We all get into a grocery shopping rut. We walk through the store, either with or without a shopping list, and toss the same items into the cart each shopping trip. They may or may not be the best choices for our bodies. Recently, I agreed to share my grocery list with Amy Crews, Holistic Health Counselor and editor of the Natural Health Newsletter here at DietsInReview.com.
I provided my grocery list in six areas: Fruit/Veggie, Bread, Frozen, Dry Goods, Meat, and Cold items (like dairy). As you will see, the list of foods that I buy could stand some improvement. Why not use this list as a springboard to make over your own grocery list, keeping in mind that the most important changes to your shopping list need to be both manageable, sustainable and will help you to be as efficient and healthy as possible – always a bonus for all of us!
See our Healthy Family Grocery Guide now. Download, print, and use to inspire your own grocery makeover!
I’m a big water drinker. I drink it plain. I add Propel packets. I sample new flavored waters all the time. It’s almost an obsession of mine. Recently I was sent four flavors of a new all-natural enhanced water beverage called Bot to try. From the colorful website and the cute little bears on the bottles, this water looked fun. With added antioxidants, B vitamins and electrolytes, this could be a great after-exercise choice. It has no preservatives, no artificial flavors, no coloring and no high fructose corn syrup. Sweetened with pure cane sugar and containing only 25 calories per bottle, there seems to be much to recommend.
But how did it taste?
I was taken aback when I first saw the commercial on television. “Cereal now boosts your immunity!” crowed the little elves commonly known as Snap, Crackle and Pop. I looked more closely at the package when I visited the grocery store that evening. (Yes, I visit the grocery – at least once every couple of days. I can’t keep food in this house to save my life. Kids and their insane desire to eat ten times a day.)
Cocoa Krispies were labeled, until last week, with a splashy logo touting a 25% daily value of antioxidants and nutrients – Vitamins A, B, C and E. To this mom, it seemed to capitalize on the H1N1/Swine Flu hype that has been ongoing. How will we protect our children? What can we do to keep them safe?
Hint: the answer is definitely not “Feed them Cocoa Krispies.”
I was lucky enough to be supplied with two weeks of meals from Diet to Go – one week of fresh prepared meals and one week of frozen prepared meals. Overall, I was extremely happy with both meal plans. I’m a big believer in fresh, local foods, so if you are fortunate enough to live close enough to their delivery locations, run, don’t walk, to sign up.
If you aren’t close enough for the fresh meals, the frozen meals are a delicious, nutritious choice. The meal plan is fully customizable, allowing you to swap unwanted meals for more favored choices. And the fact that many of the meals are accompanied by side dishes that fully complete the meal makes the plan more economical than I first thought. If you were to purchase a week of the three-meal-a-day plan, you would need nothing from the grocery store other than any beverage choices you might make. It is definitely more cost effective and much more nutritious that visiting fast food restaurants for your dining options.
Recently I was provided with two weeks worth of meals from Diet to Go, a meal delivery service. Last week I reviewed the week of Diet to Go’s fresh prepared foods, and this week I’ll be discussing the frozen meal delivery option. (As a reminder, Diet to Go offers two calorie levels for weight loss – 1200 and 1600 calories a day; as well as three meal plans – low-fat, traditional, vegetarian, and low-carb. After looking over the menu choices, I chose the 1600 calorie a day version of the low-fat option.)
The meals arrived packed on dry ice and very cold, and I popped them right into my freezer. The portions seemed to be quite large and I looked forward to being able to sample them. Much of the food was vacuum packed and all of it appeared to be very fresh and appetizing.
The first meal I sampled was turkey Salisbury steak with gravy, mashed potatoes, and whole green beans. I microwaved it and within five minutes I was sitting down to a hot, fresh, perfectly seasoned meal that completely satisfied me. It was filling, and in fact, I didn’t even finish the potatoes. My usual meal choices might involve a Lean Cuisine or other frozen meal, and I’m often left still hungry and scouring the kitchen an hour later. The Diet to Go meal removed that action from my life.
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