Fitness Expert Gives Top 10 Grocery Shopping Tips

Grocery shopping can be such a nightmare, especially when you're trying to lose weight. There are so many distractions, confusing labels, and all kinds of temptations.

What's a person to do?

Here are my top 10 grocery shopping tips to keep you on track and fueling your body to achieve your goals.

1. Create a menu- if you fail to plan you plan to fail. Going to the store without your meal planned for the week is a sure fire way to fail. Take 30 minutes before heading out to check recipes for the necessities of the week.

2. Eat before you go- we have all heard that before but it is a proven fact that you will spend more purchasing unnecessary food if you shop on an empty stomach. You WILL be more tempted by the newest product or marketing gimmicks.

3. Perimeter shop- outside aisles of most grocery stores contains fresh produce, dairy and butcher sections. Fill your cart so there so it doesn't allow room for the processed foods found in the center aisles.

4. Shop solo- it is quicker and there isn't outside influence to go off the reservation.

5. Stick to your list- this saves your budget as well as your waistline. That what lists are for- TO FOLLOW.

6. Look for and avoid hidden sugars- these include corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, glucofrutose, honey, molasses, maple syrup, maltose, sucrose and artificial sweeteners. If you read labels carefully they will be easy to spot.

7. Read labels- The nutrition label will also list total grams of fat per serving along with amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol. Watch for and avoid palm and palm kernel oil, shortening, butter, chocolate, milk chocolate, cocoa butter, egg and egg yolk solids, lard, tallow, suet, whole-milk solids, glycerol esters, and mono-or-diglycerides.

8. Avoid man-made trans fats and saturated fats at all cost- trans fats are the worst artery-clogging, cancer-causing substance you can put in your body.

9. Always look for the highest fiber content products- especially in breads and cereals.

10. Be aware of "health" foods posing as healthy foods- to be fat-free, 33% less fat, low fat the manufactures must put something as a substitute to enhance the flavor. More often than not these products contain more hidden evils than the original.

Bonus Tip #11 - Join a local fitness boot camp that offers FREE grocery store tours. This can be a HUGE help. A quality tour will show you how to shop, where to spend your time and what to watch out for.

Grocery shopping when your trying to lose weight doesn't have to be such a daunting task. Follow these ELEVEN tips and you'll be sure to beat the grocery shopping demons.

Good luck and remember...

Have Faith & Take Action