Healthy Grocery Shopping

I enjoy food. I REALLY enjoy food. Food is yummie in my tummy. But when I started to eat clean, I started to really enjoy healthier food. I always ate healthy food, but not enough of it. It was often a struggle on how to incorporate it into my diet. But now, if I don't eat enough fruits and veggies, then my body gets upset with me.

yes, I do buy a lot of fruit

I go grocery shopping once a week. Usually during the weekends. Prior to heading to the store, I make a list of items we ran out of. Then I plan our meals for the week. Just one week, until the next shopping trip. 

Why only shop once a week?
1) It is easier to budget.
2) It's enough time to eat the food before they spoil.
3) I try to avoid preprocessed food, and enjoy eating fresh produce.
4) It makes meal planning simple.

Where do you shop?
I live within walking distance to Safeway. But I drive about 8 miles, one way, to Trader Joe's. I feel that it's worth the trip. Don't get me wrong, Safeway is great and I still shop there at times. I often go there to purchase items at the deli. Usually deli meat and cheese.

But I buy everything else at Trader Joe's. I like their selection of produce. I love their organic orange juice and milk. I was quite shocked the last time I went to Safeway and searched for organic chicken. Trader Joe's was definitely more affordable. About 85% to 90% of my purchases are organic. And I like the fact that most of their packaged foods don't contain HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), nor do the ingredients read a mile long of stuff I can't even pronounce.

Why organic?
Why not? Ever since my son was born, I decided I would feed him what I thought was best. I never fed him jarred food from the store. I made his baby food. I feel that that act of love has done him well. He is a very healthy young boy, and he's quite smart. I'm sold.

Being surrounded by those battling cancer also helped me with this decision. A relative on my father's side passed from it. My first degree cousin from my mother's side passed from it. And my aunt, my mother's sister, is a 10 year breast cancer survivor. Cancer on both sides of my family doesn't quite put me at ease, so I am controlling what I can to try and avoid it.

What is your typical shopping list?
Fruits, Veggies, Sides and Snacks (90% organic)

• brocolli and/or cauliflower
• sweet potato
• bananas
• baby spinach or romaine lettuce
• kiwi
• apples and/or pears
• dried fruit
• dried seaweed
• onions
• garlic
• protein bar

Dairy and Drinks (99% organic)

• 1% or 2% milk
• orange juice
• grapefruit juice (for the hubby)
• eggs
• green tea bag

Frozen or Chilled (70% organic)

• Cod filets
• potstickers/teriyaki chicken/orange chicken
• berries
• chicken
• meat

Everything else

• Multigrain bread
• Ground flax seed (once a month)
• Toilet tissue
• Multivitamin (once a month)
• Vitamin D3 (every few months)
• Laundry detergent
• Dishwashing soap

So these are pretty much my staples and I work off of that. We have the occasional treat such as tarts, pizza or cookies so we don't go crazy. And we ALWAYS have dark chocolate to help with our sweet tooth.

My budget is $100 per week. Which isn't that bad considering that I buy mostly organic. Going organic won't break the bank if you do your homework.

Where do you shop?

What are your grocery shopping staples?

10 Year Cancer Survivor - Join the fight!

Last month, October, was Cancer Awareness month. I celebrated LIVESTRONG Day by wearing my yellow LIVESTRONG shirt during my first 5k. I also wear my yellow band everyday. I donated to Lee Denim Day at work. I also promoted #beatcancer on Facebook and Twitter. And Team Lagade walked in the ACS Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in San Francisco. I do what I can to help spread the word. Not only in November, but throughout the year.

me before the walk

I H8 CANCER!

I really do. So many people I know are affected by this horrible dreadful disease. So may people I know, know others who are dealing with it. My cousin's friend's husband just passed recently. Why? My father in law lost a toe due to an infection that wouldn't heal. Why? Why does this have to happen?
Unfortunately, your medical professionals won't help you prevent this. Yes, the check ups are a good starting point, and they'll tell you eat right and exercise, but that's all they'll do for you. DON'T just count on your medical professionals. They see a great number of patients daily, so they can't keep track of you or check up on you unless you're in a hospital bed.

I spoke to my primary physician about my concern about getting breast cancer. 

Why?

My cousin had it, along with brain cancer, and she passed this year. RIP coz. She was in her early 40's. My aunt had breast cancer and is now a 10 year survivor. How remarkable is that?! Woot! Woot! I just had to share this info and express how I feel about this disease.

 Susan G. Komen Walk 2009

 Susan G. Komen Walk 2010

 

So what are the chances I'd get it? According to my doctor, she wants to start breast exams when I'm 35. Ok, cool. She told me about the BRCAI and BRCAII tests. Ok, cool. Let's do it! Doesn't it make sense to take the tests to see if I'm a carrier of a breast cancer gene? You know...try to be preventative here. But get this, if I am a carrier then it's noted in my medical record. AND if I do get cancer, guess what!

I would be UNINSURABLE. 

Yup! Can you freakin believe it?! UNINSURABLE. Say it with me...

un-in-sur-able

Yeah, so I'd pretty much get a big freakin EFF YOU from the insurance companies. What would you do at this point? Give it a think. It's pretty hard to swallow. Because of this, I opted not to take the tests and do all I can to be preventative.

Note: I have heard that there was an act that would make the insurance companies cover you even if you are a carrier. If it's true, it would be a great start. If you have info, please contact me.

YOU need to take care of yourself. I've said it before and I'll say it again - YOUR body is YOUR temple. Yes, eat right and exercise. Include cancer fighting food in your diet. Get enough sleep. One of the best sources of info is by Dr. David Servan-Scheriber. He had brain cancer. After conventional treatment, he beat it. But his doctors told him to go back to living his life as he did before cancer. You know what happened? His cancer came back. You see, even doctors don't have all the answers, so you must do your own research. If you've gone to his website and want more info, he has written a book called, Anticancer: A New Way of Life.


So what am I doing to be preventative?

• I exercise daily. I keep moving.
• I buy mostly organic food.
• I eat lots of fruits and vegetables daily.
• I limit red meat.
• I eat clean.
• I limit intake of high fructose corn syrup.
• I do not smoke.
• I do not drink alcohol.
• I drink lots of water and green tea.
• I even limit items I apply to my skin in order to be a natural as possible.
• I examine my body.
• I try to get 7 hours of sleep a night. (this one is difficult for me)

As you can tell, I'm very passionate about spreading the word about cancer. Life is WAY too short and precious. I was a teen once, and thought I was invincible. Even in my 20's, I figured I had lots of time. But in all honesty, you don't. More and more kids are dying of cancer. More and more adults are dying of cancer. It does not discriminate.

What are you doing to prevent cancer?

How are you spreading the word?

Join the fight. Lets #beatcancer!

#beatcancer

Out of all the diseases in the world, cancer surrounds me. I am taking steps to take care of myself and my family by eating right and staying active. This does not guarantee that we won't get cancer, but I believe it decreases our chances of getting it. This is my personal opinion.

I do walks, donate, and hopefully will start running to raise money for research. I just came across this and I thought it was pretty darn cool. And it doesn't cost any money. I stress that because when something costs money, people are hesitant to give it away if they don't get anything back. So again, this DOES NOT COST ANY MONEY.

When you post to Facebook, Twitter, or a blog post, a nickle is being donated to beat cancer everywhere. But you MUST include #beatcancer in your posts. Check it out http://www.beatcancereverywhere.com/ It starts today and they're trying to beat last year's results. So get on Facebook, Twitter and read those blogs so we can....

#beatcancer