Josh Bowen: Best Damn Grocery List Ever

I have a few people request nutritional advice and/or grocery store lists. Using my Exercise Nutritionist certification from Precision Nutrition, I have compiled the best damn grocery store list I could compiled. These are only items you will see in a big box grocery store, some local farmer’s markets or Whole Foods may have a wider variety, but I wanted to keep it to things you could find where you shop now. I also didn’t want to link it to anything, so that you would have all the information in this email for you to print off and go to the grocery store.

Shopping time!
Hit the grocery store prepared with our handy Supermarket Survival Guide, which will help
you:
• navigate the supermarket like a pro;
• shop as efficiently as possible;
• reduce temptations and distractions; and
• ensure you get all kinds of healthy foods!

A few notes:

These shopping lists are to give you ideas. You don’t have to buy everything on the list! We suggest you start with a few of your favorites from each group. For example:
• 3 veggies: spinach, carrots, broccoli
• 3 fruits: blueberries, oranges, grapes
• 3 proteins: extra-lean ground beef, salmon, lentils
• 3 fats: coconut, avocado, almonds
• 2 grains: oatmeal, wild rice

If there’s something we’ve missed that fits the criteria, please feel free to try it. For instance, you might find other fresh fish than the ones we’ve mentioned, or another fruit or veggie.

Always shop with a list, whether that’s ours or your own. If it’s not on the list, you don’t buy it.
That saves you time, money, and having to throw out impulse buys.
Good luck!

Supermarket map
Most supermarkets are laid out the same way: Most of the healthy stuff is around the edges.
Most of the stuff to avoid is in the inner aisles.
Here’s a sample supermarket layout to help you plan your attack.
Stick mostly to the perimeter, where you’ll find lean protein plus fruits & veggies. Areas to avoid
or visit sparingly are orange. Be especially cautious around the cash register and ends of the aisles, where there are often eye-catching displays of

Fruits & vegetables
Look for colorful fruits and veggies and much as possible. Eat the rainbow!
Look for what’s in season and/or local. It’ll be fresher, cheaper, and tastier.

Purple & blue
Eggplant
Red cabbage
Purple kale
Beets
Blueberries, blackberries, lingonberries
Purple carrots
Purple potatoes
Black cherries
Black/purple plums

Orange & yellow
Oranges
Winter squash and pumpkin
Orange peppers
Carrots
Cantaloupe
Orange cauliflower
Yams
Apricots, peaches
Mangos

Dark green
Spinach
Beet greens (the tops of beets)
Kale
Broccoli
Any other dark leafy green (e.g. turnip
greens, collard greens)
Brussels sprouts
Fresh herbs (e.g. parsley, basil)
Green beans, green peas
Avocado
Zucchini, cucumber (if you eat the peel)

Red & pink
Red peppers
Tomatoes
Strawberries
Cherries
Cranberries
Red grapefruit
Red-skinned apples
Red grapes
Red radishes
Red lettuce, radicchio
Rhubarb stems

Misc
Onions, leeks, shallots
Garlic
Mushrooms
Cauliflower
Celery
Lean protein

Meat
Lean/extra-lean cuts of beef
Lamb
Lean pork (e.g. pork tenderloin)
Wild game (e.g. venison, elk)

Poultry
Chicken
Turkey breast
Duck
Eggs & egg whites

Fish
Salmon
Tilapia
Cod
Smaller fish like herring and mackerel

Seafood
Shrimp (fresh or plain frozen)
Mussels, clams, scallops
Crab, lobster

Plant-based proteins
Lentils
Beans
Peas
Hummus
Tofu, natto
Vegetarian protein powders (e.g. hemp
protein, brown rice protein, vegan blend)

Good fats
Of course, you’re taking your fish oil… right?

Cold-pressed oils
Extra-virgin olive oil
Walnut oil
Hemp seed oil
Pumpkin seed oil
Avocado seed oil
Flax seed oil
Extra-virgin coconut oil
Grass-fed/organic butter
Fresh avocado

Nuts & seeds
Raw, unflavored, unsalted nuts
(e.g. almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans,
Brazil nuts, hazelnuts)
Raw, unflavored, unsalted seeds
(e.g. pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds)
Ground flax seeds
Fresh coconut
Natural peanut butter
Natural nut butter

Whole grains
Remember, you want whole grains. The whole thing.
Oats (steel-cut or oat groats)
Brown rice
Wild rice
Red rice
Amaranth
Quinoa
Wheat berries (whole wheat kernels)
Spelt
Kamut

Label reading checklist

LOOK FOR
Whole foods
No more than a few ingredients
Food that is close to what it used to be
Organic if possible
Local if possible
Minimal or no packaging

AVOID
Sugar (look for trick words and phrases)
Other sweeteners
Hydrogenated and fractionated oils such as
corn or palm oil
Additives, preservatives, and colouring
Any other ingredients you don’t recognize
More than a few ingredients

Trick words & phrases
“Syrup” – corn syrup, brown rice syrup,
agave syrup, etc.
Words ending in “ose” – sucrose, glucose,
fructose, etc.
Words starting with “malto” – maltodextrin,
maltitol, etc.
“Made with / contains real fruit”
“Fortified with”

Don’t be fooled!
Ignore what the front of the package says. Look at the back of the package. Remember, if a
packaged food claims to be “healthy”, it probably isn’t. “Organic sugar” is still sugar.