1. Never shop when you're hungry - you'll make bad choices.
2. Pull up this grocery list every time you enter the grocery store. This will keep you focused and help you avoid impulse purchases.
3. Shopping the outer aisles is usually where the "real food" is. This isn't always true but be aware of it.
The middle is where you can get into trouble so stick to the perimeter.
4. Human beings are creatures of habit.
If at all possible, choose your 1 or 2 days a week that you will go shopping and stick with the plan as best you can.
Be flexible, but most of my clients seem to do better when they know what DAY & TIME they are going grocery shopping.
Put it in your calendar on "repeat" weekly just like you would a personal training appointment or an important zoom meeting.
Popular days for shopping are Saturday or Sunday morning for the "major shop" and the middle of the week for the "mini" shop (if necessary) in case you run low or run out of a few staple items you need to finish the week strong.
NOTE: If a food, beverage, protein bar or shake is NOT on this list...ASK ME before you make the purchase!
If you see a ** symbol next to any food, it's a personal favorite I always have in my grocery cart!
Buy what works for you. You have to enjoy the foods you eat.
NOTE: Try to purchase meats void of hormones, look for grass-fed and and wild caught fish vs farm raised fish. These choices make a big difference on your long-term health!
- Chicken or Turkey breast **, Chicken tenderloin **, Chicken thighs (skin is optional but has more calories) ** Chicken drumsticks, Chicken (canned in water)
- Eggs and/or Egg Whites / **
- Fresh or frozen fish (salmon, sea bass, branzino, red snapper, halibut, shrimp, lobster, scallops, cod, tilapia etc.) **
- Canned "Light" Tuna in a can or in single serve packs (less mercury) - make sure it says "Light" vs. the Albacore.
- NY strip steak **, Sirloin steak, top round, filet mignon, lean grass-fed ribeye ** (you can find this at Wegmans.)
Typically ribeyes are a fatty meat I wouldn't recommend but if you can find this, its only 190 calories and 21 g of protein per serving and its delicious.
- Lamb (chops, leg or roast) **
- Lean ground turkey chicken, beef, bison or venison (93/7 or better) ** Make sure that the fat content is around 10 grams per 3 ounces or better.
- Frozen Turkey burgers **
- Frozen Salmon burgers
- Bacon or uncured turkey bacon from a company like Applegate or Canadian bacon.
- Ready-to-drink protein shakes: Premier Protein **, Muscle Milk, Isopure **, Core Power **, Core Power Elite, Slate or Fairlife **.
- Ready-to-drink "plant based" protein shakes: No Cow, Owyn, Orgain and Vega are good options.
- Protein bars: Barebells**, Built Bars **, Kirkland Protein Bars (Costco Signature **), Quest **, One bars **, No Cow **, Pure Protein or Fit Crunch.
- "Plant based" protein bars: No Cow, Owyn, Orgain and Vega are good options.
- Protein powder (whey and/or casein) like Quest, Premier Protein, PEScience, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey **
- Protein powder for vegetarians (look for pea, hemp or rice protein from companies like Vega Sport, No Cow, Owyn, Orgain or Ascent)
- Deli Meat: Cold cuts like low-sodium chicken, turkey, ham and roast beef are ok but I'm not a huge fan of deli meats.
- Low-Fat or 0% Fat Plain Greek Yogurt (dairy) - a staple in my refrigerator and a great source of protein! Top 5 for me! **
I add a packet of stevia and put some berries on top and it's the perfect breakfast, mid-morning snack or even at night if I'm hungry and having a craving.
- Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt, Chobani 0%, Fage 0% or Ratio Protein are great choices.
- Low-Fat or 0% Fat Cottage Cheese (a favorite among my clients is the one with pineapples in it.)
- Lower fat cheese( grated parmesan, ricotta, part-skim mozzarella, reduced fat cheddar, Colby or reduced fat feta which is great for salads and omelettes. Wegmans even has fat-free feta) **
- Low-fat mozzarella cheese sticks from companies like Sargento and others. Make sure it says "light."
- Fairlife fat-free ultra-filtered milk - 13 g of protein and only 120 calories. Add it to cereals (Premier Protein or Catalina Crunch) to really kick up the protein.
- Kefir - organic probiotic cultured, low-fat milk. I get the plain and unsweetened one. It's only got 110 calories per cup and has 10 g of protein. Add it to cereals like premier protein or Catalina crunch (found at Costco) to really kick up the protein.
You could also increase the protein by adding Fairlife to a high protein pancake mix like Kodiak.)
- Atkins or Quest High Protein Chips: My personal favorite is Quest. They have about 15 to 20 g of protein per bag and only between 150 and 200 calories.
- Best high protein ice cream would be Halo Top or Enlightened. I love Halo Top.
- If you're a vegetarian trying to add more protein to your diet look for companies like...
Morning Star, Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Gardein, Tofurky, Field Roast and Lightlife:
They have options like plant-based burgers, sausages, and ground beef made from pea protein or from soy and potato proteins.
You can also find fishless fillets, chickenless chicken nuggets and tenders, etc..
Buy what works for you. You have to enjoy the foods you eat.
- Sweet Potatoes ** or Yams **
- Red potato or Standard Potato (Russet)
(Look for a company called Alexia - they make healthy sweet potato fries, potato puffs, regular french fries and more with a lot less calories and ZERO trans fat Look for them in the frozen section.
- Jasmine rice **, Basmati rice or Wild Rice
- Bob's Red Mill Organic Oatmeal or Powerful Oatmeal
- Catalina Crunch Cereal ** (found at Costco), Fiber One Cereal or Premier Protein also make a high protein cereal.
- Kodiak Cake Pancake Mix
- Viking Waffles
- Beans: Chickpea, Black Bean, Lentils, Kidney beans, Navy Beans or Pinto Beans (great source of fiber!)
- NOTE: (Cauliflower rice in the frozen section is a great alternative to "rice" in general if you want to lower your daily calories.)
- Pasta (avoid pasta "fortified or enriched with folic acid)...Rao's makes one that is void of that. This is not my favorite carb but it's still a good choice.
- Dave's Killer Bread or Buns.** They make a few varieties. All are great. (my personal favorite)
Look for the "thin"slices if possible that have 70 calories per slice. If not, go with the ones that are 110 calories per slice with 21 whole grains and seeds.
- Ezekiel bread or Ezekiel English muffins.
- 647 Bread (6 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber and 7 net carbs) - another great bread option.
- Mission carb balance tortilla wraps. They have whole wheat but I prefer the plain flour ones. These suckers have 15 g of fiber!
- Fiber One Bread
- The "Better Bagel"
- Any berry (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries are great choices and are high in fiber) **
- Bananas (great for shakes and a good source of fiber) **
- Oranges (good source of fiber)
- Kiwis
-Grapefruit (great on the side with your eggs, egg, whites, or omelette.)
- Apples (good source of fiber and great for salads, I like green apples) **
- Lemons and limes (will also be under "seasonings") **
Buy what works for you. You have to enjoy the foods you eat.
- Avocados**
(technically avocados are a fruit, but sine they contain about 30 grams of fat... from a calories and macros perspective, they're put in the fats category)
- Extra virgin olive oil (great for marinades, dips and dressings on salads) **
Look for the olive oil spray as well to save calories when cooking! Great value olive oil spray Pam olive oil spray or Bertolli extra virgin olive oil spray.
- Avocado oil - great for cooking in high temperatures. This is the oil of choice for cooking. ** Chosen foods, Pam or Primal kitchen avocado oil spray.
Look for the avocado spray as well to save calories when cooking!
- Coconut oil (another great cooking oil but I prefer avocado oil)
- Grass-fed butter (great for cooking) **
- Ghee butter (clarified butter free of lactose and casein - also used for cooking)
- Nuts: Almonds or Walnuts, Pistachios, Brazil Nuts, Hazel Nuts, Cashews, Macadamia Nuts or Pecans.
I highly suggest you buy the "Emerald 100 calorie packs" because it's so easy to go overboard on eating nuts out of a big jar.
If you want save money... make sure to use a food scale or to count out the number of nuts you're going to consume by looking at what a "serving" on the label and placing them in separate small snack bags for the week.
- All natural peanut or almond butter **
- PB2 (powdered peanut butter) - saves calories.
Mix 1-2 tablespoons to protein shakes, smoothies or Greek yogurt for added protein without the extra fat.**
Buy what works for you. You have to enjoy the foods you eat.
Fresh or Frozen Veggies (Buy what works for you.)
- Spinach ** (great for a late night snack with some light dressing to help you feel full - full of fiber.)
- Asparagus ** (great with steak or salmon or other fish.)
- Broccoli (high fiber and great with chicken or steak)
- Cauliflower
- Artichokes (high fiber)
- Bell peppers (various colors) **
- Tomatoes **
(botanically speaking... tomatoes are considered a fruit, however for nutritional & culinary purposes they're considered to be vegetables.
- Cucumbers **
- Pickles (which really are just cucumbers that are submerged in vinegar, salt and spices...great for a late night snack)
- Zucchini
- Turnip Greens (high in fiber)
- Green beans **
- Green peas (high in fiber)
- Collard Greens
- Brussel sprouts (high in fiber)
- Kale
- Mushrooms **
- Edamame **
- Carrots (high in fiber)
- Mixed veggies blends (frozen) **
- Arugula (I love salads with arugula) **
Buy what works for you.
- Sea salt or Himalayan pink salt **
- Black pepper **
- Lemons or lemon zest **
- Limes or lime zest **
- Garlic powder or minced garlic **
- Onion powder or minced onions
- Fresh herbs like basil, cilantro, parsley, thyme, rosemary and dill **
- Ground cumin
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Turmeric
- Mustard powder
- Chili powder or crushed red pepper flakes **
- Vinegar (apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar) **
- Low-sodium soy sauce **
- Hot sauce or sriracha (without added sugars) **
- Italian seasoning blend
Buy what works for you. Try to consume .5-1 ounces of water per lb. of bodyweight daily. Half your weight in water is a great start for most.
- Water **
- Coffee (yes you can halve 1/2 & half or light cream with your coffee) I also use STEVIA.** Truvia and Monk Fruit is also ok.
- Tea **
- Crystal light **
- Sparkling water **
- Seltzer **
- Diet soda (as long as it's diet, it won't ruin your diet or goals but don't consume more than ONE 12 oz. can 3-4x a week if you must)
- Recently I've discovered a new soda called Olipop that supports digestive health.
Wegmans makes their own brand called Wonder Pop.
These sodas, have pre-biotics, plant, fiber, and botanicals to support your microbiome and digestive health.
They only contain approximately 35 calories and they contain a whopping 9 g of fiber.
This is a great choice to increase your daily fiber intake while enjoying a refreshing soda that's actually good for you.
This is a quick video compilation of a major grocery shop that I did and a couple of quick "in-and-out-fast" mini shops that I had to do within the same week.
Sometimes you'll find that you'll need to pick up a couple of items during the week like fresh fruits and vegetables to last you until the next big shop and that's totally normal.
Buy what works for you.
NOTE: Most of the stuff below you will find cheaper at places like Costco or BJ's, but if it becomes difficult, I have links to Amazon for everything.
- 1/2 Gallon water bottle: To encourage staying hydrated throughout the day which supports weight loss, and overall health. Buy on Amazon HERE
- Gallon freezer bags: For storing batch cooked meals or portions of food in the freezer. Buy on Amazon HERE
- Portion-controlled plastic bags: Ideal for dividing snacks or ingredients into single servings to prevent overheating. Traveling to work with a portion of walnuts would be great usage of these plastic bags. Buy on Amazon HERE
- Meal prep containers (one compartment): These are reusable containers of various sizes for storing prepped meals, snacks, and ingredients. Get the good ones! Buy on Amazon HERE
Meal prep containers (3 compartment): Get on Amazon HERE
- Glass jars: Great for storing, homemade sauces, dressings and snacks. I use mason jars. Buy on Amazon HERE
- Heavy duty aluminum foil. Buy on Amazon HERE
- Cling 'N Seal clear plastic food wrap. Buy on Amazon HERE
- Healthy oil mister: You can purchase this one time for like $10 on Amazon. They are less expensive than constantly buying nonstick cooking spray in the store. These are used for coating pans and trays with minimal oil during cooking or baking saving you a ton of calories. Buy on Amazon HERE
- Measuring spoons & cups: For precise measurements of spices, oils, sauces, and other ingredients in recipes. You won't have to do this forever, but it's important the first 2-4 weeks to understand portion control to train the naked eye on what the proper serving size looks like. Buy on Amazon HERE
- Digital kitchen scale: To accurately measure food, portions and ingredients. Perfect for foods like uncooked pasta, potatoes, rice and uncooked meats. Buy on Amazon HERE
- Blender: Useful for preparing proteins shakes, sauces, dips, and chopping vegetables. Buy on Amazon HERE
- Insulated lunch bag or cooler. Perfect for carrying meals and snacks on-the-go while keeping them cool and fresh. Perfect to travel to work with or on a long weekend road trip in the car or on a hot summer day at the beach. Buy on Amazon HERE
- Salad spinner: For washing and drying leafy greens and herbs before storing or using and salads. Buy on Amazon HERE
- Herb & Spice Rack: Essential for adding flavor to meals without excess salt or calories. Great for giving yourself more countertop space in the kitchen. Buy on Amazon HERE
When you have completed Power Move 2 and gone grocery shopping, then and ONLY then should you…
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