Grocery Shopping

Use a shopping list to help you stay focused.

Healthy eating starts at the grocery store. But successful shopping isn’t always as simple as it seems. Your goal? To get the best deals on the healthiest, tastiest food. Use a shopping list to help you stay focused on buying foods that fit your meal plan and budget.

Learn more about food labels.

Tips to set you up for success:

• Plan a week’s worth of meals before you go grocery shopping.
• Check what you already have on hand so you don’t buy what you don’t need.
• Make a shopping list based on your weekly meal plan. Organize your list by store section for quick and easy shopping.
• You know this one: don’t shop hungry so you’re not tempted to buy foods that aren’t on your shopping list.
• Shop the outside aisles for fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy or dairy alternatives, meat, fish, poultry, and eggs.
• Shop the inside aisles for healthy options such as beans, lentils, flavored vinegars, spices, tuna fish, olive oil, and frozen fruit and vegetables (without sauce).
• Be wary of food claims like “lower in fat” or “reduced sugar”; it may still not be a healthy choice. Read the Nutrition Facts label to understand what the food contains.