Shopping On A Diet

Dieting is difficult enough without running out to the grocery store and being faced with the temptation of processed foods, candies, sweets and tastes. There are some great ways of decreasing your temptation while shopping on a diet and improving your chances of leaving the store without a bag of Cheeto’s under one arm and the ice cream in the other.

First – don’t go shopping when you are hungry. You will always have better judgment and make better food choices when your stomach is full. Bring a snack for the ride to the store so you don’t have an empty stomach. You can also grab a bag of baby carrots from the produce department or something similar to munch on while walking through the bakery and down the potato chip aisle.

Shopping with a list that you’ve made before going to the store will ensure better success. Make out a menu for the week and use that to determine what you’ll place on your shopping list. If you find you continue to have trouble and are tempted then take cash to the store and leave your credit card at home. Take only enough cash to cover your groceries and not the extra 10 snacks you’d love to bring home.

Some people are tempted by the foods in the bulk aisle. On one hand they are more cost effective but if you take them home and eat everything in one week they are calorie costly. If you want to use bulk foods then take them home and split them into weekly or daily portions. You can also split these foods with friends and family to keep your temptation down while continuing to save money.

You can prepackage foods for the freezer, which will save you time and energy when you are ready to make dinner.

Don’t stress over the demo foods when you are shopping on a diet. The portions are very small and you can have just one. They will usually satisfy your cravings. You are aiming for a healthy diet change and not increasing the number of guilt trips you take each day. Allow yourself the occasional treat and you’ll find that you don’t ‘fall off your diet’ as frequently as you may have.

Try to avoid using processed or prepared foods in your diet. They are high in calorie and chemical preservatives. Try staying around the perimeter of the store where you’ll find the dairy products, fresh meats and produce.

Read the labels of the packaged foods that you do purchase. You’ll be surprised by the amount of sugar, carbohydrates and fats you’ll find on the labels of your favorite foods.

Shopping on diet might be challenging but it isn’t impossible. Your goal is to maintain a healthy diet and decrease the amount of guilt trips you take. Shopping may not be the most fun activity of the week but it is a necessity and you will be faced with these challenges whenever you run out of food in the pantry.

Resources:

Health: How to Grocery Shop on a Diet

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20307351_1,00.html

Men’s Fitness: The Essential Paleo Diet Shopping List

http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/paleo-diet-shopping-list

FitDay: Shopping for Groceries: How to Choose the Right Healthy Foods for Your Diet

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/shopping-for-groceries-how-to-choose-the-right-healthy-foods-for-your-diet.html#b

Forbes: On a Diet? Don’t Go Shopping

http://www.forbes.com/2007/03/09/impulse-purchases-shopping-biz_cx_ee_0309papers.html

MayoClinic: DASH Diet: Tips for Shopping and Cooking

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dash-diet/HI00020

Nutrition: Build a Healthy Diet with Smart Shopping