Grocery Shopping And Meal Prep Tips

Most of us want to live a healthy lifestyle, be fit and stay motivated. But there’s a step between setting our goals to eat healthy and following through with those goals, that we often miss. That step is planning ahead. Knowing what you’re going to eat during the week is as important as scheduling your workouts. By getting everything organized ahead of time you’ll be better prepared to deal with any last minute events and you’ll be less likely to slip up. Here are our favorite grocery shopping and meal prep tips to help you stay on track!

Write down your meals for the week, create a grocery list with all the ingredients you’ll need for those meals and take that list with you when you go grocery shopping.

Yes, that’s right girls, you should fill your shopping cart mostly with fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, fish, healthy fats…. all things that have no ingredients list!

Make sure all the ingredients listed on the labels are real food. Food is nutrition and when you’re grocery shopping your main focus should be to buy foods that will nourish your body.

Remember this acronym “FSLN” and look for foods that are Fresh, in Season, Local and as close to their Natural state as possible. These foods taste better, are healthier and more nutrient-rich.

As soon as you get home, wash, chop and freeze the fruits and veggies you’ll be using for your smoothies. Cook your grains and legumes and store those in the fridge. Boil eggs and make a veggie soup for those days you don’t feel like cooking. Separate a few healthy snacks, such as fresh and dried fruits, raw nuts, hummus dip and baby veggies, to always have on hand. If you really want to make everything from scratch you can also prepare your salsas, tomato sauce, bread and nut milks for the week.

Cook meals with only 4 to 8 ingredients. Include a source of protein, whole grains, a healthy fat and lots of veggies or fruits. Add flavor to your food with fresh herbs and spices, and mix previously prepped ingredients with fresh ones to cut down on cooking time.

It’s important not to overeat but you also shouldn’t feel hungry after a meal. To prevent that from happening, sit down in a quiet place and eat your meals without any distractions. Drink a big glass of water or eat a veggie soup before each meal, bulk up your plate with veggies and chew slowly. End your meals with a cup of unsweetened digestive tea, such as peppermint or chamomile. This ritual of ending your meals with a cup of tea will send a signal to the brain and, after a few repetitions, your brain we’ll learn that drinking tea means you’re done eating and you won’t feel hungry or unsatisfied after a meal again.

Instead of following the latest diet trends that are usually damaging to your health, stop and focus on YOUR diet. Pay attention to your body, keep a food journal and discover which foods are you actually intolerant to. Which foods give you real energy and make you feel happy and full for longer, and which foods make you feel depressed, bloated and hungry. Keep your focus where it should always be, on YOU!