Our aceGUIDE to grocery shopping

Grocery shopping is not always fun. Planning, going, queueing or ordering, making changes in time, unpacking… We are advocates of “do it once, do it right” and if you follow our advice you’ll shop only once a week.

You might have seen some shopping hauls on our social media. They always spark so much engagement that we thought we’d write our staples down.

Fresh fruit and vegetables

• • Salad items: lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, peppers…
  • Root vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips…
  • Vegetables: courgettes, aubergines, butternut squash, broccoli, cauliflower…
  • Fruit: berries, melons, apples, pears, bananas, pineapple, lemons, limes…

Fruit and vegetables are great sources of fibre that keep your digestive system happy and your stomach full. They are great to bulk up your plate without adding too many calories – don’t go too heavy on root vegetables though!

PRO TIP: plan your weekly menu so that you consume fruit and vegetable with shorter shelf life first, so think salad, vegetables, softer fruits and berries first, roots, squashes, apples and pears later.

Meat, fish and alternatives

• • Lean meat: chicken and turkey breast (whole, steaks or mince), 5% fat beef mince.
  • Fish: cod, haddock, salmon (fillet or smoked), tuna, seabass.
  • Alternatives: Quorn mince, tofu.

PRO TIP: Choose lean options most of the time and limit red meat to a maximum of twice a week.

Dairy and eggs

• • Cheese and yoghurt: low fat cottage cheese, quark, 0% fat Greek yoghurt, Skyr, kefir.
  • Eggs: eggs and egg white cartons.

PRO TIPS: If you like yellow cheese, go for a lower fat version (like 50% less fat cheddar cheese) and buy the block to grate yourself with a fine grater, you’ll get lots more volume and end up using less.

We love Two Chicks egg whites and you will have seen on our socials that we love omelettes made with 1 egg and 5 eggs white. Delicious, satiating and super low in calories!

Pasta, rice, grains and cupboard

• • Pasta: wholewheat pasta, legume pasta (soy, pea or chickpea), rice and egg noodles.
  • Rice: brown rice, wild rice, sushi rice.
  • Grains: barley, buckwheat, couscous.
  • Bread: wholewheat bread, sandwich/bagel thins, flatbreads.

Look for “brown” or “wholewheat” versions to increase your fibre intake.

PRO TIP: Legume pasta is a great alternative as it often is lower in calories and higher in protein than the regular one, which is ideal if you are dieting (and even if you are not).

Canned goods

• • Beans and pulses: chickpeas, lentils, red kidney beans, black beans, mixed beans.
  • Vegetables: sweetcorn, peas, tomatoes (chopped, whole and passata)…
  • Fish: tuna, salmon.

PRO TIP: Check the label and look for food that is preserved “in water” to avoid extra calories from added sauces – you can make your own sauces with the rest of the healthy stuff you have in your cart!

Cereals and breakfast goods

• • Plain oats, plain puffed rice, barley and grains, low sugar granola.

PRO TIP: If you don’t want to buy ready made granola, buy plain cereals and some nuts and make your own using our recipe.

Frozen

• • Fruit and vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, peppers, mushrooms, peas, edamame, onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, apples, berries, mango, pineapple.
  • Fish (tuna, cod) and Quorn.
  • Ice cream: low-calorie ice cream, Solero, frozen fruit lollies/smoothies.

PRO TIP: Frozen fruit and vegetable are just as good as fresh, so make sure you stock up to have always something on the ready-to-whip up a last-minute soup like this. And think of all the chopping you won’t have to do!

Snacks

• • Rice cakes: plain, salt and vinegar, dark chocolate.
  • Unsalted nuts: almonds, cashews, brazil.
  • Nut butters: peanut, cashew, almond, powdered peanut butter.
  • Pre-portioned chocolate bars/sweets.
  • Crisps: lentil/quinoa/hummus crisps, small packets.

PRO TIP: Watch out when snacking on nuts and nut butters. Although they are “healthy snacks” they are very high in fat and, therefore, calories so stick to no more than a small handful a day. And when choosing a nut butter, make sure it’s made of 100% nuts without added fats and sugar.

Oils, sauces and spices

• • Condiments: Frylight, vinegar (white/red wine, balsamic, rice), soy sauce, mustard, tahini.
  • Herbs and spices (fresh, dried or frozen): parsley, coriander, cumin, chilli, paprika, ginger, nutmeg, thyme, oregano, basil.

PRO TIP: Using oil sprays can save you more calories than you realise when cooking!

Drinks

• • Long life milk: skimmed, almond, soy, coconut.
  • Coffee, tea, herbal teas.
  • Gin and slimline tonic.

PRO TIPS: If you choose to buy plant-based milk, go for unsweetened versions to avoid unnecessary extra calories.

And remember those frozen berries that you bought? Use them instead of ice for your gin tonic, with a slice of lime it will taste delicious and it won’t go watery. You are welcome.

This list will make sure that you have a healthy and balanced diet made mostly of wholesome foods, but without giving up on a little fun!