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Going to the grocery store without a list is a mistake that leads us to succumb to marketing schemes and tempts us to put things in our carts impulsively and not by need (giving into cravings and deals). This is a risk you shouldn’t take, especially if you are looking to improve your lifestyle and have a healthy diet. Having a healthy grocery list will help you stick to your meal plan and a balanced diet. What’s more you will save money and time. 

How To Make A Healthy Grocery List ?

The first step is to make a healthy meal plan. If you haven’t already done this, check out this link to help get you started. This will help you to purchase the right amount of food for each item, making sure you’re not missing an ingredient when you need and most importantly that you’re not wasting food. 

Once you have your meal plan prepared, you can start to make your grocery list; of course, be sure to check out your fridge and pantry to avoid buying more than you need.  You can write out the list by hand or put it in the notes section of your phone. I recommend not throwing it away (or deleting) it since it will serve as a helpful guide for future shopping trips. 

To save time, organize the list based by food group (vegetables, fruits, meats, etc…) and order them starting with non-cold items (nuts, olive oil, seeds etc…) and leaving the cold items for last (meats, cheeses, yogurts). This will preserve the cold foods better and keep you from jumping around your list and going aisle to aisle looking for items. 

When buying perishable items, like fresh fruits and vegetables, be careful on how much and how often you are buying them in order to keep them from spoiling at home. Remember to buy seasonal products, and avoid including overly processed foods and sugars on your list. These only keep you from having a healthy and balanced diet.  

We recommend involving your children in this process. This tip is more helpful and powerful than you might think, because it helps these “little sponges” to learn how to prepare a healthy and balanced meal from childhood. They will also learn to value what they eat at home more. Additionally, having another family member involved in the process is an excellent way to ensure that nothing important is left out.

Also, when putting together the list, be aware of how you are going to do the grocery shopping. What we mean is, are you going by foot, bus, car? It may seem obvious but sometimes this detail is overlooked and there are cases in which you buy things that are then difficult to transport back home. Remember to be environmentally friendly and use reusable cloth bags when grocery shopping. 

If this article about healthy grocery lists was interesting to you, don’t miss out on:  

4 tricks to healthy shopping 

Three things not to leave out on a balance plate 

5 tips to better plan your own healthy menu 

#BeMoreNatural #SoloTieneCosasBuenas