Next time you head out to the grocery store, bring this list!
Put fun food on your grocery list. Milk, eggs, bread, Sour Patch Kids, Oreos.
Why? Putting the items that are fun on your grocery list is one BIG step in giving yourself full permission to eat the food. Instead of treating yourself to the food on a whim, be intentional about the fun food you want and make a plan to get it. Just like the “healthy” stuff. You can eat it throughout the week and look forward to it.
2. Go when you are hungry, full, and in between.
Why? Experimenting with heading to the store at different times of the day can give you some insight into how you make food choices when you are hungry or full. You may notice that when you are hungry your cart gets filled with items high in sugar and carbs. Your body
needs energy- now!
What choices might you make when you are full? Observe your choices, without judgment. After many experiments, I now try to go about 2 hours after a meal, landing softly between being hungry and full.
3. Buy a new food every time you go.
Why? Variety is the spice of life. Be open to a wide variety of foods when you go to the grocery store. Pick out a rare piece of fruit. Check out the tofu. Try the new flavor of Reese cups for the season. Try a new frozen veggie you can microwave. Dried Apricots. A Bakery item. Whatever! Variety is one of the key cornerstones to healthy eating.
4. Skip the nutrition labels (exceptions may apply).
Why? Nutrition labels are great! I don’t hate them, but Americans have become obsessed with checking exactly how much protein or fiber is in their food, and statistics show it is somehow NOT making us healthier long term. Instead of checking the nutrition labels, keep asking yourself if you are getting a wide variety of foods. Aka, don't go to the grocery store and by 7 boxes of cereal and leave 10 weeks in a row. You don't need to analyze the nutritional information to eat healthy.
Exceptions: allergies
5. Don’t judge yourself.
Why? You think berating yourself will make you choose healthier? Nope, probably the opposite. So I hope you believe me when I say, the people who go to the grocery store and only buy produce are truly NOT better people than the people who buy highly processed food. Say it until you believe it.
In order to actually enjoy the food you bought ( hello, Oreos!), you will need to believe it is ok to enjoy the food you bought. If you continue to demonize the cookies, they will continue to have power over you and you will never reach the other side of the rainbow... where they become just another food you enjoy.
Try it out and let me know how it goes!
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