Are you shopping for a festive period, or just normal day shopping? Here is a checklist for best and worst foods that should make or not make your shopping list.
It is easy to get carried away when you make your list, relying on your emotions and desires.
We know you want to have a healthy shopping season. But what gain is it to you that you go to the market and spend your money to buy items that bring you trouble in future.
Sometimes, the troubles begin to come even immediately.
But we want you to avoid the health troubles that your shopping list could bring to your table.
Yes! The list could be a source of trouble, as they could contain some products with poor nutritional value.
This is one of the reasons people gain much weight after festive periods. They load their body with much unhealthy items that make them gain weight.
Unfortunately, there is so much that are healthy on the same shelf you pick your items from.
But here is something to adopt when you compile your shopping list.
Your shopping begins from identifying the things in your kitchen or store that need replacement.
As a result, it suffice to say that your pattern, in terms of your meal is what your list often contains.
It is not much different during festive seasons.
Worst Food Items For A Shopping List
The first thing we want to make sure you realise is that eating healthy is our goal here when we talk about your shopping list.
This is why we will identify the food items that are best for your shopping list and the worst ones.
We recommend that you take a good thought of what nutritional value the worst food items offer before they make your shopping list.
Since people are more prone to choosing the worst food items, we will begin with them and later identify the good ones that should make your list.
1. Soda, Juice, Processed Drinks
Processed foods are more in shelves and that is one reason most people go for them. But you can make conscious effort to walk pass them and head for the best.
Soda, juices and other drinks in packs are processed and they contain lots of sugar.
Most soda drinks contain about 240 calories, 130% daily value of added sugar, sodium, a total carb of abut 24%.
When you take them, they cause a huge rise in insulin level.
This drinks could offset diabetes and other diseases. You don’t want to get any of those.
What do we drink then? You will ask.
Well, there are lots of healthier options that we will mention later when we talk about best foods to add to your shopping list.
2. Cereals
This is another processed food that makes it to your list. Unfortunately, cereals are low in fibre and also contain added sugar.
These make them foods with low nutrients.
Basically, it is important that you check the label of these cereals before you buy them. They contain preservatives and other compounds that are not friendly to your health.
However, there are healthier alternatives that you should get.
You can also go ahead to make yours at home.
That way, you are absolutely sure of what goes into it.
3. Milk, Beverages
Milk is great for children, but for adults, they are not a healthy option, especially the processed animal milk.
Experts are of the opinion that adults should not take milk (1).
People often grab few bottles or packs of liquid milk at superstores. But not many of them read the labels. Milk contains calcium and other compounds that are not amazing for adults.
The fact is that excess calcium from milk and other foods may increase your risk of prostate cancer if you are a man.
For women, the sugars in milk may increase a woman’s risk of developing ovarian cancer.
Absolutely, you will say milk contains nutrients like vitamin D, protein and calcium. But you can get these nutrients from other foods you eat.
You see, children are the only ones that should take milk and this is because they eat less varied diet.
Milk provides kids adequate nutrients, but for adults, it is trouble.
If milk must be in your list, make sure it is for your children.
If you don’t have kids, yet love milk, you should go for the lower-fat varieties.
For beverages, we know that most of them contain added sugar and preservatives.
This makes them quite unhealthy for you. Remember that you do much of sedentary life.
There is a healthier alternative and combination that we will recommend later.
4. Vegetable Oil
In festive seasons, people consume so much fries.
From meat to snacks and other foods. The oil you fry things with matters a lot this season.
Most of the vegetable oils you see are highly processed, containing so much fat.
As a result, they are high in cholesterol.
Making the right choice of oil at this time and always is very important. Remember to read the label of the oil you are buying.
Basically, we do not recommend frying your food items.
But if you must, remember that it should not be a deep-in-oil kind of frying. It is not a must for oil to cover what you are frying.
Also, there are healthier alternatives to consider and you must also use them sparingly on low heat.
5. Biscuits, Snacks Cakes
It is holiday time and we all need something to snack on, especially when we are at home.
Indeed, it is a period characterised by so much sedentary behaviours. For this reason, you need to make the right choice when you add your snacks to your list.
Most of the snacks on the shelf are sweetened and are not healthy for you. It will increase your calories intake and also load your body with adverse effect of added sugar.
The worse in this category is cake. It contains butter and that is high in fat plus sugar in large amounts.
If you need snacks, go for the healthier alternatives.
You can make your healthy-flour cake at home. It could cost a few bucks more than the unhealthy ones, but for your health, it is worth it.
Best Food Items To Make Your Shopping List
Since we started with soda in the list of worst food items that should not make your shopping list, we will begin with drinks this time.
1. Fruits, Natural Smoothies, Yoghurt
Replacing soda, juice and processed drinks with natural smoothies and fruits is a great thing to do.
This fruits contain vitamins and minerals that your body needs too stay healthy.
Being in their raw state, they promote good bacteria in your gut, making you healthy.
Get a combination of different fruits and juice them. Thank goodness, there are lots of fruits that are available in this season.
Fruits contain phytonutrients – plant compounds that offer so much benefits to your body.
A combination of different fruits will be a great idea. Add darker fruits. The darker the more phytonutrients the fruits contain.
Also, note that you must take these natural fruits without ‘greed’. Some of them contain high amount of fructose and excess of it could cause health issues. It could trigger some issues in your liver.
Yogurt is an amazing addition and this is because it contains probiotics that are good for your gut.
2. Healthy Cereals
Some of the healthier alternatives out there are oats, muesli and granola.
One of the very cereals we offer our clients is granola. it is made from oats and it contains nuts and fruits.
Granola is amazing because other items in it offer additional nutrients.
Oats are great for your health and they should be part of your diet as an adult.
Read The Health benefits Of Oats
3. Healthier Milk, Beverages
The best milk for adults are plant-based. Almond milk, coconut milk, and the likes are low in fat and do not contain added sugar.
Fortunately, these are available in superstores where you also shop.
Add those to your list and try them out.
If you desire some sweet taste, add a bottle of honey to your list. When you want to take this milk, add few teaspoon of honey.
For chocolate, go for real cocoa chocolate powder that is pure without added sugar. This is healthier and all you need is half of your teaspoon to prepare your tea.
If you love thick tea, here is a reason you should have a rethink. Thick Tea: Good Or Bad For You?
4. Cooking Oil
Your oil is a source of fat to your body. Earlier, we mentioned that it could brink in high cholesterol.
Cholesterol could clog your arteries and cause heart issues.
The right choice of cooking oil for you is plant-base oil like olive oil, sunflower oil, avocado oil, sesame oil and others in that category (2).
They are low in fat. Remember that we recommend that you use your oil sparingly.
5. Snacks For Your Shopping List
For your snacks, go for those that are high in fibre. Those made from oats and other whole grains.
Ensure they are not sweetened. If you want to make it sweet, sprinkle some drops of honey on it.
Snacks are great to keep your mood and help you keep hunger away. But having the very healthy ones should be your focus.
They will offer you much nutrient and help your gut bacteria provide your body good health.
6. Vegetables
These items should be top on your shopping list. Vegetables offer you nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants that are beneficial to your health.
Fortunately, most malls place these vegetables where you can easily find them.
Get a lot of them and add them to most of your meals.
Remember that the reason for eating, festive period or otherwise, is to stay healthy and fit for the tasks ahead of you.
Other Food Items For Your Shopping List
Always go for whole grain food items. They are rich in fibre that promote growth of good bacteria in your gut.
They will help you keep unwanted weight gain away.
Process grains lack this fibre and this is why we recommend that for your rice, you go for brown rice or red rice. They are less processed.
Also, these rice species offer you more fibre and promotes good health.
May you find the courage necessary to strike out from your shopping list, unhealthy items and load it with healthier alternatives.
Enjoy your shopping and have fun.
We helped you with your shopping already 👍🏼
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