I’m a Dietitian Nutritionist and today I want to give you my top tips for when making your healthy grocery list for weight loss! I see a lot of mama’s go wrong when meal planning by being over-adventurous with their families taste buds, their time or their budget. The truth is a healthy grocery list doesn’t need to be elaborate or expensive, overly restrictive or time-consuming. Instead, we want to think about simple, realistic, repeatable and family-friendly options that you can go to when trying to lose weight or feed your family healthy!

In this post I am going to break down what you should buy, why it works for weight loss and family meal planning and how to make meals from them. 

When I think about the basic components of a healthy grocery list for weight loss  or simply feeding your family balanced meals, I think of 4 things:
1. Protein
2. Fiber
3. Healthy fats
4. Vegetables

 These four components are going to fuel our bodies with the nutrients we need, while keeping us satiated or full in between meals and balance the blood sugar levels. Let’s break each component down further so that you understand why we need each one of these in our meals/snacks and what your options are for each category!

Protein is essential for weight loss as it helps to preserve our muscle mass when we’re trying to lose weight. It aslo takes the most amount of calories to digest, called thermic effect of food, and it is essential for balanced hormones and blood sugar control. This is especially important for my mamas with PCOS or insulin sensitivity! 

 Some protein options for your healthy grocery list for weight loss are:

 – Chicken Breast

-Greek yogurt

– Tofu

-Tuna fish

-Shrimp

-Salmon

– Lean ground beef

– Eggs (Hard boiled, scrambled, over easy)

– Turkey breast

– Low fat cheese

– Beef jerky or turkey jerky

 – Beans and lentils

Fiber is an important component for weight loss as it helps slow down the digestion of foods, increases our fullness hormones, keeping us full in between meals and helps to balance our blood sugar. Balanced blood sugar is a key way to reduce cravings, staying full from our meals and reducing overall caloric consumption leading to weight loss. For those with insulin resistance and PCOS you will want to ensure you’re focusing on this piece of the puzzle. So, what are some sources of fiber?

-beans and legumes

-berries

– nuts and seeds (think chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds)

– Pears, apples, citrus fruits

– whole grains (quinoa, steel cut oatmeal, whole grain bread, brown rice, whole grain pasta)

There are many benefits of getting enough healthy fats in the diet, but in terms of weight loss we need healthy fats in our meals to slow down the digestion of foods and help us to absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) which support our metabolisms and therefore weight loss. Some healthy fats to include in your next grocery list for weight loss are:

– Avocados

– Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Avocado oil

– Nuts & seeds (this is kind of like double-dipping, as it’s also full of fiber!)

– Cheeses

– Nut butters

I don’t think all meals have to have a vegetable, but most meals and snacks would benefit from the addition of a vegetable when trying to lose weight. Why? They’re low in calories, high in volume and high in nutrients. Here is a short list of vegetables that are versatile and can be paired with meals and snacks:

-Bell peppers

-carrots

-broccoli

-Frozen stir fry veggie mix

-dark leafy greens like kale, spinach and romaine lettuce

– mushrooms

-asparagus

-Sweet potatoes

Bsreakfast meal ideas:

1. Egg and veggie omelette (sauteed spinach, mushrooms and asparagus) with berries on the side

2. Greek yogurt parfait with berries

3. Overnight oats with berries and chia seeds and greek yogurt or protein powder

Lunch ideas:

1. Salmon salad with dark leafy greens and an easy homemade olive oil dressing

2. Baked sweet potato, chicken breast and broccoli

3. Open faced tuna sandwich on whole grain bread with a side of fresh veggies and hummus

Dinner Ideas:
1. Burger bowls with dark greens (spinach or romaine lettuce), roasted potatoes chunks and a simple mayo/ketchup/mustard sauce.
2. Shrimp stir fry: Mixed stir fry frozen veggies, tamari and hot sauce and brown rice and frozen shrimp

3. Chicken skewers on the grill (bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, etc) and brown rice

Dessert/Snack ideas:

1. Dark chocolate and berries
2. Greek yogurt and berries (repeated from breakfast)
3. Veggie dippers and hummus (repeated from lunch)
4. Hard boiled eggs and fruit or veggies (leftover from other meals)

While not everyone needs to snack everyday when they’re trying to lose weight, we all enjoy a good snack from time to time. To ensure you’re “Staying on track” aka balancing your blood sugar and staying in your caloric deficit, it can be helpful to still pair two or three food groups together. Here are some healthy snack ideas for weight loss:

– Carrots and hummus

– Tuna wraps on romaine lettuce cups with a little avocado mayo & pickles

– Greek yogurt and berries

– Whole grain crackers and low fat cheese

– Dark chocolate and berries

– Hard boiled eggs and raw fruit or vegetables

Want to learn more nutrition startegies for weight loss? Apply to work with me, a Women’s Health and Family-focused Dietitian here. (I accept insurance!)