By JENNIFER MEADOWS
Deeply Rooted Nutritional Therapy
Los Alamos
Grocery shopping can sometimes feel like a chore. If you’re trying to improve your health and eat differently, it can be downright daunting. With so many choices available today, it can be hard to know which products really are the best for you. Even the smallest grocery stores have tens of thousands of items, many of which claim to be good for you in some way. It’s a lot to navigate and who has the time to do the research necessary to really know which choice is best?
Hands down, one of the best things we can do for our health is to remove or at least drastically reduce processed foods from our diet. Food items that come in a box, a bag, a bottle or a jar should be really examined. What did the manufacturer put in this food to make it shelf stable for months or years? What do those ingredients do once they are in our bodies? (Hint, hint…it’s usually not good.) There are lots of questions to be asking when we are shopping for groceries, and deciphering ingredient lists can be a big job.
One of the simplest ways to avoid over processed foods is to shop the periphery of the grocery store. While there are exceptions, most stores are designed where the outside walls contain produce, meat, and dairy sections. The aisles, which take up the bulk of a store’s real estate, are usually where you find cereals, cookies, chips and frozen dinners.
When I am grocery shopping, I spend the vast majority of my time along the store’s perimeter, buying ingredients for the food I’m going to be cooking … meat, butter, fruits, and vegetables. I will dip into specific aisles for items like condiments, spices, coffee and tea, and some canned items like beans, tomatoes, and tuna.
In many modern grocery stores, there are admittedly healthier packaged food options than there used to be and some of these are perfectly healthy choices. I’m all for a treat now and then and yes, I do buy occasional bags of chips, boxes of crackers, or pints of ice cream. However, I am very specific about which ones I purchase, meaning I read the ingredient list before buying them and choose ones that have better and usually fewer, ingredients. These purchases are by no means regulars on my grocery list. (Once treats become regular, they are no longer treats!) By staying on course along the outside of the store, I’m less likely to be tempted by foods that aren’t what I went to the store planning to buy and that aren’t good for me. After a little time, this will not really be a temptation. It quickly becomes second nature. This strategy also cuts down the time spent in the store, which we all can appreciate.
Jennifer Meadows strives to help people feel their best through targeted nutritional therapy at Deeply Rooted Nutritional Therapy. She uses testing alongside consults to identify imbalances and deficiencies, develops customized plans, and provides ongoing support to help clients reach their health goals. Learn more at www.deeplyrootednutritionaltherapy.com.
