Learning How to Grocery Shop

by Teri E.
(Washington)

Visitor Question:

I'm overwhelmed with trying to figure out what to buy at the grocery store in a timely manner. Do you have any tips for speeding up my shopping trip?

Lifetime Fat Loss Answers:

Planning ahead makes all the difference, especially if you work outside the home. Can you set aside a time in the evening or on the weekend and write out your menu for the week? Try to pick out main meals that you can make in quantity and then eat for 2 nights and even freeze.

Spaghetti sauce is an example of a low glycemic time saver that can be made on the weekend and saved. Look at LG Recipes (scroll down for the list and links) on the Navigation Bar for more low glycemic recipes.

So, once you have a menu for each night of the week, make your grocery list with all the ingredients you need. Print the low glycemic food list to help you plan your meals. Get the list of the high glycemic foods on the same page. You may need to take these lists with you to the store until you are very familiar with low glycemic foods.

When you get to the store, spend most of your time around the perimeter of the store where you'll find fresh produce, the meat/fish sections, other refigerated foods like cheese (in moderation,) fresh salas and the frozen fruits and vegetables. In the pasta section pick up the Barilla high protein pasta in the yellow box. With some low glycemic exceptions, you'll be buying very little of the boxed, processed foods. That is because they are shelf safe and most have preservatives (unless you are in a natural foods market.) Many of these are high glycemic. If you do buy any, like crackers, nut butters or cereals, be sure to read the labels carefully.

You may want to review the reading food labels article before you shop. After a very short time you will be able to scan a label for high glycemic additives with confidence. This is important because most of us have no idea we are eating high glycemic foods because they are hidden in the processed foods! It is very frustrating to be eating wisely and still not lose an ounce because there is corn syrup or maltodextrins in the peanut butter you are buying.

If you can afford to shop in the natural foods markets, like Whole Foods and the like, it will be far easier to find boxed foods made from whole foods without the high glycemic additives and preservatives. Of course, you will pay a higher price for these foods.

The more planning ahead you do at your kitchen table, making a grocery list with weekly dinners and listing the foods you need, the easier and faster your shopping will be. You could even plan your lunches for a few days a week so you aren't always going to restaurants. This is usually healthier and cheaper.