Healthy Grocery List

My healthy grocery list, includes mostly healthy items that you can shop for. There will be good products not included, E.G. Dannon and Yoplait Yogurts that taste great, but contain many ingredients. A Better Lifestyle Solution would be Fage 0% Greek yogurt with only 2 ingredients, and over twice the protein. That does not mean you can’t eat Yoplait or Dannon. There are many great products, but these are my picks.

See my organic foods and organic protein pages for my recommendations. We limit our sweets, so definitely read my info. on sugar and sugar substitutes to make sure you know the healthiest options for your family.

Feel free to send in your suggestions! I tried to go through my cupboards, so these are my healthy diet habits, and this healthy grocery list, works for us!

DAIRY PRODUCTS

CHEESES:

• Reduced fat cheeses (These taste great. Fat free versions are poor tasting.)
• Fat-free cottage cheese
• Fat free or Low fat Cream cheese. My favorite is Trader Joe’s Light Whipped Cream cheese.
• Fat free crumbled Feta. Trader Joe’s is awesome!
• Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedges
• Light String Cheeses
• Laughing Cow Mini Babybel Light cheeses
• Reduced fat Parmesan grated cheese
• Some stores are now starting to carry organic cheeses which are great!

YOGURT and ICE CREAM TREATS:

• Fat free plain Greek Yogurt - Best ones are Fage Total 0%, Trader Joe’s 0% or Chobani Nonfat
• Flavored - Fage Total 2% with fruit, Chobani Nonfat
• Frozen Yogurt or Fruit Sorbets or Lighter Ice Creams
• All Skinny Cow items. (The Sugar Free option is great!)

MILK SUBSTITUTES or MILK:

• Refrigerated Light or Fat free vanilla or plain soy milks (Silk Light original has only 60 calories for 1 cup, and they have a new Sugar Free option)
• Unsweetened Blue Diamond Vanilla Almond Breeze (40 calories for 1 cup)
• Fat free milk or buttermilk
• More and more grocery stores are now have Organic Milk products which are great!

PUDDING:

• Sugar free Pudding cups
• Mousse Temptations by Jell-O
• Jell-O Instant Sugar-free or Fat free boxed puddings to make at home.

DAIRY CONDIMENTS

• Cool Whip free or lite
• Fat free Reddi-whip
• Fat free or light sour cream - fat free is great in dips and light works better in baking.
• Light margarines or butter spreads - Brummel and Brown, Land O Lakes Light butter (my fav), and Smart Balance Light, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray (amazing)

MEATS:

• Lean sandwich meats - Look for ones that do not contain Nitrates - Trader Joe’s.
• Boneless Chicken or Turkey breast - fresh or frozen - shop sales!
• Extra lean turkey ground breast
• Extra lean ground beef - the leanest you can afford
• Lean beef or pork
• Sausages that do not contain nitrates, msg or antibiotics-Trader Joe’s - Spicy Italian Chicken sausage, All Natural Uncured Turkey Hot Dogs with No Nitrates.
• Turkey Meatballs - Trader Joe’s freezer section - great with spaghetti
• Canned tuna or chunk white chicken or turkey or salmon in water
• Fresh or frozen fish fillets - Trader Joes - just check out their frozen section for great choices.
• Meat substitutes would be: Boca, Morningstar Farms, Gardein, Gardenburger or Amy’s.
• Turkey bacon is passable, and Trader Joes has an uncured one. Try to stay away from Nitrates where possible.

EGG PRODUCTS:

• Fat free liquid egg substitute
• Liquid egg whites
• Eggs

NUTS:

Great snacks, but eat sparingly as they are caloric - count them out in servings - do not eat by the handful!

• Walnuts
• Almonds
• Pistachios
• Pecans

CEREAL or BREAKFAST:

• All Kashi cereals, love Go Lean Crunch and Autumn Wheat (not enough fiber)
• All Barbara’s cereals, love all Puffins and Shredded Spoonfuls (not enough fiber though)
• Trader Joe’s High Fiber cereal (my fav)
• Fiber One Bran cereal is good for baking, but not for breakfast cereal because Trader Joe’s is much better!
• Old Fashioned Oats
• Steel cut oats - buy them in the bins for cheaper (Fred Meyer, Whole Foods)
• Any Bob’s Red Mill Hot Cereals
• Any new grain hot cereals from the bins
• Low fat waffles from Kashi, Eggo, and Vans

VEGETABLES:

• All seasonal fresh vegetables for best deals
• Pre-chopped or grated fresh vegetables - Trader Joe’s carries affordable ones
• Salad veggies and bagged lettuce, spinach etc.
• Bagged broccoli slaw
• Frozen varieties - Costco bulk or Trader Joe’s. Just be careful of varieties with a caloric sauce.
• Salsa - Costco or Trader Joe’s fresh tomato salsas!
• Frozen Edamame
• Anything fresh or frozen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Remember the half plate rule!

FRUITS:

• Any seasonal fruit or any that is affordable to you
• Canned or Jarred Fruits in juice or water with no added sugar.
• Applesauce with no sugar added - great in small pouches for brown bagging

GRAINS AND PACKAGED BEANS AND LEGUMES:

• Brown rice or Wild rice or Black rice
• Whole wheat pasta
• Whole wheat couscous
• Harvest Grains Blend (Trader Joe’s)
• Cracked Wheat
• Bulgur Wheat
• Barley
• Quinoa
• Brown Rice Medley (Trader Joe’s)
• Whole wheat flour
• Whole wheat pastry flour - substitute for white flour in many baked goods
• 17 Bean and Barley Mix (Trader Joe’s)
• Bean Soup Mix
• Lentils - all colors
• Red Beans
• Black Beans
• White Beans or Northern Beans
• Split Peas
• Fava Beans
• Pinto Beans
• All beans are great!!!!!

BREADS:

• Low calorie, high fiber light bread - We like Sara Lee Delightful or Franz Good and Healthy 45 calorie Multigrain Wheat. Great for sandwiches.
• Light hamburger or hot dog buns-look for 100 calorie varieties
• 100 calorie flat buns for sandwiches like Orowheat sandwich thins.
• Light English Muffins - We like Franz Light and Healthy - 100 calorie - extra fiber Multigrain. Great!
• Bagel thins if you must. I would rather split a real bagel. Be mindful, many large bagels are 4 grain servings!
• Small whole wheat pitas from Trader Joe’s
• High fiber Low carb - flour tortillas
• Mission Extra thin Corn tortillas (40 calories each)

CONDIMENTS:

• Low fat or reduced fat Mayonnaise
• Trader Joe’s Fat free Balsamic Vinaigrette, Raspberry vinaigrette or Sesame
• Soy Ginger vinaigrette Salad Dressings
• Sugar free Maple syrups
• Sugar free chocolate sauce
• Reduced sugar ketchup
• Sugar free Jams (Smuckers or Trader Joe’s all fruit)
• Splenda, packets or Granulated for baking
• Torani Sugar Free Syrups
• Dill Pickles
• Dill Relish
• Olive oil, Canola oil, Pam or Olive oil spray
• Sugar-free Jell-O
• Yoshida’s Marinade and Cooking Sauce - Original Gourmet

CANNED GOODS:

• All canned beans and fat free refried beans
• Progresso Fat free soups
• Amy’s Organic Light Soups
• Fat free chicken, Beef, or Veggie Broths
• Libby’s Pure Pumpkin
• Crushed Tomatoes (Costco 6#12oz can and freeze the rest)

DRINKS:

• Crystal Light, Lipton Iced tea to go, Arizona teas 
• 25 calorie hot cocoa mixes, Swiss Miss Diet or Nestle fat free
• I am not a fan of drinking calories at all. I prefer to eat, so the list is small!
• Great ground coffee
• Great variety of tea that you love. I have 20 varieties
• Oregon Chai Sugar free original (0 calories) and pair it with almond milk!

SNACK FOODS:

• Hummus
• Tzatziki
• Rye Whole Grain Mini toasts -(Trader Joe’s) great with hummus
• Trader Joe’s Pumpernickel Pretzel sticks - great for dipping
• Trader Joe’s Pretzel Slims - Flat pretzels - great for dipping
• Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Pita Chips with sea salt
• Quaker Quakes Rice Snacks
• Quaker Mini Delights Chocolately Drizzle
• Low fat Soy Crisps (my favorite)
• Trader Joe’s Barbeque Popped Potato chips - GREAT!
• Any 100 calorie snack cookie packs. I think Lorne Doone and Keebler Sandies Right Bites Shortbread cookies are the best!
• Any 100 calorie Microwave popcorn (although buying Organic Popcorn, brown bag lunch sacks and using a little olive oil and making your own microwave popcorn bags is a healthier option)
• Original flavor Sun Chips
• Trader Joe’s Vanilla Meringues Fat Free

This is by no means my entire healthy grocery list, but close. I mostly shop for real foods, so I have purposely kept processed foods to a minimum. I am sure that I have missed a few items.

If you have something that is an absolute "must have healthy diet habit food choice" that has worked for you, please share, and I'll consider adding it to my healthy grocery list!