Online shopping is more popular than ever these days, and Americans continue to spend a substantial amount of money on groceries. A recent survey found that the average American adult goes to the grocery store 1.6 times per week. Although that doesn’t seem like a high number, frequenting the grocery store means that you may have some things to learn about supermarket shopping. That’s especially true if your goal is to save a little money. 

Grocery shopping is a relatively simple task: you select items off the shelf, pay for them, and take them home. That act of grocery shopping is not the issue; rather, the issue is what you do in the store. You might be making a series of inadvertent mistakes that can cost you time, money, and your health. To help you become a better grocery shopper, we have outlined common mistakes people make in the supermarket. Avoid these traps and you’ll be much better off. 

You Don’t Have A Grocery Shopping App

There’s an app for everything these days. If you care about conserving cash, especially when your dollar doesn’t go as far in the supermarket as it used to, you’ll want an app. A recent report found that food prices increased 9.5% since February 2022, and the USDA estimates an additional 7.5% increase in the coming year. A simple way to save money on groceries is by using the store’s app. You can clip digital coupons or take advantage of weekly deals, which you may not get as a regular rewards member or general shopper. 

You Don’t Buy Seasonal Produce

One of the best things about buying seasonal produce items, besides the fact that they are more affordable, is that they taste the freshest. Seasonal produce tends to be riper, fresher, and tastier because of the availability amid peak harvest. There are more strawberries in July than in December because of seasonal availability. Buying produce out of season is possible, but it tends to be more expensive. You can look up seasonal produce guides, or visit local farmer’s markets, to find out what’s in season in your area. 

You Don’t Read Food Labels 

Before you slide a food item with a label in your shopping cart, go ahead and give it a spin to read that nutritional label. Yes, we are even referring to packaging that uses trendy words like “healthy” or “low-fat.” The nutritional label tells the truth! Pay attention to saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars, as you want to limit your consumption of those. Look to see how much dietary fiber, iron, calcium, vitamin D, and potassium the food provides. Additionally, make sure to take note of the serving size, because there may be more than one serving in the package. Click here to learn more about nutritional labels and how to read them.

You Ignore The Frozen Food Aisle

Now, before you jump to any conclusions, we do not advocate buying TV dinners or pre-made lasagna dishes. Those food items are incredibly rich in sodium and preservatives. We are referring to frozen produce, including peas, broccoli, vegetable medleys, and frozen fruit varieties. Produce is frozen at peak freshness, making nutrients more accessible and available to your body. Just make sure that you don’t see any added sugars on the nutritional label! 

You Only Shop The Perimeter

When it comes to the raw vegan diet that accompanies our cleanses, we advocate shopping the perimeter of the store. That’s where you find the fresh produce and raw nuts and seeds. Although the middle aisles contain a huge collection of unhealthy foods, you can still find some gems within them. You miss out on lentils, beans, chickpeas, wild rice, quinoa, brown rice, oats, and more if you skip the middle aisles. As long as you stick to your shopping list, you can avoid the bad stuff!

You Don’t Make A List

Speaking of lists, entering the grocery store without a list is a recipe for impulse buying. When you have a plan in place, you are much less likely to add things like packaged cookies and other unhealthy foods to your cart. Shopping without a list typically makes you spend more money as well. Your list is your game plan and following it can help you succeed in the grocery store.

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It can be difficult to prepare a quick, healthy meal when you don’t have the right ingredients on hand. One can make the argument that most healthy foods are very perishable and don’t have a long shelf-life. That may be true for fruits and vegetables, but there are other shelf-stable ingredients that exhibit diverse nutritional profiles. When you have them in your kitchen, a healthy meal is never out of reach.

There are numerous healthy foods that will keep fresh in your freezer, fridge, or pantry. Use these items to make nutrient-dense meals or snacks, even if you don’t have your typical healthy go-to foods. Don’t do crime to your waistline! Keep the following staples in your kitchen at all times and you’ll be able to throw a healthy meal together whenever you please. 

Dried Herbs And Spices

Many herbs and spices exhibit impressive health benefits in addition to adding depth of flavor to dishes. Ginger, oregano, turmeric, thyme, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, or cumin may help to reduce inflammation, lower risk of heart disease, or improve brain function. More than that, though, spices and herbs elevate the flavor profile of dishes, helping you pull off more dynamic flavor combinations. 

Quinoa

Believe it or not, quinoa is not a grain. This seed is an excellent source of fiber, protein, and vitamin B6. It also contains more iron and protein than most whole grains. Quinoa is shelf-stable and you can store it at room temperature. Prepare quinoa in advance and then store it in an airtight container in the fridge. This makes it easy to add to salads, soups, vegetable dishes, bowls, and even breakfasts. 

Dried Or Canned Beans & Lentils

Beans and lentils are some of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat. Some canned varieties contain excess sodium or processed ingredients, so it’s best to purchase sodium-free varieties. It’s better to purchase dried beans or lentils for this reason. Dried beans can last on the shelf for up to 10 years because they lack moisture that is necessary for bacterial growth. Beans are excellent sources of heart-healthy nutrients, including B vitamins, iron, fiber, and antioxidants. 

Oats

Oats are natural sources of potassium, protein, fiber, iron, and magnesium. Their versatility lends them a variety of recipes, including energy balls, oat cakes, oatmeal, and even smoothies. The soluble fiber in oats may help to regulate blood sugar and keep cholesterol levels down. Oats also exhibit unique antioxidant activity because of the avenanthramides, which are polyphenols that my reduce blood pressure levels. 

Frozen Fruits & Vegetables

Even though they are not fresh off the vine, frozen and fruits and vegetables do have health benefits. The produce loses a little nutritional value by being flash frozen after picking, but the nutritional profiles are lightyears beyond canned fruits or vegetables. Dietitians state that frozen fruits and vegetables are comparable to fresh varieties in the micronutrient department. They go great in smoothies, baked goods, and stir-fries. 

Apple Cider Vinegar

It’s best to purchase raw apple cider vinegar with “the mother,” as this is the healthiest variety. Apple cider vinegar is very versatile, tangy, and healthy. In fact, several studies found that apple cider vinegar has potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and heart-healthy properties. 

Nuts & Nut Butters

Nuts and nut butters are excellent sources of protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Depending on the type of nut or nut butter, you can store at room temperature or in the fridge. Natural nut and seed butters may require refrigeration and are much healthier alternatives to commercial, processed, butters that contain added oils, sugars, and preservatives. As for nuts and seeds, you can add them to many dishes, including salads, desserts, snacks, and oatmeal.

Raw Honey

We know most people are sweet enough, but a little extra honey in your life doesn’t hurt. Raw honey is an excellent natural sweetener that offers unique health benefits. According to several studies, raw honey exhibits anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. It also offers an array of beneficial antioxidants that help to fight free radicals in the body. 

Healthy Oils

Coconut oil and olive oil are some of the best oils you can use and they keep safely at room temperature for more than a year or so. That means that you can buy more of these oils in larger quantities, so that you don’t run out. Cooking with healthier fats, like the ones in coconut oil or olive oil, enhances the body’s ability to absorb fat-soluble vitamins and minerals from food.

Fermented Foods

Everyone raves about fermented foods, and for good reason. Kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, natto, kombucha, and more contain beneficial probiotics that may improve gut microbiome. It’s possible that these foods may also regulate blood sugar and reduce inflammation. Because of their nature, fermented foods last a long time, so you won’t have to worry about food waste!

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They are cheap, attractive, convenient, and people eat them every single day. Ultra-processed foods are easy to come by and people find them delicious. Frozen meals, cereal, cookies, soda, and chips are just a few of the foods that can destroy your health. It’s not news that these foods are harmful to overall health, so there’s no use in telling people to avoid them. It is more feasible, however, for people to make healthier swaps for ultra-processed foods. 

According to a 2021 JAMA study, ultra-processed foods account for about 67% of calories in the average American child or teenager’s diet. Additionally, a different study concluded that  58% of an average American’s energy intake comes from white breads, cakes, diet sodas, and other unhealthy foods. Unfortunately, regularl consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods can lead to numerous health problems. More consumption of unhealthy ingredients increases the risk of depression, obesity, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, and heart disease.  

The Difference Between Processed And Ultra-Processed Foods

By definition, processed foods are foods that have been altered from their original forms. Processing is a deliberate change to a food that occurs before you consume it. Canning, pasteurizing, heating, and drying are all forms of processing. Processing typically involves the addition of oil, sugar, salt, or other substances. Fruits in syrup, canned fish or vegetables, or pre-made breads contain several processed ingredients. Some processing is necessary and doesn’t mean that every food you eat is unhealthy, for example, frozen fruit or vegetables.

Ultra-processed foods have many added ingredients, including artificial colors and flavors, stabilizers, preservatives, salt, fat, and sugar. The problem with these foods is that they contain no nutritional value. Manufacturers make ultra-processed foods from substances extracted from other foods, for example, starches, fats, added sugars, and hydrogenated fats. Frozen meals, soft drinks, hot dogs, processed meats, packaged cookies, cakes, fast food, and salty snacks are ultra-processed. 

The Spectrum Of Processed Foods

A bag of mixed frozen fruit that you add to a smoothie is not the same thing as eating Doritos. While both of those foods undergo processing, they are not the same thing. You can check out the following spectrum to gauge which foods to avoid and which ones to limit: 

Avoid Ultra-Processed Foods

As mentioned earlier, frozen foods, soft drinks, store bought cakes and cookies, cake mixes, and more contain added fats, starches, sugars, hydrogenated oils, and artificial ingredients. These are foods to avoid. 

Limit Processed Foods

It’s best to limit or rarely eat processed foods. These foods include store bought salad dressings, sausages, jarred pasta sauce, and whole-grain bread. Moderation is key with these foods, but you can also make your own versions. 

Minimally Processed Foods Are Better

Nut butters, plain yogurt, extra virgin olive oil, grass-fed/free-range meats, and frozen vegetables and fruits fall into this category. You should still watch out for the ingredients on these foods, but they are better than the previous two categories. 

Unprocessed Foods Are Best

Fresh fruit, vegetables, and wild-caught fish belong to this category. They are full of nutrients and don’t go through processing. 

In order to avoid ultra-processed foods, there are dietary changes you have to make. Ultra-processed foods cannot be the primary source of your calories. One study monitored 20 healthy overweight adults at a medical facility. Each participant consumed an ultra-processed diet for two weeks, and then followed that with an unprocessed diet for two weeks. For both diets, subjects consumed three meals per day, eating as much or as little as they wanted. 

During the ultra-processed diet period, roughly 83.5% of calories came from ultra-processed foods. During the unprocessed diet period, about 83.3% of calories came from unprocessed foods. The subjects consumed an average of 500 additional calories per day while following the ultra-processed diet. Finally, the ultra-processed diet increased the intake of carbohydrates and fat, and the participants lost an average of two pounds during the unprocessed phase. The conclusion of the study was that limiting ultra-processed foods could help decrease the risk or even prevent obesity.

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The Internet has no shortage of entertainment. Ladies and gentlemen, there’s a new TikTok trend on the web. It’s not about baked feta pasta or biting into raw lemons; rather, new videos show people eating copious amounts of frozen honey. 

The newest frozen honey trend was started by TikTok user Dave Ramirez. He said he ate some as a refreshing snack on July 9th. Since then, the frozen honey trend experienced 900 million views, with various people eating lots of semi-frozen honey globs out of plastic bottles. Essentially, people squeeze honey into a plastic bottle, freeze it, and film themselves oozing it out in a thick consistency. They bite or lick it like a frozen popsicle. Needless to say, it’s a viral trend, but is it healthy?

Is It Safe To Eat Frozen Honey?

First of all, let’s talk about what honey is. Raw organic honey or Manuka honey can be quite beneficial for your health if you consume it in moderation. It has been associated with accelerated wound healing, healthy blood antioxidant levels, and improved heart health. One thing to remember is that honey is packed with sugar and rich in calories. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults keep added sugar intake below 10% of their daily calories. 

In a TikTok video, it’s easy for a person to eat tons of honey. If you follow a 2,000-calorie per day diet, all of that honey exceeds the 10% added sugar intake from calories recommendation. Consuming excess honey in that form can induce “sugar shock.” A hyper dose of sugar like that can spike blood sugar levels, causing people to experience a jolt of energy. When blood sugar levels crash within two to three hours, it’s common for shakiness, hunger, fatigue, headaches, lack of focus, palpitations, and jitters to set in. Additionally, dentists say that eating a hard sugary snack like frozen honey negatively impacts your teeth. Honey doesn’t freeze, but the thick, gummy substance is harsh on enamel and excess consumption can increase the risk of tooth decay. 

Too Much Honey Is Harmful

Processed honey contains clostridium botulinum bacteria, which can increase the risk of neurological disorders and gastrointestinal distress. This is why many TikTok users, who participated in this trend, reported gastrointestinal distress. Too much sugar can negatively impact the balance of bacteria in the gut. Sugar is a primary cause of inflammation, both in the gut and throughout the body. Dietitians say that the high fructose content in honey can rapidly increase the risk of nausea, bloating, and diarrhea. According to research, water enters the digestive tract when the body recognizes that you have consumed a lot of sugar. This often results in diarrhea. 

The other downside to consuming excess amounts of honey is that you can mess up your overall health. In fact, you can increase the risk of developing chronic glycemic instability, which can lead to cardiovascular complications, weight gain, cognitive decline, and diabetes. Dietitians encourage people with diabetes or prediabetes to avoid this honey trend, as it can seriously impact blood glucose levels. 

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, eating frozen honey will not kill you, but too much of it can significantly affect your health. If you do consume honey, keep the serving size to one tablespoon or less, and don’t squeeze copious amounts of it out of plastic bottles and chew it for fun. That’s not healthy, despite the fact that it may get you more followers on TikTok. It’s not worth upsetting your microbiome and increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. If you do eat too much honey, expect a blood sugar spike and crash, followed by some nausea or diarrhea. 

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The COVID-19 pandemic spiked grocery sales in the United States. According to March 2020 statistics, grocery sales grew by 83%. While panic buying is partially responsible for this increase, more people started to cook at home in response as a way to save money and stay inside.

Even though takeout is available, people don’t eat out as much. In fact, new evidence suggest that more at-home meals take place. This comes at a price though, and that price is that the kitchen is overstocked and out of sorts. An organized kitchen makes it easier to find ingredients when preparing food. Since people buy more food now, it may be harder to find where to put your newly purchased groceries. Don’t fret because we have great tips to help keep your kitchens healthy and organized, which can help you keep stress levels down while at home.

Clean Out The Pantry

It’s easy to forget about foods that you purchase, especially if they get lost in the depths of the pantry. Rather than burying the old food items in the backs of your shelves, take the time to examine which foods belong in the pantry and which ones need to be thrown out. Once you get rid of expired foods, organize the pantry based on food groups. Store snacks together, store canned goods together, store baking supplies together, and store beverages together. The goal is to make it easy for you to find what you need when you open the pantry.

Create A Pantry

Not everyone has the luxury of having a pantry (we’re talking about all the apartment dwellers out there). When you have limited storage space, you have to get creative. Find a space that is near your kitchen, put in some shelves or stack boxes, and have this be your pantry during stay-at-home orders. This space is for your nonperishables.

Buy Fresh And Freeze

Fresh is best and we strongly endorse that everyone buy fresh produce items. They provide essential nutrients that nourish the body, which is important during these times. Too often do people buy fresh produce items and throw them away before using them because they went bad. Avoid this problem by washing your produce, chopping it up, and placing it in freezer bags or containers. You can prep smoothie bags or prep vegetable combinations for healthy vegetable sides.

Put Leftovers On One Shelf

Leftovers make great lunches, but they can get lost in the chaos that is your fridge. To limit food waste and enjoy all the food you made, keep the containers with leftovers on one shelf. This helps you know where all your leftovers are, and you’ll think of them more often if they are in one place. This is the first step towards mindful eating.

Organize The Fridge

There are lots of groceries going in and out of the refrigerator these days. Keep tabs on what comes in and what goes out by allocating certain shelves, drawers, or door space to specific food items. For instance:

Use Bins

If you want to keep meal preparations together, prep your vegetables for specific meals and add them to containers. This will help you know what to make and you won’t have to think as much about cooking.

Keep Fruits And Vegetables At Eye Level

It’s natural to put fruits and vegetables in produce drawers, but it’s hard to see them in these drawers. Change that by storing produce on shelves that are at eye level. Seeing them more helps to avoid food waste, and it’s a friendly reminder to eat fruits and vegetables every day.

Store Condiments In The Door

Condiments remain the warmest because of the constant opening and closing of the fridge. Organize your condiments by height and move on from there.

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The key to eating healthier meals is simple: don’t eat junk food. Now, if only it were actually that simple. Processed foods, fast food, fried foods, frozen foods, refined sugars, and hormone-filled meat and dairy products tempt you at every turn, and all of these foods pack on the calories, sodium, and simple carbohydrates. So how do you get it together and reform your eating habits?

People who want to lose weight are often recommended to eat 1,500-1,800 calories per day, but healthy eating is more about focusing on foods that have a diverse nutritional profile, as opposed to solely worrying about calorie content. Calorie counting is the simple act of counting calories, and rarely do people account for the macronutrients, vitamins and minerals that are necessary for the body to function optimally. At the end of the day eating foods that your body needs, e.g. vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains, epitomizes healthy eating. Now, you shouldn’t consume 5,000 calories a day without exercising, given that the body stores calories that aren’t burned as fat; rather, use the following tips to help eat healthier meals.

Get Good Snacks

Chips, cookies, and packaged snacks may be single-handedly responsibly for high sodium, fat, and blood sugar levels in the body. They are delicious and people can’t get enough of them. The problem is that they do not make you feel full, which is why you can easily polish off a bag of Doritos without thinking about it. The first step to curbing hunger between meals is to get nutritious snacks. Forget salty snacks and start purchasing raw nuts, dried fruit that is un-sulfured, whole fruits, vegetable sticks with almond butter, cold-pressed juices, or the ingredients for homemade energy bites. You’ll find that you won’t need to eat as much to feel full when you focus on healthier snacks.

Don’t Get Thirsty

Fluids are of the utmost importance when it comes to being a healthier person. We’re not talking about alcohol, energy drinks, coffee, sugary juices, or sodas, because those do not hydrate the body; in fact, they dehydrate the body. It is recommended to focus on water, herbal teas, and freshly made juices to avoid dehydration and the symptoms that come with it. The sugars that are in processed drinks can damage the kidneys, pack on calories, and impair sleep quality. When it comes to water, aim to drink half your bodyweight in ounces of water per day because the eight or ten eight-ounce glasses of water rule per day may not be enough for everyone.

Make Meals That Are Delicious

Food is obviously about taste, but the appearance and smell are equally as important. Nobody wants to eat a greenish-brown plate of mush, so start thinking about food as something that you can savor and enjoy with all of your senses. Create multiple textures and flavors that harmonize with each other. This does involve some research, but looking for healthy meals should be fun. For instance, nobody dives headfirst into an entirely green vegetable smoothie. You start by blending a banana with spinach, mango, pineapple, and water. You may not eat flaxseed pudding right away, but baked sweet potato with roasted Brussels sprouts with a balsamic dressing is more appetizing. Start simple and build from the ground up. Create dishes that you can smell before you start cooking, and get excited about experimenting with new foods.

In the end, one also has to make educated choices when it comes to food. A little indulgence here and there isn’t the worst thing in the world, but always remember to give the body substantial meals with a diverse nutritional profile. This is how you begin to transform your diet and health.

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If you have ever made a smoothie, you know that it is probably the quickest, healthiest breakfast you could ever make. Did you know that there is a simple way to make this breakfast even easier? As we all know, time is the most precious currency in your morning routine. You want to be economical with your time without sacrificing your health. Enter smoothie bags to ease your mornings.

What Are Smoothie Bags?

Simply put, a smoothie bag is prepared smoothie ingredients in a sandwich bag that you freeze until you are ready to use. Consider the smoothie bag to be the ultimate breakfast hack, making it so you don’t have to rummage through your fridge and freezer in the morning to concoct a smoothie worthy of consumption. When you are ready to make the smoothie, remove a smoothie bag from freezer, empty the contents of a bag into your blender, add liquid, and blend away.

Making a big batch of smoothie bags is probably the easiest form of meal prep, and it is a great way to preserve your produce. When making your smoothie bags, it is imperative that you seal the bag well to keep the air out. There is also the option to label your smoothie bags, provided you want to know when you made them or remember the contents of the different smoothie bags.

Blend It All Up In The Morning

Preparing the smoothie bags ahead of time means that most of the legwork is complete by the time you make your smoothie in the morning. Dump the contents of the smoothie in the blender with liquid, blend, and drink. It’s almost too easy. Below, you’ll find a couple smoothie bag recipes to last you for one week. You’ll have breakfast ready to go every morning!

Strawberry Banana Spinach (3 Bags)

Ingredients Per Bag:

• 1 cup spinach
• 1 banana, peeled and sliced
• ½ cup strawberries, sliced
• ½ cup blueberries

Instructions:

• Prepare the ingredients and add the portioned amount of ingredients to each bag. Seal the bags, getting all the air out, and place in the freezer.
• When you are ready to make the smoothie, remove one smoothie bag, empty the ingredients into your blender, add about one cup of water, and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Mango Orange Smoothie (2 Bags)

Ingredients Per Bag:

• 1 cup of spinach
• ½ cup mango, chopped
• ½ orange, peeled and chopped
• 1 banana, peeled and sliced

Instructions:

• Prepare the ingredients and add the portioned amount of ingredients to each bag. Seal the bags, getting all the air out, and place in the freezer.
• When you are ready to make the smoothie, remove one smoothie bag, empty the ingredients into your blender, add about one cup of water, and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Super Greens Smoothie (2 Bags)

Ingredients Per Bag:

• 1 cup spinach
• ½ cup zucchini, chopped
• ¼ cup avocado, chopped
• ½ banana, peeled and sliced
• 1-2 dates, pitted and chopped

Instructions:

• Prepare the ingredients and add the portioned amount of ingredients to each bag. Seal the bags, getting all the air out, and place in the freezer.
• When you are ready to make the smoothie, remove one smoothie bag, empty the ingredients into your blender, add about one cup of water, and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

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Let’s get one thing straight right out of the gate: storing food in the freezer and doing the majority of your grocery shopping in the freezer aisles of supermarkets are two vastly different things. A high percentage of Americans purchase frozen food products, which have all been processed in one way or another. Be it a frozen TV dinner, reduced fat meal, or ice cream sandwiches, the foods behind the freezer doors are some of the unhealthiest foods you can put in your body.

We encourage you to always keep in mind that fresh is best. If ever there were a red flag, in regards to maintaining a healthy diet, it would be the frozen food aisle. After reading about the seven foods (below), we hope you start avoiding frozen foods and focusing your efforts on preparing meals with fresh food. You may actually find that buying fresh food can save you more money!

#1: Breakfast Foods

We are covering all of the breakfast foods, from frozen waffles and breakfast sandwiches to hash browns and French toast sticks. The selling point behind all of these breakfast foods is that they are ready to go to make mornings swift and easy. The downside is that almost all of the frozen breakfast foods contain additives, processed sugars, added sodium, trans fats, and cholesterol. Talk about a heart-unhealthy start to your day.

#2: Pasta Dishes

A bag or box of frozen fettuccini Alfredo or spaghetti Bolognese should not be alluring, but many people purchase these meals in bulk. They provide hardly any nutrition and contain excess salt and saturated fats. A much healthier pasta dish can be made with fresh ingredients in 20 minutes or less. Don’t be afraid to get your cook on!

#3: Free-From Foods

Free-from, used to describe food that doesn’t contain dairy products, wheat, soy, or meat, is a buzzword in the food industry. We don’t want you to think that free-from foods are all healthy because they aren’t. Most of them contain added sugars, salt, and other additives that extend the amount of time they last in the freezer. Read the label and you’ll see ingredients like maltodextrin and dextrose, both of which you should avoid.

#4: Unsustainable Fish

If you are going to purchase fish and store it in your freezer, you need to purchase wild caught or sustainable fish. While these are pricier options, they are significantly healthier than eating farmed fish that has been frozen. Cheap is not best when it comes to fish. Wild caught fish is comparable to beef that is organic and grass-fed. Buy responsibly and sustainably if you are going to purchase meat or fish.

#5: Vegetarian Burgers

With the Impossible Burger increasing in popularity, more and more people are purchasing frozen vegetarian burger patties in supermarkets. While free of meat, most vegetarian burger patties contain stabilizers, additives, palm oil, and allergens like barley, yeast, and wheat. If you are going to purchase vegetarian burgers, Beyond Meat is a reputable brand and much healthier option than other frozen varieties.

#6: Kids Meals

It can be difficult to carve out time to prepare fresh and healthy meals for your children. Frozen, ready-to-go, microwaveable meals seem like the answer to all your problems, but your children’s health shouldn’t suffer for the sake of convenience. These meals are not nutritionally dense and most parents would not be comfortable serving their children these meals if they knew what was in them. These meals are laden with preservatives, artificial flavors, additives, and processed ingredients!

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Clean eating and maintaining a healthy diet has been associated with emptying your bank account at the grocery store. Whole Foods Market may be responsible for this mindset, but we want you to move away from this notion because it is quite simple to eat healthy on a budget. In fact, you may even find that you save money when you focus on plant-based foods.

Why Should You Eat Healthy?

A lot of people have the desire to eat healthy, but they can’t seem to follow through with that diet for whatever reason. When people eat unhealthy foods, energy levels tend to deplete, the immune system weakens, and weight gain happens over time. Not only does focusing on healthy foods reduce your risk of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, but it can also increase productivity, boost energy levels, and save you money, both on groceries and on healthcare costs in the long run.

Where Do You Start?

Eating healthy starts at the grocery store. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store and avoid the middle aisles because that’s where the processed foods, pre-packaged meals, frozen foods, and unhealthy snacks are. If you have to go to a middle aisle, choose the one with lentils, whole grains, and organic foods. Stock up on healthy foods so that you don’t have to eat out. You’ll spend more money eating healthy food at restaurants than preparing meals at home.

Know When You Don’t Need Organic

You don’t have to buy organic produce in order to eat healthily. Chemical use is limited for certain commercially grown produce, but we advise buying organic when it comes to “The Dirty Dozen” list. The produce items on that list tested positive for 47 or more different chemicals, so we advise buying organic when purchasing:

• Celery
• Peaches
• Sweet bell peppers
• Cherries
• Lettuce
• Nectarines
• Spinach, kale, and collard greens
• Apples
• Domestic blueberries
• Potatoes
• Imported grapes
• Strawberries

Stop Buying Junk Food

The amount you spend on packaged snacks, frozen meals, processed foods, and sodas would surprise you. Buying all of those food items is essentially pointless because they contain unhealthy ingredients and very little nutrition. You are better off purchasing quality whole foods, which are less expensive and more nutritious.

Shop For Seasonal Produce

Due to mass production and genetically modified organisms, many produce items are available throughout the year. You may notice that apples cost extra during the spring, or asparagus is quite expensive in the fall. This is because they have to be imported to get to your local grocery store, and you pay for a portion of that cost. Apples are cheaper in fall because that their season. For example, citrus varieties are more affordable in winter, while stone fruit (peaches, apricots, plums, and nectarines) are more affordable in summer.

Pack Your Lunch

If you eat out regularly, you can spend up to $100 or more in a workweek on lunch alone. Health food restaurants tend to be pricier as well. Additionally, you will be less tempted to make unhealthy food decisions when you bring your own lunch. This can take practice and a little meal prep work, but it pays off, both for your health and your bank account, in the long run.

Frozen Fruit Is A-Okay

When purchasing frozen fruit, make sure that the fruits in the bag are the only ingredients listed. Companies sometimes add sugars or other ingredients during processing, so be on the lookout! Frozen fruit is great for making smoothies, which should become regular meal replacements in your quest to become healthier. One more thing, if you purchase fresh fruit from the grocery store and you see that it may go bad before you use it, cut it up, put it in an airtight bag or container, and store it in the freezer for smoothies. That will help to limit your food waste.

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The ketogenic diet has swept the nation and people have come to realize the importance of fats. We aren’t referring to just any fats because the monounsaturated fats in an avocado, for example, are vastly different from the trans fats in hydrogenated oils. Fat is a necessary nutrient that can offer different health benefits, provided you choose the right ones.

The Two Main Fat Categories

While there are a lot of different fats, they can be divided into two main categories: unsaturated fats (the good ones) and saturated fats (the unhealthy ones). Unsaturated fats should be the primary fats you consume because they are derived from plants and work to improve heart health. Saturated fats, on the other hand, are typically found in animal products and can increase your risk of high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, and heart attack.

When it comes to unsaturated fats, there are monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Both of these fats can be found in nuts, seeds, avocados, and certain oils. When it comes to polyunsaturated fats, it is integral to balance out the consumption of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Most people consume an excess amount of omega-6s (fried foods, snack foods, and baked goods), which can lead to chronic inflammation. You cannot avoid omega-3s (nuts, seeds, leafy greens, and wild caught fish), even though most people do avoid these foods.

Be Diligent With Your Fat Choices

Remember that fats do add calories to your diet. This is important to remember if you are trying to lose weight by restricting your caloric intake. Keep in mind that most oils have about 120 calories per tablespoon. Even if you are consuming extra virgin olive oil, virgin coconut oil, and avocado oil, you can pile on the calories if you drown all your meals in them.

Polyunsaturated & Monounsaturated Fats

Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats have been known to help boost memory, improve heart health, lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), and raise HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). As we mentioned before, omega-3s and omega-6s are considered polyunsaturated fats. Be sure to focus on walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, olive oil, tahini, macadamia nut oil, avocados, hemp seeds, Brussels sprouts, and more. Additionally, help control blood clotting, lower triglycerides, and fight inflammation by balancing your omega-3 and omega-6 consumption.

Trans Fats

The goal is to limit or eliminate these fats from your diet. They are found in a lot of processed foods and contain a lot of hydrogen, so that they remain solid at room temperature. Trans fats also increase LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol. Not to mention, food manufactures can hide trans fats in foods as long as it contains half a gram or less per serving. Check out our article about how to successfully read nutrition labels so you can avoid trans fats.

Saturated Fats

Generally speaking, you don’t want a lot of these in your diet, especially if they come from processed foods, frozen foods, or animal products. They can raise cholesterol levels and increase your risk of type 2 diabetes. If you are going to consume saturated fat, your best food choice is unfiltered, virgin coconut oil. While it contains saturated fat, it also is rich in medium-chain triglycerides that can help with weight loss and boost the metabolism.

We hope you choose the right fats from here on out. If you have any questions or comments about which fat sources to consume, please comment below.

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