Making Healthier Food Choices (Without Overcomplicating It)
Making Healthier Food Choices (Without Overcomplicating It)
Eating well doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With so much conflicting advice about what’s “healthy,” it’s easy to feel lost in the grocery store. But one simple rule can help you immediately improve your food choices:
The Grocery Store Layout Hack
👉 Stick to the perimeter.
The outer aisles of the grocery store are where you’ll find fresh, whole foods like:
✅ Fruits & Vegetables – Packed with vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants to support digestion and immune function.
✅ High Quality Proteins – High-quality grass-fed (and grass-finished) red meats, pasture raised poultry and pork, wild caught fish/marine life
✅ Healthy Fats – Avocados, nuts, seeds, and oils like extra virgin olive oil for sustained energy and hormone balance.
Meanwhile, the middle aisles are where most ultra-processed foods live—snacks, sugary cereals, and shelf-stable meals with preservatives. While not everything in these aisles is “bad,” this is where you’ll find the highest concentration of refined sugars, artificial ingredients, and processed additives.
Understanding Food Labels
Many foods are marketed as “healthy” when they’re really loaded with hidden sugars, preservatives, and processed oils. The front of the package may say organic or natural, but the real information is in the ingredients list.
Here’s what to watch out for:
❌ Added Sugars – Look for hidden names like cane syrup, maltodextrin, and agave nectar.
❌ Artificial Preservatives – Ingredients like BHT, sodium benzoate, and nitrates can have negative effects on health.
❌ Highly Processed Oils – Vegetable oils like canola, soybean, and corn oil are inflammatory and usually heavily refined.
The Dirty Dozen: When to Buy Organic
If buying all organic isn’t realistic, focus on The Dirty Dozen—a list of produce with the highest pesticide residues. This list changes yearly, so use google to fact check these yearly. These include:
🥬 Spinach
🍓 Strawberries
🍏 Apples
🍇 Grapes
🌶 Bell Peppers
🥔 Potatoes
When possible, choose organic versions of these foods to reduce pesticide exposure. For low-residue produce (like avocados, onions, and mushrooms), conventional is typically fine.
Eating Healthy Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
The key to better nutrition isn’t perfection—it’s making small, sustainable changes that add up over time.
✅ Focus on real, whole foods instead of ultra-processed options.
✅ Plan meals ahead of time so you don’t rely on last-minute, unhealthy choices.
✅ Read ingredient lists, not just the front of the package.
By making mindful choices at the grocery store, you set yourself up for more energy, better digestion, and long-term health.
