Critical Thinking: Realizing that every bite moves me either toward health or away from health. Therefore, if I don’t plan and prepare those bites, I will inevitably fall into eating convenience foods (also known as die-fast foods).
Best Practices: Plans for all meals (we do this for you, and provide alternatives!), and shopping lists (we’ve got that covered for you too!).
Vital Behaviors:
• Set aside 30 minutes on Saturday or Sunday to plan your meals and shopping for the week ahead. Then create your shopping lists and decide which day or days you will go shopping at your nearest Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, Costco, and local farmers’ market. If the nearest Whole Foods Market is closer to your work than home, you may have to shop during your lunch hour or after work. Yes, this means you may even have to put a large ice chest/cooler with ice into your car that morning before you leave for work (we never said it would be easy, but it’s worth it!).
• The first couple of times you go through this process, it may seem like a burdensome, time-consuming hassle – but fear not, you’ll get quicker at all aspects of it in no time. Always keep in mind the alternative is unacceptable (meaning eating convenience food/fast food/disease food).
More Helpful Resources:
Master Shopping List
Critical Concepts: Food Shopping
