If you’re struggling to get your grocery shopping done, here are my top 5 tips towards a productive and stress-free grocery shopping experience:

1. Shop with a list

When we don’t have a list of items that we really NEED, we are most likely to shop for unnecessary items and will find it difficult in stopping ourselves from doing so.

Having a list allows YOU to be the only one in control. The trolley route in the store will then be of no issue at all for you during your grocery shopping.

2. Don’t shop on an empty stomach

When we are hungry, we are tired, irritable, and more sensitive to noise and smells around us – making us easily distracted by hunger pains. As blood glucose drops (when we are starved of energy from not eating), it becomes harder to make good nutritional decisions, or make a clear plan.

A great tip before commencing grocery shopping is to consume a meal that has appropriate amounts of vegetables, carbs, healthy fats, and lean protein!

3. Shop mostly along the perimeter of the store

This is where most of the produce, lean meats, dairy and frozen veg & fruits are. As much as possible try and void the inner isles, as these are generally where the processed foods are located. If you must enter an inner aisle, enter and exit at THE SAME end. This prevents you from wandering further down the aisle and compromising your list.

4. Buy unprocessed plant foods in bulk

The healthiest and most inexpensive foods aren’t advertised or put into expensive/colourful packages. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, wholegrains and nuts in their basic forms are extremely inexpensive.

While this will cost you slightly more money upfront, this will actually help save your money long-term. Furthermore, buying in bulk will help cut down on packaging materials and helps to promote a waste-free environment!

5. Complete shopping in 20 mins or less

Putting a time limit on yourself during your grocery shopping can really help you stay focused on buying the items that you really need. This ensures that there are no extras jumping into your cart, and to avoid all the grocery gimmicks out to get you (e.g. processed items on special). NO MORE LINGERING!