Healthy Grocery Shopping List for South Florida Personal Trainer Doug JacksonBy Doug Jackson, M.Ed., CSCS (Quick note: I am now accepting personal training clients in Weston, Florida. Limited spots available. Email me at doug@personalfitnessadvantage.com for details.) 3/5/05 About an hour ago I did my weekly grocery shopping. Tomorrow will be my weekly food preparation day. However, for the time being, my kitchen is stocked with a clear profile of what I eat during a given week. Given my experience of people checking out what's inside my cart when I'm at the grocery store, people must be wondering what the 'fitness guy' eats. Today you're going to find out. First I'll give you the rundown of what foods I currently have in my kitchen and then explain why I have them. By the way, I'm not recommending these foods as a specific diet or grocery list. I'm only sharing my own "healthy grocery shopping list". Everyone has different tastes and nutritional needs based on goals and current health status. Veggies:
Essentially what you'll find in my kitchen are natural, minimally-processed foods. These foods are high in nutrients and generally have a positive effect on blood sugar and metabolism,. These foods optimize the "thermic effect" of meals. Most of these foods will be found along the perimeter of the grocery store and can generally spoil easily. Here's a clue: If a good can sit in a box for two years and not deteriorate, it's probably not the best for your health) Addressing the supplements: Okay, I know I have some healthcare professionals on this newsletter that are "anti-supplement". How do I react to this? Visualize me shrugging my shoulders. As much as I would love to make everyone happy, I learned a while back that I can't. Supplement use is not necessary and may not even be ideal. But they are convenient and an effective way to help me reach my fitness goals in real-world situations. While researchers can debate between this study and that, there are research studies I can cite supporting the use of each supplement category that I consume. The Missing Component: Preparation. Many people, including myself at times, buy healthy foods, don’t consume them before they go bad, and then have to throw them out. How many times have you had healthy food in the house, were too tired to prepare it, and ended up stopping at the drive thru or order pizza? If you really want to improve your health and fitness, these occasions must be minimized. These means that your healthy meals must be prepared ahead of time, so when you're tired, you can just pick which prepared meal you want, relax, and eat. This takes consistency (one of the topics from my last newsletter). Most successful fitness enthusiasts I know will take a couple hours on Sunday to prep food for much of the week. Any additional food prep may be taken care of on Wednesdays or Thursdays. Many people reading this will be coming up with objections right now and rationalizing why this concept can not work for them. And you know what? They're right. You have to make it work and the first step in the process is a good attitude and open mind. I hope this newsletter gave you some ideas to improve your own nutrition. With a little focus, and some open-mindedness to new ideas, we can all improve. I know the concepts I've discussed today are a big part of why I’m leaner and more fit now than I've ever been. You can achieve the same. Will you? By the way, for healthy meals delivered to your doorstep at a price you can't beat, check out: Sign up for Doug's can't miss newsletter, Fitness Empowerment Ask Doug your most pressing fitness-related question Schedule a FREE phone consultation |
