Be a Better Grocery Shopper

4 Ways to Be a Better Grocery Shopper straight from the best Personal Trainers in Oakville ❤️:

1 – Have a Plan.

Added sugars are hidden in everything. Even foods that don’t seem sweet. Harmless condiments and sauces that you wouldn’t even think of. Creating low-sugar meals may be more difficult than you think. It is important to have a general idea of the low-sugar meals that you want to have each day and create a grocery list based off that. There are a variety of health bloggers online who share their sugar-free meal plans and recipes that can help get you inspired. Check out the resources at the bottom of the page for some of our favourites.

2 – Save the Middle Aisles for last.

Non-processed, clean, sugar-free foods are generally located around the outside of the store. Fill you cart with these items (veggies, fruits, nuts, eggs, meat) before making your way through the middle lanes. The middle lanes are generally the lanes comprised of processed and packaged foods. This brings me to my next point..

3 -Keep processed and packaged foods to a minimum.

Added sugars hide in so many foods that don’t seem sweet: breads, pasta, salsa, pasta sauces, salad dressings. Making as much of your own sauces and salad dressings as possible will be very helpful. Check out these 10 food swaps for some helpful tips to avoid packaged foods and all the added sugar that comes with them. However, I can’t overlook the convenience of pre-packaged foods. We are a busy society and sometimes convenience wins! When you DO need to rely on a processed and packaged food our next point is EVER-SO incredibly important.

4 – Read the Labels.

Fancy packaging and over-used health claims make buying and eating healthy food harder than ever. The front of the package labels foods as “high-fibre”, “low-fat” and, “calorie-wise” and our brains are automatically tricked into thinking “HEALTHY”. It is important to understand that a food can be high-fibre, low-fat and LOADED with all kinds of UNHEALTHY JUNK (especially added sugars). Also, understand that the words Healthy, Natural, and Pure are not regulated and can be used whenever the marketers want to throw it in! It is important to look at the nutrition label and read the ingredients that they are actually putting into the food you are eating.