Grocery Shopping Guidelines
This guide is intended to serve as a helpful, flexible resource for organizing your shopping trip, keeping to a budget while staying healthy, and including foods that actually taste good so that you can reach your goals while still enjoying meals with friends. You also might convince a few people that eating healthy isn’t so bad along the way!
This isn’t meant to be any sort of “reset” or “cleanse.” This is simply how I plan and eat weekly. It’s mostly healthy, always tasty, and very sustainable. It’s a real example of what I personally eat weekly as a person who:
Has roommates who care a little less about a fitness focused diet
Is a a young, busy person on a budget
Loves to cook - there are simpler ways to go about this if you don’t enjoy cooking. This includes pre prepared meals, mixes, pre seasoned meats, frozen steam-able vegetables, etc. I am happy to point you in the direction of great products + fitness educators who eat that way if you prefer.
Loves food and sees it as something that builds community and brings happiness, not just as fuel.
I hope that this provides a good outline for how to begin cooking healthy food at home that people actually enjoy. I’m sure you’ll slowly build a repertoire of recipes that you enjoy most. Perhaps you’ll love all the ones I list, but more likely your list will become more unique as you get more comfortable in the kitchen and at the store. I look forward to hearing more about what everyone uses their ingredients to cook.
Table of contents
Introduction: flexible diet guidelines
1: focus on adding nutrient dense foods rather than on eliminating items you perceive as unhealthy
A healthy diet should not focus on eliminating less healthy foods, but rather on adding nutrient dense foods. If you focus on hitting intake goals for protein, vegetables, and water on a daily basis, you just won’t have that much room in your stomach to overeat less nutrient dense foods. There’s absolutely no need to tell yourself you can’t have certain foods, just act like a parent might and tell yourself you can have them if you also eat your vegetables. Just eat whatever you want as long as you stick to key goals outlined in the next section.
This approach will help you to
→ enjoy food in a social context. It’s much easier to enjoy food with friends, family, roommates, and whomever else you might want to sit down to eat with if you work on adopting this dieting mindset. Ordering or making a vegetable side is easy to do anywhere, saying you are completely cutting out X food group is tricky. It also tends to feel really limiting and disempowering.
→ enjoy a variety of foods. For years I restricted my diet. Every day would either be 100% SUPER “healthy” (aka low calorie meals, salads, etc) or 100% BINGE. That meant I ate a tone of kale and then a ton of pizza and cookies, but there wasn’t really any space for all those great foods that I love to share with friends like curries, burritos, tacos, dumplings, etc.
Switching your dieting focus towards adding nutrient dense foods rather than cutting out food groups gives you the flexibility to enjoy a really diverse variety of cuisines while still supporting your fitness goals.
→ enjoy foods that others cook. I used to try to cook all the meals because the idea of someone else cooking stressed me out (What if they choose to cook something unhealthy? How much oil did they use?). This plan gives you the flexibility to eat what your friends cook without any worries.
2: Don’t plan “cheat” Days
I encourage you to strive for seven balanced days of eating rather than five super ‘clean’ weekdays followed by a weekend of reckless abandon. This goes hand in hand with the focus on adding healthy items rather than on restricting less healthy items. If you let yourself eat what you want, you won’t NEED a weekend to fit in all the foods you’ve been denying yourself. I mention this because, in my experience as a trainer, I’ve found it’s pretty common for people either smash their day with back to back salads and water — or eat one “unhealthy” item and then call the whole day a loss and proceed eat until they feel lethargic or sick.
3. Let those close to you know your goals.
This one tends to be a source of shame for people. People can be really mean when you’re trying to make healthier food choices, so it’s understandable that some find it hard to be upfront about their goals. For me, the years that I was really MOST restrictive were also the years when I tried hardest to put on a carefree front. The result: eating in social situations was extremely difficult and uncomfortable.
While it can be really hard to let people close to you know about your fitness goals, it’s important to have support if you want this to last. The people you eat all your meals with need to be aware of your goals. For example, I’ll eat whatever my roommates cook but I insist we make a vegetable side regardless of the meal. I also am clear that I don’t (not can’t, just don’t - my choice) drink on weekdays. At first they weren’t used to it, but now we just always have vegetables and it’s common knowledge I won’t drink. This is much easier to stick to when they’re aware of my preference and I enjoy every meal they cook without restriction.
Impactful Habits to Implement Now
Don’t worry about a strict diet, eliminating whole food groups, buying into a cleanse, etc before you nail the basics! For most people this is enough to keep them going long term.
Before adopting any new dietary rule, ask yourself “is this something i can see doing for the next 30 years?” If not, it’s not a great lifestyle habit.
Protein intake. Aim for something around .8g of protein per lb of bodyweight (approx, no need to weigh it unless you really want to - I have a whole blog on this). This is higher than the RDA, which is around .8 per kg, because it’s a target intended for those interested in building strength.
Eat 1-2 cups of vegetables per meal. This will provide adequate fiber and micronutrients, and make you feel super full and satisfied after every meal without overeating often. I try to eat a lot of green vegetables, but often I default to carrots at lunch - so easy!
Water intake. A simple equation to find a baseline water intake goal: take your bodyweight divided by two. Drink that much in ounces. Water makes us feel good, to recover, to digest food, and to distinguish between hunger and thirst cues.
Sleep 7-8 hours. Adequate sleep keeps everything in balance!
Limit alcohol intake. This will help you to become more mindful with alcohol. Stop mindlessly defaulting to a drink at the end of the day and set a reasonable goal for yourself. Consider not drinking on weekdays, or setting a drink limit.
Move outside of formal exercise. I love training hard, but in reality the most important thing is how you spend time during the rest of the day. Consistent activity > a full workout followed by a day on the couch. 8-10k steps is arbitrary, but it’s a good place to start. If you prefer to bike or swim, that’s great too.
Limit caffeine intake to 400g max. This one is definitely an estimate. We all have different caffeine intake limits. Some people can handle more than this. That said, excessive caffeine can be linked to higher stress levels, poor sleep quality, adrenal fatigue, and more - especially for women. If you have everything else in line and are noticing you don’t feel great, look into caffeine.
Buy mostly foods you have to prepare. Buy a few snacks for backup and emergencies, but generally having to take at least a step or two to prepare your food leads to more mindful eating. This also makes for a more affordable list.
If you establish these consistent daily habits, you’ll feel good and you’ll be full without overeating. This is enough for most of us with lifestyle focused training goals. If you struggle with disordered eating, you should speak with a registered dietitian and/or therapist, and not just a trainer or “nutritionist” (a meaningless word at best).
A note on transitioning from a strict diet:
If you’ve been restricting for a while, it might take time for these habits to even out. When you first allow yourself to eat whatever you’re craving, you might go overboard. You have a scarcity mindset when it comes to food! You’ve trained yourself to eat as much of X food as possible *right now* because it won’t be “allowed” in the future. If you stop restricting certain foods, there will be no pressure to eat as much of said food in one sitting as possible. Just keep going and your cravings will even out. With a bit of time, you’ll be able to keep those foods around without eating 100% of them immediately.
Weekly Grocery Shopping Game Plan
Each week my roommates and I create a list using this template. All of our emails are added to it, and we can see what people are adding in real time. We can also see comments and what the shopper (usually me) is checking off. Feel free to steal it or copy the idea. Looking at the past week reminds us of what we already purchased that might need to be used, and what we didn’t get (out of stock items) to look for again. This keeps me focused so I don’t end up wandering around and buying a ton of snacks we don’t need. In the end, shopping at Safeway in San Francisco, our total comes out to an average of just over $200 for three people for every meal of the week. This is done with purchasing mostly whole foods and really paying no attention to sales at all. That said, it doesn’t include any alcohol so that makes the budgeting a bit easier.
You can visit safeway.com and type in your zip code to check on these prices if the exact budget is a priority for you. Other stores have similar tools.
Categorizing Your Grocery List
Start by using these subcategories. These are the same categories used in the template linked above. Breaking your shopping list down into store sections makes shopping far more efficient than organizing your list by food group or macronutrient group.
Planned meals.
Gives me an idea of what the items are for in case I need to opt for a close replacement. Plus, this allows us to hopefully choose recipes where some ingredients overlap to save space and money.Meat + dairy
Cheeses, animal protein, eggs, milk, yogurt, butter etcDry and canned goods
Generally things we replace less frequently and that might be purchased in bulk. Rice, pasta, legumes, canned beans and vegetables, breakfast cereals like oatmeal and grits.Oils, sauces, spices
Condiments, pre-made pasta sauces, cooking oils, spice cabinet restocking.Produce
Where I spend most of my time and money. Typically needs to be almost completely replenished each time as produce goes bad.Frozen
Frozen vegetables, ice creamOther
Things that don’t fit into a category - it’s not always obvious! Plus, nonfood items like parchment paper and trash bags.
Budgeting
Frozen vegetables! Find the vegetables that you enjoy frozen and buy them. Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious, if not MORE nutritious than fresh. This is because they are typically flash frozen at harvest so they don’t get as damaged as fresh produce (banging around in the truck —> nutrient loss)
Prioritize high quality free range eggs. If you want to buy some items organic or local, but can’t afford to go 100% organic, eggs should be one of your first priorities. The nutrient profile for free range eggs is way better than conventionally farmed eggs.
Limit meat. Meat can get pricey, especially high quality meat. I try to avoid making meat the center of my plate very often by incorporating vegetarian protein sources like beans, legumes and tofu frequently. That said, I do have a big burger from time to time. Many concerns related to the quality of meat have more to do with environmental justice + animal cruelty than personal health concerns.
A side by side comparison listing some key qualities to consider when purchasing meat.
Know when to buy organic. Remember, the most important priority is to eat whole and nutrient dense foods. Prioritize that over buying organic. If you want to start buying some organic foods, but can’t afford to get all your vegetables organic, here’s a reference for which to prioritize for your own health.
Prioritize whole foods over organic if necessary. If you want to begin purchasing some organic items, here are the items to splurge on, and those that don’t matter so much,
FWJ Go-to Planned Meals
Since these are my classic weekly meals, I’ve posted the recipes for almost all of them somewhere. I’ve linked those below. If you need somewhere to start, start here. As you cook more you’ll slowly build a list of great recipes that you enjoy. It might not always look like mine!
Breakfast
Breakfasts tend to be very affordable dishes centered around dry goods that I don’t need to restock weekly.
Poached eggs
Great on top of toast and with avocado in the summer!Teff flour pancakes
Energizing gluten free grain based pancakes that taste amazing. higher in fiber and lower in sugars than traditional pancakes.Grits
Savory alternative to oatmeal. Great with a poached egg on top.Oatmeal
I make mine with apples + raisins.Sweet potato hash
An alternative option for a great brunch! If you make a bunch in advance, it can be an easy weekday breakfast too. My post gives tips on how best to prepare it if you want to eat it all week.
Lunch
Almost always…leftover dinner. This helps me save time and avoid food waste. If it’s not leftover dinner, it’s one of these.
Healthy high protein quiche
What I do for “meal prep” aka what to eat when I don’t have delicious leftovers from the night before.Open faced turkey sandwich
Turkey, sourdough, avocado, lettuce, tomato, salt + pepper. Through some baby carrots on the side and call it good.
Tuna salad sandwich
Tuna is high protein and super cheap. Plus, it’s canned so it’s a great backup to buy and have on hand. If you’d like my recipe please let me know! I can post it up.
Dinner
Items like beans can really help us to lower meal cost and stretch animal proteins out. This allows for a high protein meal where meat isn’t always at the center of the plate. These are our default recipes.
Shrimp kebat
Saved to my instagram highlights.Masoor daal
Saved to my instagram highlights under Lentils!Risotto
One of my roommates' favorite dishes to cook! A classic example of a less healthy meal that can be totally reasonable if you put some good protein in and serve with a hearty side of roast vegetables.Basic burgers
Make some patties! Throw some condiments on! Check out my post on marinating to see why it might be worth it to take the time to do that with burgers as well. Serve with a hearty side of vegetables.Marinated steaks
Check out this post I made explaining why marinating your steak actually has health benefits.Baked chicken
Brine breasts in salt water for as long as you want (up to 6 hours). season with melted butter, spices of choice (salt, pepper, garlic, paprika), bake @ 450 degrees for 15-18 min.
Itemized Grocery List
This is a savable + free resource. Check out this public document for an itemized breakdown by section. This document includes suggested quantities and approximate prices. My bill averages around $200-$230 per week for three people, or $66-$76 per person per week.
Useful document features
Based around the core ingredients for the dishes listed above - more than enough meal options to get you through the week.
The items are organized into the same categories provided in my grocery list template. This template is a free resource - feel free to use it to plan future trips.
I’ve listed the approximate quantities I purchase for my household as well as the approximate prices (at Safeway in San Francisco).
I’ve created a key that reflects the frequency at which I restock.
I’ve noted which you can buy in bulk, and which to replenish weekly.
Refer to the organic produce chart + side-by-side meat comparison provided above for more budgeting guidance
The grocery list total comes to $185.26 per week ($61.75 per person), A $200-$230 gives us a lot of wiggle room for extra items that get thrown in. Realistically, we aren’t going to buy the exact same things every week so I believe this is a reasonable price window. Items added in might be a nice cheese, avocados, seasonal fruit, something unusual for a new recipe, a candy bar i notice at checkout, etc.