Healthy Grocery List: 5 Steps To The Ultimate Meal Plan

Making your own healthy grocery list and knowing what foods to eat for your health and fitness goals doesn’t have to be a difficult task full of stress, frustration, and confusion.

Nutrition (for most) can be the hardest part about making a fitness transformation, well until now, I’m happy you’re here!

The problem? The advice you’ve been getting is what’s keeping you stuck. Heck if you google any grocery list, they are all the same copy and paste list of so-called “healthy foods”.

I wanted to take this a step further and not only help you set up your healthy grocery list but also tell you what foods you should be eating and which to avoid for optimal performance and living your best life.

In this article, we’ll cover my main shopping tips, key food staples that make up a healthy diet, and how to form your own grocery list (based on how I and my clients eat, quality choices, and pro-metabolic foods to boost your metabolism.

STEP #1: HOW FREQUENTLY SHOULD YOU SHOP FOR GROCERIES?

What better place to start other than how many times you should be hitting the grocery store?

Ideally, I love planning to shop for food every 4 days.

Yes, we all have different lifestyles, but I like this frequency for a few reasons:

You keep your food fresh. Fresh produce isn’t going to last a long time and this push of shopping more often (about twice per week) will help cut down on you buying processed boxed junk.

As well, I always find it so much more tempting to eat out at a restaurant or order in if I don’t have food to make at my house.

Yes, moderation and living your life is still important, but remember, what you do most of the time is going to determine your results.

Shopping more often will allow you to say, bring your OWN snacks to the office, have that healthier dinner, and so on.

STEP #2: FINDING YOUR STAPLES FOR YOUR HEALTHY GROCERY LIST

If you can’t enjoy your favorite foods in your diet, then you need a new diet. Plain and simple.

I’m serious. If you can’t picture yourself eating certain foods for the next 1, 2, even next 5 years. You’ll be fighting an uphill battle to your goals (if you even reach them).

I opt to find a better quality, healthier version of my favorite foods. More on this in a moment, but it’s the same as me making my own homemade burger more often than eating one out.

It’s finding ice cream with no nasty additives or bad fats that hurt metabolism.

So let’s build off what you’re currently doing? What are some of the staple meals that you can add to your own healthy grocery list and then use mine below to upgrade it and make it your own?

STEP #3 PUT THE PRODUCE AISLE FIRST ON YOUR LEAN BODY GROCERY LIST

It’s time we all become foodies. No, not the snobby kind that thinks they are some kind of god of a food critic. But the kind that gets excited when we hit the fresh produce aisle!

The majority of your diet should be made up of whole foods where you have the control to prepare them yourself.

Sure, we could use the 80/20 rule here. Where 80% of your diet should come from whole foods and you have the OPTIONAL 20% to squeeze in some treats.

Notice how I said optional. Don’t get sucked in trying to FORCE yourself to include junk or processed foods. You don’t have to.

We’re making this easy on yourself, if you want to make healthier choices and fill up on fruits and veggies, it only makes sense to start in the produce aisle first!

STEP #4: DON’T BE AFRAID TO FREEZE HEALTHY FOODS

This right here is one of my best/favorite tips. I’m a huge smoothie fan (especially for breakfast since it’s quick and easy) so I always load up on organic fruits and veggies to throw in the blender. It’s cheaper, convenient, they last longer, and you still get all the benefits.

Also, this allows you to buy, say your meats and other items in bulk…

Which can even make the whole shopping process less frustrating and keep you out of the store more. You just need to remember to plan ahead and defrost the food in time for when you plan on eating it.

STEP #5: HOW CAN YOU AUTOMATE YOUR HEALTHY GROCERY LIST

The easiest way to form a new habit is to make it really simple on yourself (and make bad habits more difficult).

It’s like packing your gym bag the night before and leaving it by the door so it’s ready when you head out for work in the morning.

• Planning ahead
• Frequently updating my grocery list (what I need) on my phone
• Using a meal service

Are my favorite ways to automate healthy eating.

Imperfect Produce is what I use to have fruits and veggies delivered to my doorstep every Monday (less time in the store).

There are hundreds of services out there. Some can really come in handy if your career has weird work hours, you hate thinking about shopping, and so on.

Just make sure to do a little research to make sure that service has high-quality foods and are in line with the lean body grocery list checklist below.

KEY HEALTHY GROCERY LIST FOOD STAPLES

The following foods and list are based on my philosophy of eating Pro-Metabolic Foods to support health and boost your metabolism (more muscle, less stubborn body fat, and more energy).

BEVERAGES

• Bone Broth
• Coffee (Organic, Made With French Press)
• Tea (Yerba Mate, Green, Chamomile)
• Spring Water/Sparkling Water
• Cold Pressed Organic Fruit Juices

PROTEINS

• Steak (Preferred Cut, Grass-Fed)
• Gelatin or Collagen
• Ground Beef (85/15 Grass-Fed)
• Bison
• Chicken (No Added Hormones, Antibiotics, etc.)
• Turkey (No Added Hormones, Antibiotics, etc.)
• Liver (Organic, Grass-Fed)
• Shrimp (Wild-Caught)
• Cod fillet (Wild Caught)
• Tuna (Wild Caught)
• Oysters (Wild Caught)
• Salmon (Wild Caught)
• Protein Supplement (No Additives)

DAIRY

• Whole Eggs (Pasture-Raised, Grass-Fed Hens)
• Whole Milk (Non-Homogenized, Grass-Fed)(Raw If Possible)
• Choice Of Cheese (Preferably From Raw Milk, No Additives)
• Goat Cheese (From Raw Milk)
• Parmesan Cheese (Stamped, Made From Raw Milk)
• Feta Cheese (From Raw Milk)
• Cottage Cheese (No Gums/Carrageenan Additives)
• Greek Yogurt (Organic)
• Whole Fat Yogurt (Organic)

HEALTHY FATS

• Butter (Grass-Fed) (Low/Medium Heat Cooking)
• Coconut Oil (Organic) (Low/Medium Heat Cooking)
• Beef Tallow (Grass-Fed) (High Heat Cooking)
• Cocoa Butter
• Ghee (High Heat Cooking)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Medium Heat Cooking)
• Avocado Oil (High Heat Cooking)

NUTS

• Macadamia
• Brazil
• Walnut
• Almond
• Cashews
• Pistachios

HEALTHY CARBS

FRUITS

• Oranges
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Pineapple
• Grapes
• Apples
• Lemons
• Limes
• Bananas
• Dates
• Kiwi
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Dragon Fruit
• Avocado
• Grapes
• Watermelon
• All Fruits & Berries Organic Being Best

OTHER HEALTHFUL CARBS

• Sourdough Bread (No Additives, Or Bad Fats Added)
• Ezekiel Bread
• Spelt
• Sprouted Grains
• Heirloom Grains
• Wild Rice
• Rice (Imported, No Fortified Added Iron)
• Pasta (Imported, No Fortified Added Iron)

MAIN VEGGIES (EAT MORE OFTEN)

• Carrots
• Zucchini
• Squash
• Spaghetti Squash
• Spinach
• Bell Pepper
• White Potato
• Sweet Potato
• Mushrooms
• Beets
• Yams
• Parsnips
• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Eggplant
• Onion
• Garlic

CRUCIFEROUS VEGGIES (MAKE SURE TO COOK THESE, EAT LESS OFTEN)

• Broccoli
• Kale
• Arugula
• Cauliflower
• Brussel Sprouts
• Asparagus
• Horseradish Root
• Bok Choy
• Collard Greens
• Turnip
• Watercress
• Beans
• Lentils

TREAT OF CHOICE

• Chocolate (No Additives)
• Ice Cream (No Additives, Gums Or Carrageenan)
• Homemade Treats (So You Can Control Ingredients)

NATURAL SWEETENERS

• Raw Local Honey
• Maple Syrup
• Organic Cane Sugar
• Agave Nectar
• Coconut Sugar
• Coconut Milk

TOPPINGS HERBS & SPICES

• Natural Sea Salt
• Ginger
• Turmeric
• Cinnamon
• Ketchup (Organic)
• Mustard (Organic)
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Biodynamic Organic Wine
• Organic Liquid Aminos
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Cilantro
• Parsley
• Garlic
• Rosemary
• Basil
• Cayenne
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Cumin
• Sage
• Italian Herbs
• Paprika

AVOID THESE IN YOUR DIET

• Canola Oil
• Vegetable Oil
• Corn Oil
• Margarine
• Trans Fats
• Soy
• Carrageenan
• Gum Arabic
• Xanthan Gum
• Guar Gum (Basically All Gum Additives)
• Artificial Sweeteners
• Soy Lecithin
• Fortified Iron (Added Iron)
• Basically Most Processed Foods Contain The Above

HOW TO USE THE LEAN BODY GROCERY LIST

Do you need to get every food on that list? No of course not.

Treat the above as your food database in which you can pick and choose from to build your own meals.

Especially the section on what to avoid in your diet. I’d start there and work on improving your diet and the quality of foods you’re getting from this new standard.

This will require you to start reading all your food labels! Even stores such as Whole Foods and Trader Joes still put horrible, unhealthy fats in so-called “healthy foods.”

PLANNING AHEAD FOR YOUR HEALTHY GROCERY LIST

We briefly touched on planning ahead but I had to go over this again. This gives you focus. Focus is your superpower for consistency. And consistency is going to get you to the body you want.

I love taking Sunday or sometime on the weekend to plan ahead for my next week.

Will you be able to cook most meals? Are you going to be traveling? Do you have any work events? Maybe you’re planning for happy hour on Thursday?

Planning ahead and asking yourself these questions will best allow you to prepare and be more proactive in these situations rather than you REACTING to them, getting stressed, and falling off track.

Only to feel guilty and have to pull yourself back together, over and over again. I’ve been there, and I’m sure you have too, not fun.

You’ll then, with planning ahead, know what to get at the store, even what snacks to bring to work, and this will help create an ongoing list that you constantly shop from.

WHAT A HEALTHY GROCERY LIST ULTIMATELY COMES DOWN TO

You are where you’re at right now based on your actions and habits leading up to this point. The great news? We can change those.

Sure, change is never promised to be simple. But we can do our best to make it more and more easy on ourselves. And the steps/tips I shared with you above are the main pieces that make up the foundation on how I approach food and grocery shopping to reach my fitness goals.

Before you jet off to the store, you’ll also find it helpful to take some time and audit your day.

Really look at where you spend your time when you’re eating, the foods you’ve been eating, and you’ll start to put together (and with the help of the healthy grocery list above) your very own diet that you enjoy. That you can make into your very own lifestyle.

And that is when you get the best of bost worlds where fitness enhances your life and doesn’t become a full-time job.

Share this with someone who needs to get their eating in check!

Please feel free to comment and ask any questions below!

Happy days,

– Trent