Written by Temitope Alao-Sanni, RD

Healthy eating/healthy lifestyle is kind of difficult to stick to, right? Oh, you were thinking because I am a Registered Dietitian, I have it all figured out? hahaha, I’m only human but yes! To an extent, I have some things figured out which have helped me become more committed to eating/living healthy without necessarily over-stressing. One of them is having a routine shopping list for my food (weekly, fortnightly, or monthly). In this article, I explore how this helps me eat healthy all week long; keep reading!

I like to save money! That’s the very first thing a food shopping list helps me do, SAVE! Before creating my shopping list, I look at what I already have in my pantry; this helps filter what I need from what I don’t need and what amounts or quantities also, ultimately, I get to save money and even avoid wasting food too (I could have bought something I already have, and then it is in excess and goes bad before I can eat them all)

Bottom Line: A food shopping list can make a healthy lifestyle even more fun by helping you save money.

Furthermore, a food shopping list gives an idea of what my pantry (or storage) will look like for a period. I can plan my meals ahead -mentally- according to what raw food I have stored up, and guess what! It reduces the number of times I tend to buy food from food vendors or buy fast food (saves me some cash, again!)

Bottom Line: Having a food shopping list helps you prepare your meals mentally because you already know what you have in your pantry.

Some other benefits of having a shopping list;

For me and my healthy eating journey, cooking is the bulk of the work. However, when I have already prepared what to eat tomorrow, and the day after that in my head, it makes the actual cooking process less tasking. Meanwhile, if I did not know what raw food I have stored up, cooking might not be straightforward and could be discouraging. Subsequently, the more I cook my food, the more accountable I am about what I eat. I can easily track what I am putting into my body and evaluate how my body is responding!

Bottom Line: Having a shopping list is essential for meal planning and makes the cooking process somewhat easier.

In summary, having a routine shopping list helps to monitor what you have in your food storage. Consequently, it makes cooking healthy meals and eating healthy food less of a burden until it becomes a habit you can stick to.

If you would like to learn more about eating healthy, book an appointment with our Dietitian today!

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