Making a conscious effort to eat more vegetables takes some time and/or planning. Is it worth it? That’s for each of us to decide. Keep in mind that health is at the foundation of everything our bodies and minds are able to do. If we believe health is a priority, the next step is to align how we spend our time with this priority.

I’m not a big planner, so my strategy is time. This is why I visit the grocery store often! I pop into Whole Foods most days of the week. I can be in and out in 10 minutes, grabbing a few fresh fruits and vegetables each time. I’m fortunate in that Whole Foods, as well as one other market, are on my way home from most things on my schedule, workout studio, subway, etc. I also use grocery store visits to get walks in. I don’t use grocery delivery options (e.g. Instacart, Fresh Direct, etc.). If you drive, do you pass by a grocery store to/from other activities, such as work, appointments, or other errands?

If you’re only visiting the grocery store or farmer’s market once per week, you could consider whether or not this impacts the volume of vegetables you consume. Would you eat more vegetables if you visited the store more often? If you have a large refrigerator and storing large amounts of fresh vegetables across a week is working for you, then stick with that. Visiting the grocery store often is what works best for me. I would be eating far fewer vegetables if I wasn’t doing this because if it’s not in the fridge, I’m not going to eat it. I know that’s obvious, but we may not think about that as we go about our busy lives.

It’s possible visiting the grocery store often was something I was subconsciously conditioned for from an early age. My dad loves going grocery shopping and did this nearly daily when I was growing up; partially because he loves all things food, partially because it was an outlet for solo/downtime. There were also many times I went with him.

This list does not reflect the entirety of what was in my fridge or pantry. It’s simply a list of what I purchased over 10 days. It also doesn’t include the bakery items I picked up at Matchaful. These are not health foods, but they are the healthiest baked goods I’ve found locally.

10 days of food shopping

Thursday, September 28
1 pound baby spinach
1 Cocoyo coconut yogurt
2 Lara bars
1.62 pounds organic bananas
1 organic lemon
1 organic red bell pepper
1.53 pounds organic Honeycrisp apples

Friday, September 29
1 Lara bar
1 Hodo firm tofu
.63 pound baby bok choy
1 bag frozen organic peas
1 bag frozen organic edamame in shell

Saturday, September 30
2 pounds organic seeded Concord grapes

Sunday, October 1
1 bar Hu Kitchen mint chocolate
.41 pound bananas
1 pound baby kale
8 oz raw unpasteurized organic almonds (for homemade almond milk)

Farmer’s market — Norwich Meadows Organic Farm
1 bunch of carrots
1 bunch of swiss chard
1 bunch of radishes
2 small red onions
2 small orange bell peppers
3 small red bell peppers
1 zucchini
2 stalks broccoli

Monday, October 2
2 Cocoyo coconut yogurts
1.6 pounds bananas
8 oz. container Abraham’s baba ghannouj
Wildwood organic super firm tofu
.86 pound organic Honeycrisp apples
1 bag frozen organic peas
1 organic avocado

Tuesday, October 3
1 Lara bar
.82 pound bananas

Wednesday, October 4
.84 pound organic broccoli stalks
1 lb organic Honeycrisp apples
3 organic limes

Thursday, October 5
1 pound organic baby spinach
8 oz container Abraham’s baba ghannouj

Saturday, October 7
1 large head organic cauliflower
1.41 pounds bananas
2 bars Hu Kitchen mint chocolate (on sale, stocked up)

Farmer’s market
2 pounds organic seeded Concord grapes

Sunday, October 8
1 bag frozen organic edamame in shell
3 pound bag Wyman’s frozen organic wild blueberries
1 organic avocado
2 boxes Mary’s crackers (on sale, stocked up). Mary’s crackers are life.

Farmer’s market — Norwich Meadows Organic Farm
2 bunches of carrots
1 bunch of swiss chard
1 bunch of radishes

Monday, October 9
1.88 pounds organic Honeycrisp apples
1 pound organic purple sweet potatoes

Let’s look at just the veggies.

2 pounds baby spinach
1 pound baby kale
4 red bell peppers
4 stalks broccoli
2 orange bell peppers
2 bags frozen peas
2 bunches of swiss chard
3 bunches of carrots
2 bunches of radishes
2 small red onions
2 heads of baby bok choy
1 zucchini
1 large head of cauliflower
1 pound purple sweet potato

Notes

• I don’t buy coconut yogurt regularly. I get cravings occasionally, typically for tofu, bananas, or yogurt. It was also on sale.

• I don’t buy Lara bars regularly. I don’t view bars as a health food. What I like about Lara bars is that they have few ingredients, all of which I recognize. The peanut butter & jelly bar contains just 4 ingredients: dates, peanuts, unsweetened cherries, and sea salt. I think they are a reasonable travel/fast food option for people who are healthy. Eating the same ingredients in the form of whole foods, i.e. fresh fruit and raw, unsalted nuts is a healthier option.

• I love chocolate. Chocolate bars are not a health food. I choose bars with lower added sugar or no added sugar, and no added fillers or ingredients I don’t recognize. A healthier option would be fresh, raw dates or another fresh fruit.

• The quantities of fruit and vegetables I typically purchase feed 1 person.

• I use most of the bananas in green smoothies.

• I didn’t buy any takeout (besides the Matchaful snacks mentioned) or restaurant meals during this time period.

• Some of the staples already in my pantry were quinoa, dried garbanzo beans, dried black beans, flax seeds, chia seeds, Mary’s crackers, PlantStrong Foods stews and chilis.

Did anything here surprise you? Do you visit the grocery store often, or what works for you? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

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