Grocery shopping can feel overwhelming, especially with endless choices and confusing labels. However, with a strategic approach, you can navigate the aisles with confidence, making nutritious choices easier and more accessible. This guide will walk you through how to shop strategically, from planning and list-making to stocking your kitchen, managing food waste, and keeping grocery bills in check, all while making nutritious choices easier and more accessible.
The Importance of Planning and Preparation
Walking into a grocery store without a plan is like heading on a road trip without a map. A little preparation goes a long way in helping you stay focused, avoid impulse buys, and make healthier choices. Start by planning a few meals and snacks you’d like to make during the week. If you’re new to meal prepping, start small. Focus on two to three main meals that can double as leftovers and use overlapping ingredients to cut down on cost and food waste.
Once you know what meals you want to make, build a grocery list based on those ingredients. Organize it by category or store layout, such as produce, proteins, frozen, pantry, and dairy, to streamline your trip. A well-structured grocery list helps you shop more efficiently and supports healthier choices. Plus, studies show that grocery lists may help you make healthier choices while shopping.
Try to base your list around whole, nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats. Here’s an example of what a healthy grocery list might include:
- Fruits: apples, blueberries, clementines, grapefruits, and avocados
- Nonstarchy vegetables: broccoli, asparagus, onions, spinach, peppers, and zucchini
- Starchy vegetables: sweet potatoes, baby red potatoes, and butternut squash
- Beans and grains: chickpeas, brown rice, black beans, and quinoa
- Proteins: eggs, canned salmon, skin-on chicken breast, and pea protein powder
- Frozen foods: frozen mixed berries and frozen kale
- Nuts and seeds: roasted almonds, pumpkin seeds, and natural peanut butter
- Dairy and nondairy substitutes: cashew milk, coconut milk, feta cheese, and Greek yogurt
- Condiments: olives, sun-dried tomatoes, salad dressing, olive oil, pesto, and salsa
- Drinks: unsweetened coconut water and sparkling water
- Miscellaneous: ground coffee, dried fruit, dark chocolate, banana plantain chips, and shredded unsweetened coconut
Keep in mind that pantry staples like grains, canned goods, and nut butters don’t need to be purchased weekly. Once you build up your supply, you can do smaller, produce- and protein-focused shops between restocks.
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Implementing Meal Planning for Success
Meal planning is key to staying organized, reducing food waste, and sticking to your grocery budget. Here’s how to put it into action:
- Start small: Begin by planning 2-3 meals for the week, or batch-cook a grain, protein, and veggie. These base ingredients can be mixed and matched to create multiple meals.
- Choose overlapping ingredients: Select recipes that share common ingredients, which helps reduce both food waste and costs. For example, if you’re using chicken in one dish, consider using it in another meal, like a salad or stir-fry.
- Write your list: Print out your recipes or copy the ingredient lists. This ensures you buy exactly what you need and avoid impulse purchases. When you get to the store, you’ll know exactly what’s on your list, no guessing or second-guessing.
- Take it slow: If you’re transitioning from eating out or takeout, don’t try to overhaul your routine all at once. Start with a few homemade meals and gradually increase the number as meal prepping becomes more natural for you.
- Minimize last-minute takeout: With a plan in place, you’re less likely to resort to last-minute takeout, which can often lead to overspending and unnecessary calories. Plus, having a few ready-to-go meals reduces stress and decision fatigue.
Meal planning is a game changer for your grocery budget and overall health. Start with small steps, and soon you’ll find yourself comfortably preparing healthy meals at home!
Stocking Your Kitchen with Essentials
If you aren’t a fan of frequent grocery store trips, stocking your kitchen with nonperishable and frozen foods is key. This can help you prepare nutritious meals and snacks even when you’re running low on fresh foods. It’s important to check your cabinets, pantry, fridge, and freezer to take inventory of what you need before going shopping. This can cut down on food waste and ensure that you’ve got the ingredients needed to prepare healthy meals. You’ll need to purchase fresh items like fresh fruits, veggies, dairy products, and other perishables more often. Meanwhile, nonperishable goods and foods that can be frozen can be purchased less often.
Here are some ideas of long-lasting staples you can keep in your pantry and freezer:
Pantry staples
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- Grains: brown rice, oats, quinoa, whole wheat pasta
- Canned goods: beans, lentils, tomatoes, tuna, pumpkin
- Oils and vinegars: olive oil, avocado oil, apple cider vinegar
- Spices and seasonings: garlic powder, cumin, paprika, turmeric
- Nuts and seeds: cashews, sunflower seeds, nut butters
- Shelf-stable milk: oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk
- Baking basics: flour, cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla
Freezer staples
- Proteins: chicken breasts, ground turkey, wild salmon, veggie burgers
- Vegetables and fruits: kale, spinach, peas, mango, blueberries
- Bread and grains: whole grain bread, cooked rice, or grains
- Long-lasting extras: frozen herbs, nuts, nut-based flours
With a well-stocked kitchen, your bases will be covered, and you won’t have to stress about buying groceries as often. Just make sure you check your inventory before you go shopping to avoid purchasing items you already have.
Reducing Food Waste: Smart Strategies
Cutting back on food waste isn’t just good for the planet, it’s good for your wallet and your meal prep routine, too. Much of what gets thrown out could have been used with just a bit of planning. Here are some ways to keep waste low:
- Plan meals using perishable items first, such as leafy greens or berries, earlier in the week.
- Store produce properly to extend freshness. Wrap greens in paper towels, keep herbs in water, and use airtight containers for chopped veggies.
- Label and freeze leftovers before they go bad.
- Keep a “use me first” bin in your fridge so you can spot aging ingredients at a glance.
- Repurpose extras, such as using your roasted veggies in salads, grain bowls, omelets, or wraps.
Being more mindful of expiration dates, proper storage, and meal rotation can significantly reduce how much food (and money) ends up in the trash.
Shopping on a Budget: Tips and Tricks
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, with a few smart habits, you can eat well without stretching your grocery budget. Here’s how:
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- Buy in bulk when possible: Grains, dried beans, spices, and nuts are often cheaper in larger quantities. If you buy large amounts or bulk packages of a snack food, divide it into smaller portion sizes and store what you will not use right away.
- Shop store brands: Many are identical in quality to name brands at a lower price.
- Prioritize seasonal produce: It tends to be fresher and more affordable.
- Cook at home more often: Even a few homemade meals each week can dramatically reduce food costs.
- Use digital coupons or loyalty programs.
- Limit convenience foods like pre-cut produce or bottled drinks, which usually come at a premium.
Also, consider meatless meals once or twice a week. Plant-based proteins like beans, lentils, and tofu are cost-effective and versatile.
Navigating the Grocery Store Layout
Grocery stores are designed to encourage more spending, not necessarily healthy choices. But knowing how to move through the store with intention can help. Start along the perimeter of the store, where you’ll typically find produce, meat, dairy, and other whole foods. After that, move into the center aisles for pantry staples, canned goods, and frozen foods. Don’t avoid entire aisles, just stay focused on what’s on your list.
Ideally, you’ll want to focus on the following when grocery shopping:
- purchasing mainly whole, nutrient-dense foods
- shopping off of your list or weekly meal plan
- not assuming a product is healthy just because it’s labeled with buzzwords (e.g., “gluten-free” or “organic”)
- reading the nutrition labels and ingredient lists of packaged foods
- sticking to your plan and trying to avoid impulse purchases
Finally, try to avoid shopping on an empty stomach, which can lead to impulse purchases. Stick to your plan and resist deals that don’t align with what you came to buy, especially those flashy displays of ultra-processed foods.
Decoding Food Labels: What to Look For
Not all packaged foods are unhealthy, but some labels can be misleading. Terms like “natural,” “organic,” or “gluten-free” don’t automatically mean a product is the best choice for you. When checking labels, try to:
- Look at the ingredient list: Choose products with recognizable, whole-food ingredients.
- Check for added sugars and processed ingredients: If sugar, white flour, or processed oils appear early in the list, consider whether that’s the type of food you want.
- Watch for added sugar: Aim for less than 6 grams of added sugar per serving in items like cereals, bars, and snacks.
- Note the serving size: Make sure the serving size on the label aligns with what you actually plan to eat.
- Trust your judgment: If a label feels overly complicated or confusing, it may be a sign to look for a simpler option.
Some other tips for reading labels and buying healthy foods are: Choose tuna and other canned fish packed in water, not oil. Check the label for the words "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" in the list of ingredients. These are unhealthy trans fats. The closer to the beginning of the list these words are, the more of them the food contains. The label will give the total trans fat content, and you want this to be zero. Even foods that are listed as having zero grams of trans fats may have traces so you still should also be sure to look at the ingredient list. Carefully read the label of any food that claims it is a weight-loss product. Even though these words are used, the food may not be a healthy choice for you. Know what "lite" and "light" mean. The word "lite" can mean fewer calories, but sometimes not much fewer. There is no set standard for that word. Two words on food labels that can be misleading are "natural" and "pure." There is no uniform standard for using these words to describe foods.
Building a Nutrient-Dense Grocery Cart
Everyone’s needs are different, but here’s an example of a nutrient-dense, versatile grocery cart:
- Nonstarchy vegetables: cauliflower, asparagus, broccoli, sweet peppers, onions, garlic, bell peppers, greens, leeks, and mushrooms
- Fruits: oranges, bananas, apples, grapefruit, lemons, blueberries, pineapple, and avocados
- Proteins: eggs, fish, chicken, ground turkey, and tofu
- Starchy vegetables: sweet potatoes, potatoes, and winter squash
- Grains and legumes: quinoa, oats, brown rice, dried black beans, buckwheat, red lentils, barley, and farro
- Nuts, seeds, and nut butter: pumpkin seeds, macadamia nuts, almonds, and natural peanut butter
- Canned foods: canned salmon, sardines, canned beans, canned pumpkin puree, diced tomatoes, and marinara sauce
- Oils and condiments: olive oil, salad dressing, avocado oil, salsa, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, dried spices, honey, and maple syrup
- Dairy and nondairy products: Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, goat cheese, cashew milk, and coconut yogurt
- Snack foods: dark chocolate chips, trail mix, unsweetened dried fruit, and hummus
- Frozen foods: frozen raspberries, frozen shrimp, frozen kale, and whole grain bread
- Beverages: unsweetened seltzer, herbal tea bags, and ground coffee
This list is not exhaustive, but it can act as a general guide for shopping trips.
Grocery Stores Renowned for Healthy Options
To achieve your nutrition goals, make the grocery store your sidekick. When you don’t know where to start, our Medical Board experts say that these grocery chains provide the best options for healthy eating.
Trader Joe’s: This cult-favorite neighborhood grocer is well-known for carrying popular private-label products and affordable luxuries, like pizza formaggio and fresh burrata. Best of all-eating well from Trader Joe’s won’t break the bank. This grocery store contains a variety of organic foods as well as conventional foods at affordable prices. Trader Joe’s packaged foods are also a quick fix when you’re pressed for time. While it’s not the healthiest option, shoppers can find better-for-you options in a pinch. The store has a very large pre-made section that contains soups, sandwiches, wraps, dips, and more. Trader Joes has removed about four million pounds of plastic in their stores per year.
Whole Foods Market: It’s probably no surprise that this health-focused grocer makes the cut, with its rigorous attention to quality standards, wide array of local products, prohibited additives, clean ingredients, and sustainable practices. Whole Foods is an excellent grocery store to shop at if you are looking for healthy foods as they have built their reputation around the fact that they are the ‘healthy grocery store. The Amazon-acquired company is known for eliminating a long list of potentially harmful ingredients, including trans-fat, hydrogenated oil, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and bleached flour. One thing you’ll definitely want to pick up from this supermarket: the fruit and vegetables-especially if you’re in search of organic options. The fresh produce section in most stores is pretty large, always having a variety of fruits and vegetables that are in season. When you’re short on time, look no further than the prepared foods bars. Whole Foods has a pretty large pre-made section, from a salad bar, juice bar, refrigerator with soups and sushi, pre-made meals, and a counter with more healthy options such as chicken and vegetables. Whole Foods’ standards also apply to cleaning sprays, detergents, and other goods. By eliminating certain chemicals, these items can be safer for consumers and less toxic for the environment.
Sprouts Farmers Market: Sprouts’ approach to holistic healthy living is unique, and the Phoenix-based grocer has put down roots in the West Coast, South, and East Coast over the last decade to grow its impact on the food supply. Sprouts is considered a healthy grocery store as their mission is to offer fresh, local produce. The experience shopping at Sprouts is equivalent to shopping at a farmers’ market. They offer a variety of natural, organic and non-GMO items. Because the grocer takes care to provide great food and products at fair prices, consumers come here for a few hard-to-find specialities. At this grocery chain, people should be going to buy produce or fresh protein. Shoppers should also take advantage of the local offerings at this all-natural health food store-especially during sales. Sprouts’ fresh produce section is their largest in the store.
Hy-Vee: This Midwestern one-stop superstore has it all-restaurants, banks, salons, gas stations-conveniently located for shoppers to grab everything they need in one trip. And that includes health and wellness. Hy-Vee partners directly with local farmers and suppliers to bring you their Homegrown produce line, so shoppers can purchase fresh and sustainably sourced fruits and vegetables without breaking the bank. Hy-Vee offers an at-home program called KidsFit that is designed to help promote health and wellness through exercise and nutrition for kids and their families. Adults are included, too, with a team of dietitians at many locations offering individual nutrition counseling, meal planning, nutrition store tours, and classes.
H-E-B: H-E-B offers convenient, on-the-go meal options from their Meal Simple line, which ranges from salads and quick lunches to oven-ready dinners. Their oven-ready dinners often feature a protein, such as chicken or salmon, and a vegetable side, and many include a carbohydrate option such as rice or pasta. The effort extends beyond groceries. H-E-B features a Wellness hub that is the home for their nutrition services and Registered Dietitians.
Natural Grocers: This natural foods chain began as a family-run mission to sell and educate consumers about eating healthy, but its now expanded into 20 states nationwide. This store was built for health-conscious consumers. Natural Grocers holds all of their products to a high standard, and everything from their fresh produce to their meat have to be rigorously screened before hitting their shelves. You can find nutrition advice pretty much everywhere in-store. It also offers some ideas for what to make.
Kroger: One of the more affordable players on this list is the “Fresh for Everyone” supermarket. Kroger has the biggest selection of healthy food products so that you can put together balanced and nutritious meals more easily. Compared to the competition, Kroger makes it easier for customers to select the right foods for them than its competition because every product in its catalog comes with a nutrition rating. The nutrition rating system crafted by their dietitians known as OptUP, which utilizes data science to rate foods on a scale from 1 to 100. The more whole foods, proteins, fiber, and healthy fats an item has, the higher the score, according to Kroger.
Aldi: Many Americans have to make the difficult decision between eating healthy and stretching their wallets. Aldi is known for providing quality food at budget-friendly prices, including their fresh and locally sourced produce. Even if you can’t reach for some of the pricier alternatives, you can trust that the Aldi-brand items in your cart meet a few minimum requirements.
Amazon Fresh: While Amazon’s grocery business has taken some hits, according to Progressive Grocer, the online giant publicly stated its commitment to still “go big” in the food industry. One area it excels at: helping consumers get nutrient-rich foods a little easier. The best part about Amazon Fresh is how they help make healthy eating much more convenient. Amazon Fresh offers both brick-and-mortar stores and online delivery services, and both have thousands of items to shop from-local and organic fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, prepared foods, supplements, and more.
The Reality of Food Deserts
It’s important to acknowledge that access to fresh, healthy foods is not equal for all communities. Food deserts, areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables, persist in many parts of the world. A food desert typically lacks the presence of a grocer and instead supplements it with convenience stores or fast food. In contrast, an area with greater access to grocers or farmers' markets with fresh foods may be called a food oasis. The designation considers the type and the quality of food available to the population, in addition to the accessibility of the food through the size and the proximity of the food stores. Food deserts are associated with various health outcomes, including higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, specifically in areas where high poverty rates occur. Food deserts tend to be inhabited by low-income residents with inadequate access to transportation, which makes them less attractive markets for large supermarket chains. These areas lack suppliers of fresh foods, such as meats, fruits, and vegetables. Instead, available foods are likely to be processed and high in sugar and fats, which are known contributors to obesity in the United States.
Factors Contributing to Food Deserts
Several factors contribute to the formation and persistence of food deserts:
- Economic factors: Supermarket redlining, where large chain supermarkets relocate out of or refrain from opening stores in inner-city areas or impoverished neighborhoods due to perceived urban and economic obstacles, decreases certain communities' access to supermarkets. Businesses' perceived urban obstacles include decreased demand compared to suburban neighborhoods, higher land, wage, and utility costs, and increased crime in urban areas.
- Lack of transportation: Rural areas tend to have higher food insecurity than urban areas because food choices in rural areas are often restricted, with transportation being needed to access a major supermarket or a food supply that offers a wide, healthy variety of foods. A vehicle or access to public transportation is often needed to go to a grocery store.
- Racial and socioeconomic disparities: Recent research highlights the role of socioeconomic and racial disparities in shaping food desert conditions in the United States. In 2017, the likelihood of being food insecure in the US was for 22.4% Latinos, 26.1% for African Americans, and 10.5% for Whites.
Addressing Food Deserts: A Call for Action
Improving access to foods that support healthy dietary patterns is one method for addressing health disparities and population health. Several strategies that aim to improve diet by altering food environments are being considered and implemented. Examples of programs to address access to and affordability of healthy foods include: The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Food Service Guidelines, and various state and local programs. Community organizers are encouraging members of affected neighborhoods to consider how inadequate food systems correlate with the intersectionality of race and class.
Embracing a Balanced Approach
Of course, there’s also room for your favorite foods in a healthy, balanced diet. The point isn’t to completely avoid foods that are considered less healthy, like chips, ice cream, and cookies. Rather, a well-rounded diet should prioritize nutrient-dense foods that make you feel good and deliver the nutrients your body needs to thrive, all while leaving room for you to enjoy your favorite foods.