Paleo Grocery Store Survival

One of the hardest parts of going Paleo is heading to the grocery store. Below are a few tips from my experience that will help you get in and out of the grocery store with out falling off the Paleo Wagon

1. Shop the perimeter. They say this is a good strategy if you want to save money on your grocery bill, but it also works as a clean eating strategy. The processed foods are found in the center isles. The unprocessed foods, for the most part, are found on perimeter. I usually start in the produce section, work my way to the meat section in the back, and then find the natural foods section where I search for almonds, jerky, and dried fruit. I do venture into the middle isles if I need mustard, olive oil, tuna, etc.

2. Use a hand basket. I am lucky enough to be in walking distance to a grocery store, but nevertheless I think it’s a smart idea to shop often and fill your basket with fresh produce and meats. I go shopping about once every two days; doing this forces me to buy fresh produce and meats. Not having processed food in my house ensures that I have to go to the store or I won't have food.

3. Stay away from things with more than three ingredients, I will piggy back this rule with another, if it has ingredients in it that you can not pronounce it is a good bet that you shouldn't eat it.

4. Take a chance. Following rules one through three, pick up an item that you normally wouldn’t purchase. This is a great way to experiment and I’ve tried some funky things I would have never even considered: dandelion greens, almond butter, weird yellow squashes that look like UFOs.