Common grocery store mistakes with solutions.

As a health coach, I have noticed that my clients often unknowingly make mistakes at the 
grocery store that ultimately sabotage their healthy-eating routines. [If you are someone 
who does also, it is okay. Many of us do. As I did the same thing before joining this field.]
 So I am going to just put out there a handful of the most common grocery store mistakes
 along with some very easy solutions.

Mistake #1: You go to the grocery store following a workout or on a empty stomach.

It seems logical to hit the supermarket at a time when you want to restore depleted glycogen
 stores as fast as possible, but after a workout you're probably more hungry than usual.
 When you're hungry, everything is more appealing and you'll buy foods that aren't ideal
 for your healthy eating plan. This happens even if you know better! 

The Fix: Either carry your post workout snack or meal with you or head directly for that 
meal after your workout. Go to the grocery store another time, or at least wait until after
 you've eaten! And if you MUST go food shopping, plan exactly what you will buy before 
you enter the store.

Mistake #2: You forgot your grocery list.

This means you no longer have a game plan, which in essence means everything is "game."
 Yep, the Chips Ahoy, the Cheetos and the Entenmann's cake may all end up in your cart. Remember this, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail!"

The Fix: If you left your list at home, sit in the car (or simply stand at the entrance of the 
store) and take a couple of minutes to rewrite your list before you start shopping. The time 
spent is well worth it! Include healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, non-fat dairy products, 
whole grains, eggs, legumes and lean proteins. By focusing on all of the healthy foods,
 you won't think about including the foods that aren't so healthy.

Mistake #3: You mosey through the store.

It's fun and relaxing to spend time in the grocery store (I love it—after all, Half my business 
deals with food!), but the longer you stay there, the more likely you are to buy food that 
you will soon wish you hadn't.

The Fix: Shop quickly and as though you are on a mission (you are!). Stay focused on your
 list so you can get your items and move on. Be sure to shop the perimeter of the store,
 where you'll find produce, lean meats and the dairy case. For the remaining items, only
 go down the aisle of the specific item you need. Pssst… this really works! 

Mistake #4: You avoid frozen produce and assume it's not as nutritious as fresh.

Despite good intentions to prepare a nutrient-packed meal with plenty of vegetables, 
you often find rotten or wilted produce in your fridge and your plan is thwarted.  In the 
past, this happened to me, too, and I can tell you it completely derailed my healthy eating 
plan.

The Fix: Stock up on frozen produce—it stays good for up to a year! Frozen is just as
 healthy as fresh and, in some instances, is even healthier and contains more nutrients
 than fresh because it's frozen immediately after being picked, meaning the nutrients are
 intact. Fresh produce, on the other hand, may have traveled for two weeks from the farm 
to the grocery store and lost nutrients over time and during exposure to heat or light. We
 love frozen veggies—they taste great, are always in season and accompany nearly every
 meal we make. And best yet, we never have to worry about them going bad!

Mistake # 5: You fall for the claim on the front of the food package. 
[read this closely!] 

Have you ever picked up a food because the label on the front says "healthy," "organic," 
"all-natural" or "low-calorie," but pay no attention to the Nutrition Facts Panel? Often 
we find that our clients are duped by clever marketing. For instance, a popular cereal 
boasts, "lightly sweetened." There's no FDA regulation for this claim. (The FDA
 regulates the use of "sugar-free," which means the food contains less than 0.5 grams
 of sugar per serving, and "no added sugars" or "without added sugars," which mean 
that no sugar or sugar-containing ingredient was added during processing.) You would 
expect a "lightly sweetened" cereal to have a few grams of sugar. Not so! Most of these 
cereals have upwards of 14 grams (3-1/2 teaspoons)! Compare that to 1 gram of sugar in
 Cheerios.

The Fix: Read the Nutrition Facts Panel. It's the only way to know what you're actually
 getting. And be sure to pay special attention to the serving size on the nutrition label.

Mistake #6: You buy a food simply because it's organic.

This is one of the most common mistakes we see. Just because a food is "organic" doesn't 
mean it's healthy or that it's good for you. Organic cookies are still cookies. Organic
 chocolate…still chocolate. Organic ice cream, well you get it.....

The Fix: Even when you buy an organic food, read the nutrition label. Make sure that
 food is not loaded with sugar, artery-clogging saturated fat or bloating and bad-for-your
 blood pressure sodium.

Mistake #7: You pay no attention to salt.

Salt makes you hungrier, thirstier and it increases cravings. Plus, when you eat a lot of salt, 
(think soy sauce, deli meats, canned soup, processed foods, restaurant meals, fries, chips)
 the body responds by holding on to water to dilute the sodium and maintain it at the proper concentration, which is why you weigh more and look bloated with a distended stomach.
 Plus, too much salt increases your risk of high blood pressure and stroke.

The Fix: Again, it comes down to reading labels. To help avoid the risk of high blood
 pressure, keep your sodium intake to 2,400 – 3,000 mg or less per day. (The American
 Heart Association recommends no more than 3,000 mg of sodium per day for healthy 
adults.

Mistake #8: You buy granola for breakfast thinking it's a healthy choice.

Although granola can be healthy, it typically is packed with sugar, calories and, in
 many cases, hydrogenated oils. One small bowl can set you back upwards of 600 calories
 and 12 teaspoons of sugar!

The Fix: Go for whole grain, unprocessed oatmeal or high-fiber, low-sugar, whole-grain
 cereal. Then add your own berries or fresh fruit.

Mistake #9: You purchase a food that normally wouldn't be considered healthy 
because the label claims it's "made with real fruit."

Unfortunately, a bottle of juice or a box of fruit snacks with photos of fruit on the label 
doesn’t mean it contains fruit (think Pop-Tarts). Many products with this claim contain no
 real fruit at all and instead contain food dyes and nearly half of their weight in sugar. Eek!

The Fix: Plan on getting your fruit servings from the real deal. If you don't see actual pieces
 of fruit as you eat, don't count on getting fruit from the food.