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Writer's pictureGemma Bischoff

The Habits Series #5: Shop Well, Eat Well

Updated: Oct 22

The fifth part of the Habits Series focuses on something we all have to face either on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. How you choose to organise your food shopping can have a great impact on the choices you make regarding meals and snacks. We are going to look at some simple, practical shopping habits that can have a positive impact on your long-term nutrition.


Do you have a standard list of food that you buy each time you go shopping? Or, are you more spontaneous and buy whatever catches your eye, or happens to be on offer? Do you find yourself having to go to the shops more than 3 times a week? Are there times when you have no idea what to cook, and order a take-away, even though there would be food to use at home?


In the following article we will look at some different ways to approach your food shopping, taking nutritional quality, value and time into consideration.

If you are trying to make changes to the way you eat, or improve the general health of your family, then it is important to start at the beginning: your ingredients.


Think carefully - how would you rate the healthiness of your last food shopping trip on a scale of 1-5? (1 = not at all healthy --> 5 = very healthy)

Read the topics below and consider whether you could use any of these points to address your own shopping habits:


Tip #1 Organising: The Storage


We looked at the importance of an organised kitchen in part #1 of the Habits Series. When considering your next food shopping trip, the first thing to do (which might seem obvious) is to check what you already have. As obvious as it might seem, most people don't do a deep-dive into their cupboards/fridge/freezer before going shopping for more food. Being on-top of what you already have reduces food waste, cost and might even prevent your need to go shopping - you might realise that you have enough things in to last another day or two!


Running out of perishable goods (fresh fruit, vegetables, fridge items) is usually the trigger for a shopping trip. Here are some quick tips that might help prevent the need for an extra mid-week shopping trip:

  • Freeze a block of cheese

  • Keep a bottle of UHT milk "just in case"

  • Have a small loaf of bread in the freezer

  • Store a bag of mixed vegetables in the freezer

More organisation tips:


When you open your cupboards, make sure you can see EVERYTHING: You don't have to decant everything into glass jars if you don't want to, just aim to keep a reasonable amount of things so it doesn't get cluttered. When you can't see what is at the back or bottom of a shelf or cupboard, you aren't likely to feel very inspired when you look inside. Managing what is inside your cupboards helps you to have a quick overview of what needs restocking.

Keep frozen foods in different sections in the freezer: Keeping one draw for meat, one for fish, one for vegetables/fruits and another for bread means that it easy to see what needs using. It is important to note that freezing foods doesn't mean that they last forever - see the info-graphic to the left for more details about cold-storage and food safety.


Keep foods with a low nutritional value out of sight: If you have biscuits, chocolate, sweets etc. lying around the house, the chances are that you will choose to eat those items over a healthier alternative. This doesn't mean you need to throw all of this food away/never buy it again, these foods can have a place in a healthy diet - however if you are hungry between meals, choose something that will stabilise your blood sugar - not a sweet snack that will cause a blood sugar spike, followed by a crash. This doesn't provide the energy/nutrition that your body needs. If you want to learn more, read our post on continuous blood glucose monitoring and how you can discover which foods suit you best.


Make a feature of your fruit bowl: A colourful bowl full of fresh fruit can look just as good as a bunch of flowers. Enjoy creating seasonal displays to encourage healthy snacking.


If you have a pantry, keep a stock list: this will help you to manage your shopping, prevent doubling up on products and ensure that you have a clear overview for meal planning. Use the PDF below to get your inventory started.



Tip #2 Planning: The List


There are no rules about how you should write your shopping list, however the following tips might help save you some time, reduce food waste and save you money.


Plan your meals first: This idea might not appeal to everyone, however if you go food shopping with a plan of what you will cook over the following week you are likely to spend less and waste less. Spontaneous food shopping usually results in impulse purchases and spending more than you expected. We usually advise clients to have one day in the week (ideally the day before you go shopping) where they plan the meals that they would like to cook over the coming days.


Clean out the fridge: Make it your mission to have a clean (ideally empty) fridge before you go food shopping. This allows you to actually clean the fridge before you fill it again, plus you use up all the leftover vegetables that might otherwise sit in the bottom draw until they get thrown out. Make a soup, pasta sauce or stew - if you don't want to eat it now then freeze it for a healthy, fast meal another day.


Paper or digital? Despite most people carrying a mobile phone with them when they are shopping, a lot of people still prefer to take a paper shopping list. This is personal preference. The advantage of a paper list is that you don't have to hold your phone, however digital lists can be easier to keep if you find yourself buying similar items each time.


Online shopping: Most large, online food shops now automatically generate food shopping lists based on your most commonly purchased items. This can save a lot of time, and also allow you to check for special offers, before going to the shop, or making an online order.



Tip #3 - Options: Seasonal / Organic


We all have our own ideals when deciding which produce to buy. Some might compare price, others might look where it came from or look at the ingredient list. These decisions are again down to personal preference. Two commonly discussed options are whether it is better to buy organic, and whether buying seasonal foods is important. In the lists below we have highlighted considerations for both. These two topics are relevant for everyone, however budget and access to these foods might affect the choices that people make. If you have a tight budget, read below for some ways to make organic shopping more accessible.


Seasonal foods:

  • Find out which foods are in season for your geographical region. The diagram below is relevant to most countries in the northern hemisphere.

  • Seasonal foods are typically lower in price.

  • Locally produced, seasonal foods have a lower carbon footprint.

  • Fresh foods, grown within the season they should naturally ripen contain a higher vitamin, mineral and antioxidant content.

  • Fruits and vegetables are fresher and tastier when grown in-season.

  • There's a reduced need for waxes and pesticides to preserve the produce.

  • Eating seasonally encourages a diversity in your diet, which your gut microbiome benefits from.

  • You can look forward to the coming season with its variety of different foods.

Organic foods:

  • Seasonal, organic foods are typically cheaper.

  • Buying fresh fruits and vegetables directly from the farm can be cheaper.

  • Significantly fewer pesticides. However this means fresh produce spoils much faster.

  • Farming methods are tightly controlled and tend to be more environmentally friendly.

  • Animals used to provide organic meat aren't given growth hormones or antibiotics.

  • There are no genetically modified ingredients.

  • Strict animal welfare practices.

  • It is important to note that organic and non-organic produce are of equal nutritional value.

  • Food waste management organisations can be a great way to get cheap organic foods e.g. Too Good To Go.

  • Local organic box schemes can offer competitive prices.

  • The best foods to choose as organic are those that you wouldn't peel (berries, apples, stone fruits, leafy vegetables)

  • It is important to wash all fresh foods well, both organic and non-organic foods can still have some pesticide residue and bacterial contamination.


Tip #4 - Comparisons: The Labels


Do you go into a trance when you are food shopping? Walking around on autopilot grabbing familiar products, throwing them in the basket, paying then getting home as fast as you can? We know that time is a luxury, but taking a moment to compare 2, or even 3 similar products might benefit your long-term health. There are always new products coming to the supermarket shelves, so it is good to take time to compare a few different options.


Our label comparison card (see below) is ideal for getting a fast overview of which product might be better. Hold 2 similar products in your hand, compare the key values shown on the card and decide which is better (always compare the values per 100g, rather than the portion size of the product). You can download our card for free and print it, or save it to your phone as a quick reminder.


Food products we would strongly advice you to review:

  • Yogurts, especially flavoured ones.

  • Processed meat products

  • Dips e.g. hummus

  • Salad dressings

  • Crackers & crispbreads

  • Ready-made / frozen meals

Source: Food Standards Agency



Tip #5 - Experiment: New Foods


Reaching out of your comfort zone can seem unnecessary, and even scary, especially when it involves trying new foods. The thought of having to learn how to cook something new can be really off-putting. The benefits however, outweigh these negatives. Science is teaching us more and more about the importance of variety in our diet, especially in relation to fibrous foods and the health of our gut bacteria. Which in turn has a knock- on effect to our immune system, mental health, absorption of nutrients, skin health, digestion, energy....the list goes on!


Baby steps:

  • Each time you go shopping, try to choose 1 thing a little different to a product that you would usually choose. This might be easiest with a fruit or vegetable, then try moving on to a new type of cereal or a different meat/meat alternative.

  • Use online shopping as an opportunity to explore. You can look at new products from the comfort of your home, take your time to compare and choose something that looks appealing.

  • Look for recipes that include an ingredient that you have never used before.

  • If you have children that will also be trying the new food, just put it on the table for those to take who want to try it. There should be no pressure - you might find that after seeing something a few times and watching others eat it, a child might take it without being prompted. If they don't want it the first time, it isn't a disaster.


Eating Well begins with the shopping trip. Aim to fill your basket with 70% fresh/unprocessed produce and you are already setting yourself up for success.

Our shopping habits are usually unconscious. If you don't know where to begin with your own eat well journey, the shopping trip is a great place to start. If you surround yourself with fresh, healthy options then that is already a positive habit change.


Have you decided that you would like to address your eating habits? If you want guidance and support through adopting new habits, you can click this link to book a free call to see how we can help you.


If you have found any of these tips useful, please comment below, we love to hear from you! Sign up for our e-newsletter and be informed when there is a new post in the Habits Series - there will be a new topic every month in 2023.

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