Let’s start this talk by concluding which foods are good for weight loss...
I have made other talks with details about how to choose the right foods for weight loss. Therefore, I am only going to summarize things here.
Everything that is processed is out. Most processed foods are easy to spot because they are packaged, already made and have preservatives. Anything that claims to have nothing to do with the product such as artificial color, added sugar, glucose, any added vitamins and so on.
Anything drinks with added sugar, alcohol and chemicals are out.
Anything that claims to be diet, natural, low in fat, low cholesterol, no sugar are out. So that really left us with whole foods.
How to grocery shop for weight loss...
So that is exactly what you are going to do. When you go to the grocery store, go straight to the whole foods area where you can buy fresh veggies and fruits.
Fresh veggies and fruits…
This is what you really want your diet to be like if your goal is to be healthy and lose weight by eating fresh veggies and fruits. However, I do understand that not everyone is to the level to only eat veggies and fruits, so after passing the whole, fresh food allies, you can now go where you can find the next products you can buy, milk, eggs, and meats.
Meats and dairies…
There you want to buy meats that are organically raised. For example, cows only should eat grass, so buy grass fed beef. Milk should come from the same source I just described. For chicken, make sure it is raised like a normal chicken should be raised. Remember how your mom, or grandmother used to raise chickens, that is how they should be raised. If you never experience such a wonderful thing, ask your family about it. Eggs should come from the same source I just described.
Grains and legumes…
Then we are going to the grain and legume allies. There are some things you can buy here such as rice, quinoa, beans and lentils. As you noticed nothing of these I have mentioned is already made (cooked, processed) or has any preservative added.
Processed foods that you may choose when you are bold…
Now let’s talk about package options. Please, make sure you understand what I am writing. Do not give your interpretation alone to feed what you want. Instead, be realistic and make bold decisions if you really want to buy anything from the next category. I don’t recommend you buy anything from the next category, but I do understand that you can find good choices from it and continue to be healthy and lose weight.
Real juice, canned veggies or fruits that only have veggies and fruits but nothing else…
I know this sounds obvious, but many people don't understand that canned food is not what it claims to be. So make sure you read the ingredients and that it has what it claims to have.
I did not talk about all the halls in the supermarket because it would be repetitive. I know if you learn how to read ingredients, you will be fine navigating in the processed product halls. But let’s be clear, again, that I don’t recommend visiting these isles unless you know what you need from them and know that what you are getting is healthy.
To read ingredients, you are not reading nutritional facts. Nutritional facts are not the same as the ingredients. So you are looking for something that is not congruent with the product. For example, let’s say you buy carrot juice. The bottle should have carrot, may be added water, lime or lemon and salt. All those ingredients are real foods. It would be best if the ingredient is only carrots, but many companies do add salt and lime to keep it preserved.
If you start seeing any chemicals, vitamins or anything that you don’t recognize, don’t buy it.
So this is how you to grocery shop for weight loss and to be healthy.