Perfect Your Grocery List

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You don’t need me or anyone else to make you a daily menu of specific food. We are all different and so are our tastes and preferences. The idea of this program is to educate you, guide you and help you identify the best and healthiest individual choices, and then make those choices your daily habits.   We want all of this to be a natural given in your life, your daily menu and your fridge. 

Remember, ood healthy eating is important, but you must be flexible enough that you can adapt them to your own likes and dislikes!

GROCERY LIST

Your goal is to spend 80% of your time shopping in these isles: 

• Produce aisle (vegetables & fruits)

• Dairy and dairy-alternatives aisle

• Protein and protein-alternatives aisle 

(meat, chicken, fish) 

The other 20% of your grocery shopping trip should be spent choosing approved condiments, spices, canned goods and treats. 

PROTEIN OPTIONS 

• Chicken breast (skinless) • Chicken thigh (skinless) • Eggs

• Halibut 

• Hamburger, extra lean • Lamb chop, lean

• Lean Ground Chicken • Lean Ground Turkey 

• Lean Pork Tenderloin • Salmon 

• Scallops

• Shrimp

• Snapper

• Steak, lean cuts • Trout 

• Tuna (in water)

• Turkey

• Turkey bacon, turkey 

hot dogs, turkey sausages (all-natural, low-sodium) 

A Note on Fish…

Mercury is a highly toxic compound that has been found in many different fish. Mercury poisoning can result in kidney problems, fine motor control problems and sensory damage. However, this doesn’t mean you should stay away from seafood. Fish is great for you! Simply follow the guidelines below: 

  • Avoid high-mercury fish like grouper, swordfish and mackerel.
  •  Limit your intake of tuna, bluefish and halibut. 
  • Feel free to eat fish and seafood with 
  • Low-mercury levels, such as salmon, tilapia, flounder, freshwater trout, catfish, shellfish, calamari and scallops. 
  • If you’re eating tuna from a can, choose chunk light over white albacore. 

PROTEIN-RICH OPTIONS (VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN FRIENDLY)

*While not all of the following items are pure protein, they are all very high in protein. 

Beans 

Buckwheat

Chia Seeds 

Chickpeas

Edamame

Green Peas 

Hemp 

Leafy Greens (Yes! One 

cup of chopped broccoli contains 8.1 grams of protein!) 

• Non-Dairy Milk (almond, coconut or soy) 

• Nuts and Nut Butter • Quinoa

• Seitan

• Sesame, Sunflower 

and Poppy Seeds • Tempeh and Tofu • Unsweetened 

Cocoa Powder 

PROTEIN-RICH OPTIONS (VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN FRIENDLY)

*While not all of the following items are pure protein, they are all very high in protein. 

Beans 

Buckwheat

Chia Seeds 

Chickpeas

Edamame

Green Peas 

Hemp 

Leafy Greens (Yes! One 

cup of chopped broccoli contains 8.1 grams of protein!) 

• Non-Dairy Milk (almond, coconut or soy) 

• Nuts and Nut Butter • Quinoa

• Seitan

• Sesame, Sunflower 

and Poppy Seeds • Tempeh and Tofu • Unsweetened 

Cocoa Powder 

DAIRY & NON-DAIRY OPTIONS 

• Almond or Coconut Yogurt (unsweetened) 

• Almond Milk (unsweetened regular, vanilla or chocolate) 

• Cheese (Ok on occasion. Try individually-wrapped packages!) 

• Coconut Butter

(Try using a teaspoon of this in your coffee instead of milk!) 

• Coconut Milk

• Eggs or Egg Whites • Greek Yogurt 

(nonfat or 1%) • Greek Yogurt 

Sour Cream

• Non-dairy half & half 

(almond or coconut) • Rice milk 

(unsweetened) • Skim Milk

• Soy Milk

• Veggie Cheese 

NUTS & SEEDS 

All of the foods listed below are great, but should be eaten in moderation. 

• Almond Butter • Almonds (raw) • Cashews

• Chia Seeds 

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Flaxseed

• Grapeseed Oil

• Peanut Butter (organic) • Pumpkin Seeds 

• Sunflower Seeds • Walnuts 

STARCHES/CARBOHYDRATES

Remember! Good starchy foods have lots of fiber and nutrients. Bad starchy foods have low amounts of fiber and nutrients; they’re also typically very processed and contain lots of sugar. Avoid white pastas, white rices, and all variations of white breads (from crackers to bagels). 

GOOD STARCHY FOODS 

• Apples

• Beets

• Buckwheat

• Corn (Ideally, you would 

roast natural corn from the 

produce aisle!)

• Field Rice (all-natural)

• Legumes (all types of beans) • Lentils

• Parsnips

• Potatoes (all types)

• Quinoa 

• Squashes (all kinds) • Yams 

BREADS & CEREALS 

  • Buckwheat cereal 
  • Ezekiel bread 
  • Granola (Keep an eye on the sugar content. Not all granola is created equal!) 
  • Non-Yeast, Wheat-Free Crackers (such as 
  • Kavli, Ryvita or Wasa brands) 
  • Oatmeal (Try a serving of steel cut oats in 
  • the morning. Pair it with fruit and  cinnamon, not sugar.) 
  • Unsweetened wheat puffs  (best cereal option)
  • Whole wheat, all-natural wraps (Keep an 

FRUITS 

All fruits are great choices, especially berries! Eat starred fruits in moderation.

  • Apples 
  • Avocados
  • *Bananas
  • Cantaloupe
  • Clementines
  • Cucumbers (Yep, it’s a fruit! But since it’s sold in the veggie aisle, we’ll put this on both lists!) 
  • *Dried Fruit  (Only buy unsweetened options. Then, soak in hot water.) 
  •  *Grapes (sugary!)
  • Grapefruits
  • Mangos
  • Melons
  • Oranges
  • Pears
  • Pineapples
  • Pomegranates 

VEGETABLES 

You can eat the starred veggies in unlimited quantities, whether they’re raw or steamed! Don’t mix starchy veggies, like turnips or potatoes (regular, sweet or purple), with proteins! 

• Asparagus • Broccoli

• *Cabbage • *Carrots 

• Celery

• Collards

• *Cucumber

• Dandelion

• *Eggplant

• *Fennel

• Garlic

• Green Beans

• *Green Peppers 

• Kale

• *Leeks

• *Lettuce

• *Mushrooms

• *Onions

• Potatoes (regular, sweet, purple)

• Radishes

• *Scallions

• *Spinach

• *Squash

• Tomato

• *Zucchini