items. The mantra “out of sight, out of mind” can be crucially important when it comes to processed foods. Make a conscious effort to only shop from the outside of the store, or set yourself a percentage goal of whole-foods that you should buy each time (eg. 60% whole-foods, 40% processed). Increase your whole-foods percentage each time you shop! This is a great goal to incorporate into your “14 day Food Game,” making healthier and nutritious choices each time you eat.
Planning your meals (and your shopping) is fundamentally important to making healthy and nutritious shopping choices. You can do this in a number of ways:
- Write a shopping list with exactly what you need for the week (and don’t divert from the list);
- Plan and prepare what you’re having to eat each and every day (using your planner/schedule);
- Save any of your favorite whole-food recipes somewhere you can access, making your meal planning and shopping easier each week! It might be your phone, printed in a book or shared to our THE REALM’s recipes forum so you can share your delicious meals with the rest of the community!
These strategies can be very easily implemented into your shopping schedule; at the end of the day, awareness is crucial! THE REALM community is also here to share great recipes and food alternatives – jump over to our forum and see what fun recipes our community are cooking (and share some great ones you have too)!
These two simple strategies will go such a long way to shaping your attitude towards health and fitness (and make sure you are eating the best way possible for your goals). Just remember: Stay strong against processed foods, stay motivated to increase your whole-foods percentage and stay connected to your nutrition goals!
Keep checking back in to The Realm to stay up to date on all things fitness, health and wellbeing. Our community at THE REALM is here to support you and your goals to ensure you stay on track to become the best version of yourself you can be!