With the best intentions, many of my patients referred for weight loss start naming all the fruits and vegetables they like to eat. “I love bananas, grapes, strawberries, green beans, spinach…” they say. Then I will ask, “What did you eat yesterday?” After a food recall of everything eaten from breakfast to dinner, it is discovered that not one fruit or vegetable was consumed. What did they eat? Most likely the food eaten was a convenience, prepackaged item inside the pantry/fridge or a value meal from the nearest fast food joint.
So think about it… what did you eat yesterday? Were the foods eaten less healthy than your healthy intentions? A lot of times not having a plan is what to blame. The planning begins with your grocery list. If you do not buy fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains from the grocery, it is likely you will not consume fruits, vegetables, and whole grains on a regular basis. Some of my weekly grocery staples include:
-100% Whole Grain Bread
-100% Whole Grain Tortillas
-Whole Grain Cereal (As a general rule, I recommend a cereal with at least 3 grams of fiber)
-Brown Rice
-Beans
-Hummus
-Skim Milk or Almond Milk
-Nonfat or Low fat cheese and yogurt
-All Natural Peanut Butter or Almond Butter (I love almond butter!)
-Fresh Fruit (bananas, grapes, kiwis, nectarines, strawberries, blueberries, & raspberries are just a few that make frequent appearances in my house)
-Fresh or Frozen Vegetables (spinach, sugar snap peas, asparagus, carrots, and cucumbers are in my regulation rotation)
-Nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts)
-Eggs
-Lean Meats (chicken, turkey, extra lean ground meat)
-Fish and Shrimp
Aiming for the least processed foods is always a great strategy at the grocery market. The outside parameter of the store is where I buy the bulk of grocery items… there you can find fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low fat/nonfat dairy, and eggs. Also, generally the fewer ingredients listed on the Nutrition Facts Label the better. If you cannot pronounce an ingredient, it is probably highly processed.
Next time you are at the grocery, remember your good intentions of eating healthy and make them happen.
~Kasey
love the list…i copied and pasted it and printed it out so i can take it with me…
p.s. thanks for keeping it simple, some people get too detailed with their suggestions and then the average person gets boggled down in the details…
Thanks Claud
… I’m happy you found the list helpful. I don’t like to tell people “what they have to eat”… I lay out the healthy options and they can decide based on their food preferences.
~Kasey
Hey Kasey,
Love the blog! This is great especially when trying to diet. Sometimes you just need to see other people live healthy lifestyles.
Hope to see you soon!
KaCey
Thanks KaCey! Hope all is well
my grocery list looks like that and i bet it is b/c i had four years living/grocery shopping with you. I guess you trained me well! Bagel bites, chicken nuggets and pizza rolls have been cut out these days.
Sometimes I don’t grocery shop due to my fast pace lifestyle, but now I am seeing that it is a must. When I would get hungry I hardly ever choose fast food, because I knew I would be consuming too many fat grams. However, I would make a fast stop at the grocery store & get 2 healthy microwave dinners & some sweets. I know that doesn’t sound right, but I have a really bad sweet tooth that comes twice a day. Instead of choosing fruit to fulfill my sweet tooth I would pick up packaged cakes & pies. This was an everyday thing for me; I always thought I didn’t have time to plan a grocery list. However, I realized that I did have time. I found that if I planned I would cut down my trips to the grocery store & substitute my sweets for fruit & avoid grabbing the first Little Debbie snack I seen.
Nicole- lol… I have Cory trained in grocery shopping now as well!
Natalie- It happens to many people… they get caught up with their busy lives and make eating an afterthought. A little bit of planning before a grocery trip can really set the tone for healthy eating. I’ll have to post soon about some healthier alternatives to those “sweet tooth” cravings!
Great job on the blog!! I look forward to all of your great advice!!!
Awesome Kase, the blog looks great!
Thanks yall!
After reading this I made sure everbody had fresh fruit in their lunch and I gave this website to JP to bring to work (French Riviera Fitness Center) they are always asking about the food they eat and this is a good site for them.Love it
wow!!! this awesome
I am so excited to get all the tips and lists i need 
!!!
This is so true!! It’s pretty bad when you buy mostly healthy items and still find excuses to eat fast foods…you have motivated me once again Kase!! Great Job!!! ( it was way easier when you lived with us!!!) and I am officially hooked on almonds!!
If you are hooked on almonds then you should try almond butter… it’s just like peanut butter but made with almonds!!! Almond butter is kind of hard to find… the only place I was able to find it around here is Whole Foods