I ♥ Grocery Shopping!

If there is one thing this girl looks forward to each week....its grocery shopping. (And with this new unrelenting ... "expanded" training appetite, I look forward to grocery shopping more than ever!)

I am not sure why I love it SO SO MUCH...well lets see, for starters, you get to make a list (I love lists!)...

I am not an "in and out" type of gal either, I like to take my time, walk every aisle, peruse the new products, read all the labels...I average about an hour every time I go. I have a standard process: produce first, walk the aisles, frozen and dairy last. I have been known to go more than one time in a week---hey, bananas do not last long!, I need more---or even go to more than one store in a day---hey, there are things at Trader Joe's that I can't get at Pavilions and vice versa.

I think my love of grocery shopping started a long time ago...when I was very young I would go every Saturday with my mom and my little sister. My mom was savvy coupon clipper, so she make a game out of grocery shopping. She would give my sister and I each a coupon for a product and then my sister and I would race to find the product and bring it back to the basket first. It was a blast! I can't wait to do this with my kids!

When I got older, in high school and when I moved back home for grad school, grocery shopping turned into quality time with dad. We would go every Sunday together. Since I have always been "into" health and nutrition and was studying public health in grad school, it started to rub off on my parents. My dad and I always read all the labels, checked all the ingredient lists and talked about all the different food trends, news etc. I always looked forward to that time together.

I can even remember in college, when I was living with one of my best friends Megan...when I would ask her to go grocery shopping with me, she would say something like "is this going to be a 'quick trip" or a 'Lauren trip?' She would always tease me on how we would be there all night. Megan: I think Kyle would agree with you now! :)

When you know about food and I mean really KNOW about food---the crap they put in our food, the bad stuff lurking on every label, how much protein you need, how to spot trans fats---finding healthy, delicious foods at the store can be a laborious task, but also kind of fun...

Here is my usual game plan for HEALTHY grocery shopping:

PLAN AHEAD: Make a list! Think about your week ahead, even make a sample menu for the week. I know myself--I will over-buy if I don't come prepared. But I am flexible if I come across something new, I will toss it in the basket.

READ LABELS: Stay away from anything with "partially hydrogenated oil" on the ingredient list, look out for high-fructose corn syrup. And on a second note: take notice of how many ingredients there are TOTAL, if the list is long....pass it up, its over-processed, full of fake "food-like" substances and chemicals and is ultimately less healthy for you.

SHOP THE PERIMETER: The edges of the grocery store are where you will find your produce, meats and dairy...the fresh stuff that needs to be refrigerated. Even though I do like to walk the aisles, I don't really buy that much stuff from inside the center of the store--besides cereal, canned beans and maybe the occasional box of funfetti cake mix...hey, I'm human! :)

What are YOUR favorite places to shop? What food rules do YOU live by when you are grocery shopping? Post your comments!

Happy Running...and Shopping!
Love,
Lauren