A Great Big KISS

Well, my cupboards are getting bear and the fridge is looking empty, so that can only mean one thing...time to food shop.

My clients ask me all the time "what should I eat", and I always have the same answer, I give them a great big KISS. Not on the lips, and definitely not the one from Hershey's, I give the the acronym: Keep It Simple Silly.

Keep it simple, because less is more. I am not talking about less food, I mean less ingredients. Food is best for you when it is in it's healthiest, natural form. The more ingredients and preservatives a product has, the less healthy it is going to be. A great rule of food shopping is to walk the perimeter of the store. Think of the food items located around the perimeter: produce, seafood, meats, dairy and then the frozen food isle. 90% of your food shopping should be taking place in these sections of the store.

Ingredients in the food are important to read, and again KISS applies. There should be fewer ingredients on a the list, therefor less additives and preservatives. The closer you keep it to nature, the healthier it is going to be.

It is also a good idea to have a list and stick to it. Planning your shopping gives you the ability to know what you are going to buy before all the marketing geniuses work their magic on you in the aisles of the store. Remember, they are getting paid to entice you to buy their products, having your mind made up before hand will help you.

When you are in doubt and tempted by foods not on the list, ask yourself: do I REALLY want that? Is it going to help me or hurt me? Simply by slowing down and being mindful about what you buy is a great way not to fall off the healthy eating cart.

It's time to take my shopping list to the store. If I keep healthy options in my house I am always prepared and can't dive into a bag of something else. We will talk about healthy snacks tomorrow.