Tales from the Grocery Store

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The supermarket can be a daunting experience. If you’ve survived a parking experience at Whole Foods, the battle is already 50% won. Here’s the official Essence Supermarket Survival Guide to keep you from wanting to run yourself (or someone else) over with your cart.

If you just CAN’T EVEN at the grocery store, let me be your guru. Schedule a session, we’ll meet at your favorite haunt, and I’ll guide you like a Sherpa through the mountains through the aisles and teach you why, how, and what to purchase that works best for YOUR nutrition lifestyle.

We’ll do all this:

  • Section by section tailored to your individual health/nutrition needs + taste preferences + cooking preferences
  • Recipe assembly
  • Discovering new products
  • Instant label analysis
  • Myth busting along the way

And then we both get to reward ourselves with a fresh smoothie from the juice bar, of course.

BASIC GUIDELINES:

  • Shop the perimeter
  • Shop high and low; eye-level is marketing
  • Shop the generics
  • Shop with your dietitian – duh
  • Request items from store manager they don’t have
  • Consider one meatless meal/week to save money and enhance nutrition
  • Do your family math; only buy what you NEED
  • Download coupon apps
  • Grab the hard copies at the front
  • Make a list BEFORE you go
  • Don’t shop hungry
  • Consider frozen fruit/veggies/canned goods
  • Buy fruit/veggies in season
  • Consider farmers’ market
  • Shop in bulk bins
  • Bread in fridge/freezer
  • Cook in batches/freeze for later

PLAY IT SAFE

  • Wipe down handle of cart
  • Use anti-bacterial gel upon exiting
  • Wipe hands immediately once groceries unloaded
  • Inspect items for hold/tears/dents
  • Keep raw produce separate from raw meats
  • Check eggs for cracked
  • Keep hot foods HOT, keep cold foods COLD
  • Keep bags on in fridge to prevent dripping
  • Don’t rinse meat/fish/poultry before use
  • THAW IN REFRIGERATOR
  • Wash your reusable bags
  • WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT

NUTRITION LIFE HACKS

  • Opt for organic produce (unless the peel is thick), organic dairy, organic eggs, wild seafood, organic meats
  • Water/tea/coffee
  • Variety!!
  • No sugar added condiments
  • Spices like Tinkerbell; MRS. DASH
  • Canned beans, soups, veggies, broths
  • 100% whole grains
  • All of the raw nuts/seeds/raw nut butter
  • Snacks/Bars within reason
  • Deli recommendations
  • Frozen fruits/veggies/desserts

Essentially Yours,
Monica