Make your supermarket shop a healthy one

Ensure your shopping basket is lean and green with Matthew Plowman’s tips to make your supermarket shop a healthy one

Despite our best intentions when we head to the supermarket to make it a healthy shop, those clever marketing folk know how to lure us in and convince us that we should be purchasing a set of different (and far unhealthier) products entirely. These suggestions from Cardiff Sports Nutrition will ensure your shopping basket stays lean and green.

Plan ahead

Preparation is key to avoiding temptation. If you head into the supermarket with no idea of the dinners you want to make that week, then it’s likely you’ll end up with a random bunch of ingredients, and no meals to make. Get inspiration from recipe books or Pinterest and collate a list of the ingredients you need.

Eat first

No one wants to be that person who walks round the supermarket eating as they go, nor do you want to pick up everything in sight simply because you’re hungry when you visit. If you can, eat before you visit as your decisions will be logical and not driven by your hungry stomach.

Stick to the list

Despite your best intentions, it’s easy to deviate away from the list as your resolve weakens. If you struggle to maintain strength when you reach the sweet aisle, then make a resolution to avoid it altogether.

Shop online 

It’s much easier to visualise your shopping basket and the amount you’re spending when you can see it right in front of you on a screen. Shopping online has been proven to reduce the amount of fattening products you end up with in your kitchen cupboards.

Go solo

If you often end up with a partner, friend or family member pleading with you to let them add in a pack of biscuits, then go alone to the supermarket. If you can’t go solo, then allow one small treat to be added in – that way there’ll hopefully be nothing left over for you to snack on.

Shop midweek

We often view weekends as our cheat days, so if you’re completing your shop on a Saturday or Sunday then it’s likely you’ll view your shopping trip as an opportunity to treat yourself. Try shopping midweek or on a Monday when the shops are quiet and your willpower is strong.

Eat natural

We should all be eating food in their natural state – or as much as we can at the very least. Make a resolution that if something has more than five ingredients in it to avoid it – lessening the amount of additives and other chemicals you’re putting in your body. If possible, it’s always best to shop organic.

Visit a farmers’ market

It may seem like an effort to shop at more than one place for your goods, but using a variety of places allows you to make your shop the healthiest it can be. Farmers’ markets are going to have some of the freshest and most nutritious fruits and vegetables you can find, free from preservatives and other pesticides.

Shop colourfully

We’ve all heard we should be eating the colours of the rainbow, so it makes sense that we should be shopping it, too. If your basket is starting to look like a beige buffet, then you’re shopping wrong. A colourful shop is a sign that it’s full of the essential vitamins and nutrients you need in your diet.

Avoid jars and packets

We all shop for convenience, but sauces and packets contain ingredients you’ve probably never even heard of, let alone know the effect they could have on your body. Pasta sauces can be put together in minutes – some fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic and herbs are all it takes.