Better Grocery Shopping

The food we eat is a huge indicator of our health.  Eating cleanly and simply and exposing your body to as few toxic pollutants as possible will benefit your well-being.  Be versatile.  Sometimes the only option may be non-organic or in the frozen section.  Pick and choose what works for you and your budget, and know that every step toward eating cleanly is a step in the right direction.

Better Grocery Shopping
By Pierre Mouchette | Bits-n-Pieces

Picking ingredients for a better lifestyle
A grocery store has thousands of ingredients and products available to combine, cook, and eat. However, that choice can be overwhelming.  Shoppers today can choose from more than 47,000 items.
 
Store Layout
Most stores line their walls with the most straightforward products: produce, butcher, bakery, dairy, etc.  Aisles in the middle contain most processed foods that generally have additives and preservatives and are better to avoid.
Now, there are caveats to this rule.  For example, the bakery often also has highly refined cakes and cookies that are not beneficial to your health.  The dairy products section provides a robust supply of artificially flavored and sweetened creamers.  Yes, you can find unhealthy products in every department, but the departments around the store's perimeter contain the most wholesome, simple ingredients.
 
Buy organic
Purchase organic food when possible.  It is grown without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and more unhealthiness.  The produce with the most pesticide residue includes:

• Strawberries, spinach, kale, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, and potatoes.

If your budget does not allow for all things organic, it is better to get the nutrients of produce, organic or not, than to go without.
 
Consider frozen
Choose frozen fruits and vegetables if the fresh produce does not look good.  They are flash-frozen right after picking.  Often, they are fresher than fresh produce (depending on where you live).
 
Try to stick to "whole" ingredients
An easy way to eat cleanly is to eat simply.  Shopping the perimeter of the store will introduce you to many unprocessed foods, but the interior aisles have options too.  Whole foods include flour, nuts, dried fruits, beans, and rice.
The biggest thing?  Check the ingredients list.  The simpler the ingredients, the better.  If you do not recognize or can hardly read the ingredients, do without.
More tips:

• Go in with a list: Studies have shown that entering the store with a set list of items to purchase reduces impulse purchases, most of which happen in the candy, cookies, and chips section.
• Reduce consumption of canned goods: While many canned goods, especially fruits and vegetables, do not contain many ingredients, they contain a harmful by-product from their packaging: BPA.  
• Buy in bulk:  Bulk purchases often save you money in terms of price per ounce and reduce packaging waste.  Be smart about what you bulk-buy.  Ensure that the item will not go bad before you use it and that you have room for the bulk items at home.