A person's pantry and refrigerator say a lot about their personality and lifestyle. What's in your fridge? Do precooked beats fresh produce or is it full of fruit and vegetables? If you want to be healthier and lose weight, take note of these tricks that will help you lose weight.
- on a full stomach. Going to do the shopping on an empty stomach is not a good idea, because the brain reacts more to visual stimuli and you end up buying things that in "normal conditions" you would not go and, why fool ourselves, that they will be more caloric. It is best to go after lunch or after a full breakfast.
- Bring the shopping list made. Improvisation is fine in general, but not when shopping. There should be only a small space for offers. Do not leave home without the list, previously made according to the weekly menu. It is the best way to only get the food you need and to prevent products as attractive as calories from getting through.
- Filling the shopping cart has a trick. Following a certain order when making the purchase to fill the cart will help you make a healthier purchase. Start by taking the legumes, rice, and water. Follow with greens, vegetables and fruits. Finish with the meat, fish, and bread. If you don't have room for other packages, nothing happens.
- The market is cooler. You will find fresher, closer and seasonal products. If you fill the cart with them, you will not fit the supermarket packaging, with more calories, more additives and fewer nutrients.
- Choose small formats. Size matters both when it comes to serving and serving. If you buy in bulk, large cans or packs to save more, try dividing these products into smaller servings.
- Substitute everything you can. Every time you pick up a food at the supermarket, ask yourself if there is a lighter option. For example, instead of using cream for sauces, opt for milk; fresh cheese instead of butter; tofu or seitan burger to substitute for beef or pork; dried fruit instead of candy; rice cakes, spelled or oatmeal instead of cookies … You just have to find a healthy substitute that will be just as delicious but healthier.
- Read the labels well. Many times you have doubts about a product that, at first glance, seems healthy. Don't trust the advertising and images on the label so much as the ingredient list. Take a good look and avoid foods that contain more than three additives or E numbers. Before you go shopping, take a look at the labels of the products you have in the pantry so as not to repeat.
- Put aside the colors. Color additives are used to increase the attractiveness of foods: redder meats or yellower cheeses are made, for example. They can mask poor quality. Especially avoid E102, E110, E127, E129, E132, E133, E150c, E150d, E154, E155, E161g and E180g.
- Avoid "without" products. The flavor is achieved with sugar, salt or fat. When a brand reduces one game, the others increase. Take for example the "no sugar". Sugar is usually replaced with fat, which provides even more calories, or synthetic sweeteners, which cause changes in the intestinal flora and metabolism that lead to weight gain and increased risk of diabetes. Instead of foods "without", choose products "with", that is, those that are rich in minerals and vitamins and low in calories.
- good eggs. Look for eggs from chickens that live in decent conditions and do not trust the photos or what can be read on the box. No matter how green the field in the photo of the hen is, look at the code printed on the eggs inside. Do not cheat. Choose the ones that start with 0 or 1.
- The best advice, that of the grandmother. Writer, journalist and food expert Michael Pollan offers advice that doesn't fail: don't buy what your grandmother wouldn't have put into her mouth. Why? It's simple, the latest in food have not stood the test of time, which is what guarantees that something is truly healthy.
- Food from the land. The place of origin is very important. A tomato ripened in the sun is not the same as in a chamber. Food from far away countries has lost nutrients due to early harvest and days spent in transport and storage. The foods of your land are more nutritious because they are seasonal and local. The “Km 0” label helps to recognize them.
- Don't look for "health" on a label. It's a mistake. Health is in fresh seasonal products, white meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, legumes … Not printed on a cardboard box.
- little meat. In the average diet of the Spanish there is an excessive consumption of meat products. And several studies have shown that this factor may be related to a higher incidence of colon cancer and obesity. It is best to try not to consume more than 500 g of fresh meat a week, and much better if it is poultry or rabbit than red. On the contrary, it is preferable to increase the consumption of legumes, fish and nuts, both in quantity and frequency.
- Do more shopping. Try to go shopping more often. If you do it every 2 or 3 days you will save (you will throw less food) and you will gain health (there will be more fruit and fish at home). Try to get some time for the bread, fruits and vegetables you need for the next day. And if you can, stop by a municipal market, you will find more local and seasonal products.
