Snacking can be a major diet pitfall, but it's unrealistic to keep your cupboards completely bare -- that'll only cause you to end up at a drive-thru. Instead, buy foods that will satiate your cravings without ruining your diet. House admits to having a serious sweet tooth. "I need something sweet after every meal -- even breakfast," she says. Instead of traditional desserts, she buys dates and keeps chocolate chips and cut-up bananas in her freezer. "A lot of it is about knowing yourself," she says. "If I had cookies in the house I would eat them all."
If savory snacks are your weakness, McGee recommends making a batch of hardboiled eggs in the beginning of the week. And both House and McGee always have cooked quinoa on hand. "It's a quick-cooking grain that you can make ahead of time," says McGee. "You can eat for breakfast with cinnamon and blueberries, or make it for dinner with beans, chopped cherry tomatoes, and cilantro."
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Slim women avoid fad foods
Trendy foods -- like coconut water -- tend to be front and center at the grocery store. But unless there's a real reason you should incorporate them into your diet, stay away. "Coconut water is caloric and sweet -- and it's expensive," says MgGee. "You can drink regular water to get hydrated -- it's free!" She also hasn't gotten into the juice craze. "You can have a big kale salad with tons of vegetables on it or you can have a tiny, $10 glass of kale juice. I prefer whole foods."
House says she likes to try the fad food once and then figure out how to make it at home: "When kale chips first came out -- I made them myself and I liked them better."
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Slim women read food labels
Reading food labels can be easier than you think -- you don't even need to know how many calories something should have. "With any new product, I look at the nutrition facts -- calories, fat, and sodium," says House. Then, she compares the labels to similar products around it. "Like with soup -- I'll pick the one with the lowest sodium," she says.
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Slim women check the expiration date
While House avoids most packaged foods, she has a rule for when she buys anything in a can or a box: Look at the expiration dates on food. "If it's going to expire in two years, it's probably packed with sodium and preservatives." And both House and McGee prefer to buy certain foods, like beans, in Tetra Paks (those silver pouches) to avoid bisphenol-A (BPA), a cancer-causing chemical that can be found in the lining of some cans.
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Slim women don't get suckered by sales
When your favorite cookies are half off, it feels wrong not to buy them, but slim shoppers don't get lured in by a good deal. "I only buy sale items if it's something on my list," says House. "If I'm buying Greek yogurt, I may try a new brand if it's on sale -- but I'm not going to deviate from my list." If you really love a bargain, McGee suggests trying sale produce. "In-season fruits and vegetables will often be discounted," she says. Use sales as an excuse to try something new -- like mustard greens or avocado squash -- not to stock up on junk.
You're standing in line at the grocery store, and there she is: A woman with an amazing body (she's undoubtedly wearing yoga clothes -- maybe she even has a mat strapped to her back), glowing skin, and a cart full of vegetables. You contemplate hiding your pint of Ben & Jerry's behind an "Us Weekly" as you're overcome with guilt and the realization that healthy grocery shopping has never been your forté.
Sound familiar? Whether you're on a diet or just trying to eat healthier, the grocery store can be an intimidating place, rife with temptations. However, there are certain women -- namely slim women -- who seem to float through the aisles picking up the ripest fruits and most pristine-looking vegetables. They grab a piece of wild salmon, maybe a jar of almond butter, and they're on their way.
These superhuman shoppers have a secret: a set of healthy grocery shopping guidelines they follow no matter what. While the key rule used to be "focus on the perimeter" (meaning you should shop the produce, meat, fish, and dairy sections to get the healthiest, freshest ingredients), that's no longer the ultimate rule to shop by. "I love grocery shopping," says celebrity yoga and fitness instructor Kristin McGee (who epitomizes the gorgeous shopper described above). "But it's important to go with a plan -- supermarkets are getting so tricky."
McGee and women like her have mastered the art of healthy grocery shopping. Follow their rules and you won't even want to pick up the Chunky Monkey.
