Tag Archives: printable shopping list

Planning a Low Sodium Diet with Your Printable Grocery Shopping List

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Ninety percent of people in the United States consume more than the recommended amount of sodium, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A surplus of sodium in the diet raises blood pressure, which, in turn, increases the risk of heart disease and stroke — diseases that kill more than 800,000 Americans each year. Instead of shaking table salt onto everything that passes your lips, use a printable grocery list as a tool to minimize your sodium intake and lower your risk for heart disease and stroke.

What is a Printable Grocery Shopping List?

A printable grocery shopping list is a shopping list you can find online and print out, rather than writing your own grocery list by hand. It’s extremely easy to find one online, simply search and find one that appeals to you.

How can it help me minimize my salt intake?

Minimize your salt intake by writing the amount of sodium alongside all of your grocery store items or by starring historically high sodium items like deli meats, bread and rolls, poultry, soups, cheeseburgers, cheese, pasta, meat dishes, potato chips, and pretzels. Check the sodium levels of items on your printable grocery list as you walk through the grocery store and make sure you don’t pick high sodium foods.

What foods should I put on my printable grocery shopping list that are low in sodium?

A product is considered low sodium if it has less than 140 mg per serving. If you want to decrease your sodium intake, shoot for about 2,000 mg or 2 g of sodium per day. Foods that are naturally low in sodium include fresh foods, like fruits and veggies, and some grains, like rice and shredded wheat. While dried beans are great for a low sodium shopper, watch the sodium content in canned beans to avoid a kick of sodium. You should also watch out for the high sodium contents in canned soups, frozen dishes, tomato juice, ham, and bacon, canned beans, and almost all prepared foods.

There are plenty of low sodium products out there for those that want to cut their salt intake. Just make sure to keep your eyes on the labels and use a printable grocery shopping list to drastically reduce your sodium intake.

Counting Calories with Grocery Lists to Print

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Are you watching your calorie count? According to research by Alexander Chernev, an associate professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management, “Those most concerned with their weight are also more likely to underestimate the calorie content of a meal.” Counterintuitive? Definitely. Chernev explains the implications of his study by saying that dieters are, therefore, “more likely to overconsume and consequently more likely to gain weight.” Instead of lamenting Chernev’s studies, do something about it! Make your grocery lists with calories per serving next to each item so that you can better track your caloric intake and achieve weight loss goals.

How to Make Your Calorie-Counting Grocery Lists

Caloric grocery lists work the same as regular grocery lists, except that before you hit the grocery store you should jot down the expected number of calories in each item on the list. This will not only make you more cognizant of your caloric intake in general and educate you regarding the calories of each food, but it will also train you to always double check your food labels before buying a certain item. You never know, a food that you always thought was low calorie actually could be higher in calories than a healthier alternative.

Resources to Find Calorie Contents per Item

So how do we find accurate calorie counts before we hit the grocery store? Luckily, there are plenty of food databases out there that allow you to see the average number of calories per item (per serving) so that you can do your research before you hit the aisles. For example, Livestrong.com provides a library of over 1,557,800 foods to help you more accurately count calories. Madelyn Fernstrom, director of the Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburg prefers SparkPeople calorie counter because of its goal range for calories and macronutrients. This tool has an enormous database of foods with accurate nutritional data, much of which is retrieved from the USDA’s food data and verified user submissions. You can also check out your favorite brands online and view their nutritional content and calorie counts.

Tips to Keep in Mind When Configuring Calories

When you get to the grocery store, don’t simply compare two items side by side, glance at the number of calories, and pick the one that’s closest to your researched calorie goal, as listed on your grocery list to print. Instead, make sure that you’re comparing your items based on calories per serving size. One box of cereal may list calories based on a 1/2 cup, while another may list calories of 1 cup. Some products try to “trick” the consumer into thinking the calorie count is lower by minimizing the serving size. Additionally, don’t simply analyze the number on the box. Look at the ingredients list and try to steer clear of products with trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, or preservatives. Sometimes the lower calorie option isn’t always the healthiest one.

After analyzing the items on your caloric grocery list to print, going shopping, and repeating the process, you’ll be able to better gauge your caloric intake on a daily basis and, with some exercise, achieve your weight loss goals.

Navigating the Grocery Store With a Grocery Shopping List Template

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More and more people are discovering the usefulness of grocery lists, especially those that can be found and downloaded online. You can save 5% or more on your grocery store purchases by simply sticking to a list and getting out of the grocery store as quickly as possible. A grocery list template, in particular, can give you an organized grocery list, downloaded off of the internet with just the click of a mouse. There are many online grocery list templates available to help you make your shopping trips run more smoothly. To better optimize your trip to the grocery store, you can base the order of your grocery list on your store layout. That way, you can have a set “route” and zip in and out of the aisles in no time. Thankfully, many grocery stores have the exact same layout. Here is your guide to understanding the basic grocery store layout and how to get in and out with ease:

Entrance: As you enter the grocery store, nine times out of ten the first thing you’ll see is the produce. Therefore, all of your produce should be first on your grocery list.

Perimeter: The produce, deli, and bakery are most likely all on the perimeter of the store, close to each other. You may find a salad bar or sushi bar too in a bigger store. Check out this section of the store after you grab your produce. Put your deli cuts and cheeses on the grocery list next, followed by baked goods.

Continuing Around the Perimeter: Continuing around the edge of the store, you’ll likely find meats. Put your steaks or chicken breasts on your list next.

Aisles: Now it’s time to conquer the aisles. Near the meats you’ll likely find the bulk section, sliced breads, moving on to canned foods and snack foods. Cereals are grouped together, while candies and snacks are usually close by. Then you’ll find the beverage aisle. Make your way through the aisles until you’ve completed your list, aside from frozen foods and toiletries.

Opposing perimeters: The frozen food aisles occur last on most people’s grocery store layout. Put your milk, eggs, and frozen food items last on your list.

By the checkout: The location of toiletries will vary, as you’re working your way back up to the checkout (making sure to take the perimeter of the store to avoid picking up something you don’t need) stop by the toiletries aisle, if you need things like deodorant or makeup.

Checkout: Lastly, turn the other cheek when you see candies and soda at the front of the store, check out, and get outta there!

Hopefully, this guide to grocery store layouts has helped give you an idea of how you should choose your grocery list template. Look online to see if you can find a grocery list template that has a layout similar to your grocery store to help you get in and out of the store in a flash and, ultimately, save a buck or two.