There are several factors that contribute to a healthy and balanced diet, and while your mind may immediately go to your decisions in the kitchen, the grocery store is actually the first line of defense for giving yourself the best chance at weight loss. When cleaning up your diet and reducing processed foods that make it into your body, keeping them out of your shopping cart is the best way to see real changes in your kitchen and your diet, so heading to the store with intention can help to reduce slip ups that may be stalling your progress.
That being said, even the best laid plans can sometimes be difficult to follow, and there are some mistakes you may be overlooking in your shopping habits that are allowing less nutritionally dense foods into your home. We checked in with Chris Henigan, MS, RD, LDN of Simple Start Nutrition, Christine Milmine, RDN and owner of Plant Powered You LLC, and registered dietitian Roxane Bakker of Vitl for their best advice on what mistakes to avoid in the grocery store for visible weight loss results so you can make healthy decisions from the aisles to the kitchen.
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Not Reading The Labels
As diet culture has all but taken over, most food items will market their external packaging to make their products appear healthier than they are. If boxes claim to be high in fiber or low calories, you may be more inclined to throw it into your cart, but it’s important to read the fine print before making your final decision. “A cookie labeled as organic is not any healthier in terms of calories and fat than a regular cookie, but people may eat more thinking it is,” warns Henigan. “Some foods labeled gluten free, paleo, fat free, etc. typically have other ingredients added to them to make them taste good (like fat or sugar).”
It’s important not to simply trust packaging without reading the label first as these hidden ingredients may make it more difficult to successfully lose weight, especially if you’re eating them in excess as you believe them to be healthier.
Shopping While Hungry
It’s a tale as old as time: you’ve yet to eat breakfast but want to head to the store first to get your errands out of the way. But when you go grocery shopping hungry, it becomes that much easier to throw everything that could possibly satisfy your cravings into the cart, leaving little regard for choosing healthy options. “If you are starving by the time you make it to the grocery store, you might make some purchasing choices that do not align with your weight loss efforts,” explains Milmine. “Grocery shopping after a healthy and satisfying meal may combat those impulse buys.”
Not Making A List
It may seem like a tedious extra step to take, but Bakker notes that failing to make a grocery list to stick to could leave you more inclined to straying from healthier, more nutrient dense purchases in favor of foods that appeal to you on a whim. “Making a list and sticking to it is the holy grail for planning and executing a weight loss plan,” she says. Finding healthy recipes to follow throughout the week can also help to create a shopping list that fulfills your dietary needs instead of flying by the seat of your pants and grabbing random ingredients with no real plan in mind.
