How Do I Grocery Shop for Fat Loss and Muscle? A Simple List

Go in with a list, fill about half your cart with produce, then add lean protein, then whole grains, dairy and healthy fats. Keep packaged snacks to one or two planned items. Buy frozen produce if fresh goes bad before you use it. Prep your protein the day you shop so healthy dinners are the easy choice.

Why does the grocery store matter so much?

Most of what you eat at home is decided in the store. If chips are in the pantry, you will eat them on a bad day. If cooked chicken and cut vegetables are in the fridge, you will eat those instead. Ultra-processed food also makes most people eat more without noticing: in a controlled trial, people ate about 500 more calories a day on an ultra-processed diet than on a minimally processed one (Hall et al., 2019).

What should go in my cart first?

Produce

Fill about half your cart here.

• Greens and vegetables: spinach, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, peppers, zucchini
• Starchy carbs: sweet potatoes, potatoes, squash
• Fruit: berries, bananas, apples, oranges

Pick a mix of colors. Frozen fruit and vegetables count. They keep their vitamins well and do not spoil (Bouzari et al., 2015). More on that in canned and frozen vegetables.

Protein

• Chicken, turkey and lean beef
• Fish such as salmon, sardines or tuna
• Eggs
• Beans and lentils

Buy in bulk when it is on special and freeze portions. Men on the Anti-Dad Bod mission: load up on lean protein here first.

Dairy and alternatives

• Greek yogurt and cottage cheese for protein
• Milk or a fortified soy milk
• Cheese in small amounts

Grains and pantry

• Rice, oats, whole grain bread and pasta
• Olive oil, nuts and nut butter
• Canned beans, canned tuna and low-sodium broth
• Spices and hot sauce, so healthy food tastes good

Which aisles should I keep short?

Chips, cookies, sugary cereal, soda and frozen desserts. I do not ban them. I tell clients to pick one or two planned treats a week and buy them in a single-serving size.

How do I make this work on a busy week?

• Write the list from the meals you plan to cook, not from memory.
• Shop after you eat, not hungry.
• Cook two proteins and one big tray of vegetables the day you shop.
• Keep backups: frozen vegetables, eggs, canned tuna and rice.

What should you read next?

Read stop doing fad diets and improving your family’s diet. To work with me, start with the XPL quiz, which is my intake form for every client, then see coaching options and pricing.

Written by Zavier King, personal trainer in Houston and online coach at XPL. ISSA Certified Personal Trainer and NASM Nutrition Coach.