The Grocery Store
Eating healthy starts with having healthy stuff on hand. Come home to a salami log and a freezer full of pita pockets and you've already lost. First, learn the lay of your local market—know which produce is in season and which isn't, ask the butcher for a primer on the meat section, and always make a list so that you'll be following a plan once you get there. Otherwise, you'll just be following your appetite.
The Seasons Matter
Produce that's in season tends to be cheaper, fresher, and better tasting. Plus changing things up alleviates boredom, meaning you'll be more likely to eat enough fruits and veggies.
SUMMER: Berries, melons, tomatoes, corn, beets, summer squash, peaches
FALL: Acorn squash, cauliflower, apples, grapes, parsnips, mushrooms,
Swiss chard
WINTER: Grapefruit, kale, lemons, turnips, radishes
SPRING: Apricots, mangoes, spinach, peas, new potatoes, chives, pineapple
| Quick Fix |
Problem: Applying what you know about good and bad fats to cooking oils.
Solution: Buy only these three:
Extra-Virgin Olive: For salads, breads, and cooking
Canola: For baking
Grapeseed: For stir-frying |
Meat Is Fine. Just Know What to Buy.
RED: Choose organic grass-fed over corn-fed, to avoid exposure to pesticides, hormones, and
antibiotics, and always go for the leanest cuts. Best bets, from lean to leanest: filet mignon, lean sirloin, buffalo, eye of round.
POULTRY: Reduce fat by choosing only skinless white meat—and skipping wing night.
PORK: Pork loin, center cut. Sorry, bacon lovers; everything else is too high in saturated fat.
SEAFOOD: Wild is more nutrient-rich than farmed. When it comes to mercury—which has been linked to disorders of the nervous system—the smaller the fish, the safer. Get the Seafood Watch guide from the Monterey Bay Aquarium (mbayaq.org) to learn which species to avoid.
Organic Does Not Mean More Nutritious
There are numerous benefits to organic produce: It's more eco-friendly, less exposed to pesticides, and often more flavorful. But in strict nutritional terms, it's never been proven that organic produce is more nutrient-dense than cheaper, conventionally grown produce.
Frozen Beats Canned
Canned foods can save you in a dead-of-winter pinch, but they're too high in sodium to
be eaten often. Instead, find a healthy frozen meal you like, and keep some on hand—to save you from ordering pizza when you don't feel like cooking. Vegetarian lasagna is a great bet: cheese or tofu for protein, at least one serving of vegetables, and it's supposed to be mushy.
Low-Fat Yogurt Has Your Back
Safe for any meal or snack. It can replace fats in baked goods and can be the foundation of a smoothie. It has the carb-protein mix of a recovery drink or meal. And it delivers numerous vitamins, minerals, and live bacteria that aid digestion.
Shop Once a Week
An average (170 lbs) active guy needs around 2,500 healthy calories per day. One way to guarantee you'll get that (and develop a few new recipes in the process): Buy everything on this list on Sunday. Down it all by Saturday—without "supplemental" buffets or benders—and you're good.
3 five-ounce tuna steaks
3 five-ounce chicken breasts, boneless
3 five-ounce rib-eye steaks
2 center-cut boneless pork chops, 1 to 1¼ inches thick
26-ounce jar marinara sauce
½ gallon 1 percent milk
¼ lb turkey sausage
½ lb turkey breast
½ lb cheddar cheese
six-ounce box risotto
six-ounce box wild rice
½ lb broccoli florets
1 lb green beans
2 sweet potatoes
1 head garlic
2 bunches scallions
2 fresh tomatoes
1 head romaine lettuce
1 cucumber
1 lb carrots
1 green pepper
1 cantaloupe
1 pint strawberries
1 pint blueberries
4 peaches
½ lb unsalted raw almonds
½ gallon fortified orange juice
1 loaf seven-grain bread
1 pint chicken broth
1 lb whole-wheat pasta
1 box Kashi Go Lean
Crunch cereal
1 dozen large brown eggs
1 qt low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 lb quinoa, pasta, or whole grain
1 or 2 bottles red wine
Get Label Literate
Nutrition labels, more than price or brand, should be the first thing you check. Here's how.
1. Identify serving size, and measure. But keep in mind that all nutrition-label info, including serving size and daily values, is based on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet. If you're active, you need more.
2. No more than 30 percent of your daily calories should come from fat (one gram has nine calories). Good fats (mono- and polyunsaturated) promote cardiovascular health. Bad fats?(trans and saturated) clog arteries.
3. Carbs should supply about 60 percent of daily calories. Complex (like whole grains) are better than simple (sugars).
4. Don't sweat protein. You're getting enough.
5. Look for values of 20 percent or greater for vitamins and minerals.
6. High values of fiber, vitamins A and C, and calcium are especially important. Most of us simply don't get enough.
7. Footnote values for carbohydrate and fiber are absolute minimums. Aim for more.
