Without a further delay here comes a consolidated list of my approach to shopping for my healthy eating lifestyle. I quickly touch on the inputs that made this list as it is right now – from diets, to restrictions and healthy eating guidelines I follow.
Paleo diet or lifestyle
So what is Paleo about?
Palaeolithic diet suggests that everything that was developed after Industrial era is banned. So no processed foods, no generic breads (previously a proper bread was a sourdough that was proven for at least 48 hours – do we know many bakeries who do that now? no, they are all after quick profits. It is all about lean meat, fish, and a lot of vegetables. Paleo Primer is a book I have bought to get to know more about Paleo and the recipes – it is really straightforward and simple.
Mediterranean way of life on the plate
This diet does not need any major introduction – based on tons of research eating vegetables, lean meat, fish, olive oil (good fats), and of course lots of movement (exercise, sport, swimming, you name it). I wish I could move to Mediterranean just now..
Yet it is just an excuse – you can emulate a bit of Med living right now – get going with this shopping list and prep something colourful, wonderful and healthy!
Bulletproof
This is a Bulletproof diet that is described by Dave Asprey in his book you can buy on amazon, but briefly it is about drinking a cup of coffee (best possible quality) + a 1/2 tea spoon of butter (again, best possible quality, grass-fed cows) + 1/2 tea spoon of coconut oil (best, you get an idea!) each morning – boosts your metabolism (so you burn calories), but also keeps you off food so you don’t crave food until midday.
It works for me as I normally do not eat breakfast.
This diet approach also goes along well with 5×2 diet – these mini fasts (do not eat late at night, so you get 16 hours of not eating anything) keep your body toned.
Dave also went further along the lines of researching different types of food and how they are good for you, but in general it is also about cutting sugars, legumes, pulses and grains; definitely avoiding processed foods and dairy.
Ready to go sugar-free?
Sugar is banned from Paleo, but you can still cheat a little bit with natural sources of sugar. So we should say a firm no to refined sugars, but we can still sweater our foods with stevia, agave nectar or raw honey.
Watch out for refined sugars and try to stay sugar free.
Gluten-free can be of help
I am not gluten intolerant, but after couple of times of not eating bread and pasta I have noticed that I feel better, less bloated and just lighter, so I started this experiment and currently trying not to eat foods containing gluten. It works for me and also works for other diets above as bread and pasta are not really paleo either. You can definitely substitute your meal’s garnish and eat more rice, or some small amount of starchy veg. Yes, even chips, just don’t over do it!
Dairy-free way
Again, not a necessity, but it started to be a very important part of my own diet. Oh I hate the ‘diet’ word, let me say just my lifestyle. Thing is, I have a rather weak throat, that means that any minor problem and I am developing a cold or catching flu. On top of that, I am also fairly responsive to major allergens, so hay fever is my nightmare every year. Cow’s milk apparently contains enzymes and bacteria that are not favourable for your throat microflora but also can cause allergenic reactions. It has been almost two years since I stopped drinking dairy and I can feel a bit of change. I did not have a severe allergy last year during hay fever season and, pardon for my French, my oral and nasal pathways are more clear.
I still eat cheese (cannot possibly cut it completely, so it is a bit of a guilty pleasure), but substituted cow’s milk with almond milk. It feels a bit thinner, but you can add it to black tea or coffee and it just adds a bit of nutty flavour to it. No problem at all, i love it. As a substitute to your glass of milk you can also try a glass of coconut milk drink. It has some really useful vitamins and people say it is really good for bedtime as it helps to induce your sleep.
Healthy eating list: shopping
Forgive me all this mumbling, let me crack on with my list. It is not a long one, but hopefully you get my idea and this would not be a chore anymore, but a bit of thrill to get the best produce.
Drinks
1. Water – loads of water. Currently I bought a filter, so it is to save the planet and not to buy water in plastic. I buy cartridges to replace every month.
2. Juice – remember the sugars? Most of fruit juices are overloaded with sugar. I buy sugar free cranberry juice drink. It is great on its own, but could be mixed up with sparkling water.
3. Tea and coffee. I have all kinds of tea at home, camomile is my favourite as it is caffeine free, very gentle herbal tea. Feel free to experiment with your tastes. Coffee is needed for the above Bulletproof one – I buy Nespresso capsules for my machine.
4. My Bulletproof coffee also needs good butter and coconut oil, so I add these two to my basket.
5. Almond milk for my black or oolong tea, and coffee.
6. Wine – buy a bottle of organic red. Have a look at the list of Best Organic Wines for inspiration!
Food
1. Meat and poultry – lean everything (pork loin, beef steaks, venison, turkey mince, chicken breast on the bone).
2. Fish and shellfish – whatever floats your boat (salmon, sea bass, sea bream, scallops).
3. Eggs are good – I buy quite a lot to have my own healthy brunches at home. They work so well poached and with some avocado and tomato on the side.
4. Vegetables – a wide array of colourful, preferably organic veg (carrots, onions, garlic, aubergines, tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, cucumber, potatoes, sweet potatoes, leeks, different types of lettuce and chlorophyll-rich ones like kale, broccoli and sprouts.
5. Fruit – not really permitted simply because of the high sugar content, but still you can do berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries) and of course avocados.
6. Herbs – pretty much everything that you like (thyme, rosemary, parsley, basil, oregano, bay leaf, chilli).
The above examples in brackets are the items I buy more often, so feel free to mix and match! For the impressive list of organic produce head to Waitrose or Abel and Cole.
Treats
Sugar free chocolate (dark an without milk) – yum!
Don’t tell anyone but I sometimes bake a simple flourless almond cake (loads of eggs an ground almonds there) and put some berries on top – once you’ve tried that you won’t need anything else! Do not forget to avoid refined sugars and use unrefined or simply agave nectar to sweeten the cake.
For sour treats I buy goats cheese. There are much less of those allergens in goats milk, so I treat myself with a slice of hard goats cheese or a spread on a gluten-free biscuit now and then.
Useful staples for healthy cooking
My healthy eating list also has some staples I buy for cooking: I buy chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, good fats (olive oil, coconut oil, butter, clarified butter) and some condiments for your asian-, mexican- inspired (you name it!) cuisines (think of chopped lemongrass or tamarind paste, jalapeño peppers in a jar or hot mix of spices). You can always improvise and try unusual combinations, but quick and easy as well!
Healthy recipes you can try
What do I cook on a normal week?
All these recipes you can google and have a recipe ready.
– Pan fried sea bass with cauliflower rice.
– Salmon teriyaki with carrot and courgette spiralised noodles.
– Steaks with rocket and parmesan shavings served with sweet potato chips.
– Grilled aubergines with tomato and mozzarella cheese (don’t forget basil and garlic here!)
– Spanish pork with peasant potatoes and simple coleslaw
– Venison with kale and red berries sauce served with broccoli and sprouts (you can make sprouts more exciting by cooking them with uncured bacon)
– Turkey mince meatballs and aubergine parmigiana (do I need to say more?).
– Simple roasted chicken breast (on the bone) with hick chips (I cook them in a Phillips AirFryer cooker for healthier way of getting your chips to the table).
– Experiment with side salads by adding nuts and different dressings. Boost your simple salad to new levels by adding roast duck, pistachios and pomegranate – this is a hit all the time!
Inspired about healthy eating?
Hopefully you are excited now or at least my example got you thinking of your own experimentation.
What would you like to try? Share what works and what’s not on our Forum!
Cheers
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