Introduction

All engines need fuel to run, it's no secret and an appropriate analogy for the human body. But, you wouldn't put soda in your car's tank expecting to make it the next leg of your trip. It needs the fuel that was naturally designed for it. Humans have been around far longer than some of the things we eat today, so why do we fuel our bodies with things that weren't naturally designed for them? And at what cost? Are our cravings writing checks our health can't cash? The market's only job is to provide us what we ask it for, deciding what goes in our carts (and later our bodies) is our decision.

Grocery Store Layout

Think of grocery shopping as planning for a battle. No general goes into battle without a plan, and you should never go into a grocery store without a strategy. The food you put into your home can be the single biggest way you succeed or fail at health. If you load your home with processed foods, you will probably struggle with health issues eventually. If you fill your cupboards with healthy, whole foods, you will be much further down the wellness path.

A grocery store is usually laid out with the whole and fresh foods on the outside aisles and the processed foods on the inside (where no refrigeration is needed). Make a map of your grocery store, and you will find that it takes very little time to navigate your store if you avoid the processed foods aisles. I can shop for our family of six in 1 hour or less because buying fresh food is fast and simple.

Divide and Conquer Your Cart

Once you have determined your route (staying away from the processed food aisles), you can then make your list. Our website has a great starting list if you don't know what fresh foods you should consider. Eat before you leave, and stick to your list!

Divide your shopping cart into sections: The baby seat is where you will put your processed foods like cereals, breads, pastas, or anything else you're not ready to part with yet. Don't allow yourself any more space than that.

The largest part of the cart goes to fruits and veggies- pile that as high as you'd like! The bulk of your food should be greens, fruits, and vegetables.

Next, front bottom of your cart goes for dairy or dairy substitute items like milk, almond milk, cheeses, Greek yogurt, butter, ect...

Finally, the bottom goes for meats if you choose to eat that. Be sure to buy minimally processed, whole, and organic if possible.

The goal of this exercise is to increase whole, natural foods and decrease processed foods. You want to become more and more aware of the types of food you are eating.

Upgrading Your Diet With Rodale Diet List Of Super Foods

If you want to kick your groceries up a notch, consider this idea. J.I. Rodale was a conservationist before his time. He believed that organic was the best way to eat food. In 1947 he published the 'Rodale Diet' and over time his diet rich in antioxidants and good fats has turned out to be true. He started Prevention Magazine as well as many other heath-consious publications.

Freshwater Fish VS Saltwater Fish

"Health organizations worldwide recommend an average intake of 250 mg per day of EPA and DHA to maximize health benefits, and the American Heart Association recommends 1000 mg per day EPA and DHA for people with cardiovascular disease. Overall, saltwater species contain higher levels of these heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and it's always important to include a variety of seafood in the diet for the most nutritional benefits."¹

Vegetable Oil VS Coconut

"A diet enriched in saturated fatty acids offers strong advantages for the protection against oxidative stress in heart mitochondria."²

Sugar VS Maple Syrup

Over 54 antioxidant compounds have been discovered in pure maple syrup that have been linked to human health. Several of these antioxidant compounds are reported to have anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, and anti-diabetic properties. The amount of the effect is yet to be determined but the presence of these beneficial compounds in maple syrup is very interesting from a human health perspective.³

Other Things To Consider Adding according to Rodale:

Nuts

Now, a new report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that adults who incorporate nuts into their diets don't have to limit their consumption. A review of 31 studies about eating nuts found that people who added nuts to their diets and who replaced other foods with nuts lost more weight (an average 1.4 pounds more) and reduced their waist sizes by more than half an inch.

"Although the magnitude of these effects was modest, the results allay the fear that nut consumption may promote obesity," wrote the researchers, according to Reuters Health. "Our findings support the inclusion of nuts in healthy diets for cardiovascular prevention."⁴

Wild Berries

Elizabeth Devore lead a Harvard study which, "...found that a high intake of flavonoid-rich berries, such as strawberries and blueberries, can delay memory decline in older women by 2.5 years."⁵