Trolley tips for healthy eating

From time to time shopping for groceries can become more than a chore - it can be an intimidating and often overwhelming experience for many of us. Knowing the best foods to put in our trolley, deciphering mountains of health information and not to mention shop specials can seem like an endless list of choices.

Here we provide a few tips we take to the trolley, that help guide us to make great choices when it comes to healthy eating.

Before you go - check what you already have.

Have a look in your basics, those bits and pieces you have in the cupboard that you might not think to use. This might be tinned vegetables, legumes and other base ingredients. Review if these can be used, and if so, add this to a meal plan.

Planning out our meals can often eliminate the stress of what to buy as you already have a set menu and ingredients to purchase.

Creating a healthy shopping list 

Adding healthy options to your list can make meals more nutritious and delicious. But what does a “healthy” grocery shopping list include?

In general, a balanced diet should comprise whole, nutrient-dense foods. This is ensuring you include vegetables, fruits, and protein alongside healthy snacks such as nuts and seeds.

To make it easy to recognise if you are getting enough of these items on your list, break your list into sections. Look to make your vegetables and fruit sections your largest, working your way down towards your condiments.

Example:

Vegetables - sweet potato, broccoli, pumpkin, zucchini,

Fruits - apples, oranges, pears, bananas, blueberries

Grains - brown rice, black beans, quinoa,

Protein - eggs, chicken, salmon, protein powder

Dairy - milk ( or milk alternative), low-fat cheese, greek yogurt, feta cheese

Condiments - olives, sun-dried tomatoes, salad dressing,

Miscellaneous - coffee, dark chocolate, shredded coconut.

Alternatively, you could list out your meals planned with the ingredients for each list next to it.