Getting lean starts in the supermarket. If your trolleys full of shit food, you'll eat shit food. Below is a list of the foods you should be eating to get lean!
Getting Leaner and Healthier Starts In The Supermarket!
Everything you put in your trolley will eventually end up in yours or your families mouths
So when you're at the checkout and you look down at your trolley. What's it full of?Foods you know you should be limiting? Or fruit, veg, lean proteins, seeds, nuts and wholemeal carbs?
If your goal is to eat 5 fruit and veg a day, but your trolley only contains 3 vegetables. Are you going to hit your goal? Most likely not
So you need to plan in advance. You need to know what foods you should be eating and focusing on adding those to your trolley
So I've put together a list of foods that you should be adding to your trolley on a weekly or regular basis. I've also included a lot of store cupboard essentials that are great if you're unprepared, short on time, and still want to stick to your healthy regime
Below is the list that I take with me every time I go shopping. I haven't included things like milk, toilet roll, tea bags etc. This is more a list of foods that I can't live without to get the results I want
Feel free to add your other essentials!
Your Essential Shopping List
Protein
Chicken breast
lean mince - 12% is fine as you can always drain it
Frozen fish - I wouldn't overthink what sort of fish. Cod, basa, white fish, salmon are all amazing
0% fat Greek yogurt
Cooked ham - Try and grab the proper stuff instead of the pink square-shit you can pick up for less than a quid
Canned tuna - Aka canned protein
Bacon
Eggs
Carbs
Rice - Brown rice is advised because it's digested slowly and will keep you fuller for longer, but white rice isn't the enemy
Microwave rice - This is an absolute essential in my eyes. I honestly don't know what I'd do without the stuff. Not only does it come in tonnes of flavours, it takes about 2 minutes to heat. If you're not a fan of cooking or you're short on time this is a real life saver
Potatoes - They get such a bad rap for making people fat and it's all rubbish. Potatoes are perfectly fine. Eating them until you feel sick isn't. Sweet or white are both fine
Porridge oats - The perfect way to start your day
Instant noodles - They take about 5 minutes to boil and they're a pretty high volume food. One serving will fill a bowl and will only cost you 300 calories. They're also easy to add flavour too
Chocolate rice cakes - Just because they're rice cakes doesn't make them healthy, I just find they're handy for breakfast or if I'm on-the-go
Pikelets - They're like mini crumpets. They're low calorie and feel slightly "naughty" - I'll frequently have a couple with jam after my bacon and eggs
Fats
Olive oil - Keep it in your cupboard. If you follow my recipes you'll be using it a lot
Nuts - I usually go with cashews out of preference (and because peanuts will kill me) - Just go easy with your portions. A large handful can easily add up to 200 calories
Fruit & Veg
There's no real wrong answer here. All veg will be beneficial to your body and health
Frozen mixed veg bag - I will often add these to a jug and microwave them to accompany my meal. It's unbelievably convenient
Frozen peas, sweetcorn, beans etc - Just always have them to hand!
Carrots - Or carrot sticks. Snacking on raw veg is awesome for swapping bad habits and getting your veggie count up. Raw veg is also more beneficial to the body as the nutrients are all still intact before cooking
Cucumber, tomatoes, peppers etc. - All make incredible snacks
Frozen fruit bags - I always have about 6 bags of various fruits in my freezer. Ready for various morning smoothies
Bananas - Energy booster and smoothie essential
Apples
Blueberries - Porridge topping 101
Conclusion
The list above are the absolute essentials that I make sure are in my kitchen at all times
These are foods that are convenient, robust and have multiple health benefits
Obviously this isn't a complete list as I'm always buying spices, herbs etc, but this is the perfect foundation to a leaner, healthier lifestyle
This list provides me with a lean source of protein with every meal, 10-15 fruit and veg and a selection of carbs for me to chose from
It's also worth mentioning that this list costs me about ÂŁ35-ÂŁ50 for the whole week (good old Aldi) - So it's not breaking the bank either
There's no one size fits all nutrition plan or shopping list, so make sure to adapt this list to fit yours and your families needs
YOUR TASK - Print or screenshot this list and adapt it to fit your own needs.
You can become leaner and healthier, you just need to focus on what quality foods you're bringing into your home
If your house is filled with foods like the list above, you'll find it MUCH EASIER to stick to a healthy eating regime. I promise.
Ben