The FastDay Forum

We all know all this but still..worth a reminder
.....a nutritionist recently called supermarkets " sugar aisles".
To avoid these aisles..Shop the perimeter of the grocery store and avoid the middle aisles.
With few exceptions, the middle aisles of the grocery store are full of processed packaged foods while the perimeter contains almost all of the whole, natural foods you'll need to stock up your fat-burning foods
Then head straight to the produce section...this is where wholesome goodness starts...fresh fruits & veggies.
Apples
Oranges
Bananas
Cherries
Berries
Green Beans
Brocolli
Sugar Snap Peas
Carrots
Red Potatoes
Spinach
Romaine Lettuce

Then to the fresh meat to choose..

Grass Fed Ground Beef
Grass Fed Chuck Roast (for pot roast)
Organic Chicken Breast
Grass Fed Strip Steaks

Next up is the milk and eggs section, right on that back wall..

Organic Eggs
Organic Butter
Organic Whole Milk
Organic Greek Yogurt
All-Natural Cheddar Cheese
A full cart of fat-burning groceries all while NEVER visiting the centre " sugar"crammed with processed " goodies" like cookies, crackers, chips, ice cream, cereal, stove top pasta "mixes"...and the list goes on.
Make a strategic trip into the middle of the store to get these items:
Beans
Spices
Tomato Puree
Nuts
Stevia

And that's about it.

Follow that simple advice next time you're at the grocery store and you'll be in and out in no time while avoiding all those processed items that wind up ruining your diet once you get them home. X X

Thanks CM. I agree with everything you said. Pretty much any thing in a box or package that is marketed with a branded name I refer to as a ' food like substance'. Due to the 20 or so ingredients on the ingredient list most of which I can't pronounce and are man made.

[Tracieknits]

I agree with the list for the most part. I certainly agree with the premise of eating whole foods and not buying too many things premade.

I have a slight quibble with stevia though. Even though it's all natural, there are so many studies coming out showing that artificial sweeteners are very bad for you and mess with your glucose tolerance. I haven't seen any studies saying Stevia is okay. It's still a supersweet item that has no calories, and therefore I'm not convinced that it doesn't have the same harmful effects as the others. I think better safe than sorry, and use a small amount of a sweetener with calories, such as real sugar, agave, honey or maple syrup. And if I can wean myself off putting sweetener in my coffee, I think anybody can!!

Interesting article - in case anyone's interested in my shopping habits (which you probably aren't!)

I buy very little fruit these days - apart from raspberries which I love - used to snack on fruit but it wakes up my hunger monster so had to go!

I use skimmed milk in drinks because I don't like the taste of full-fat in tea and it's less calories out of my TDEE as I drink quite a few cups over the course of the day

I buy feta cheese - we have lots of tomatoes at the moment to use and I love a salad of feta, tomato, red onion, basil and balsamic vinegar.

I agree re Stevia @tracieknits..i just copied and pasted the list as i found it online.Well done on giving up artificial sweeteners
@madcatlady ive cut down a lot on fruit too since browsing on here..berries are deffo a great choice,tho i still love apples,pears n nanas in moderation..and pineapple too,as i read it contains an enzyme you can't get in other foods - and stops you getting unsightly liver spots!also,i too hate full fat milk in tea but i love it that i can now have delicious butter instead of nasty low fat spreads!
@julianna i think there's poss more nutrition in the packaging than in the contents sometimes - and more flavour!
I love the expression "sugar halls" or " sugar aisles " and try to remember to repeat it to myself whenever i' m in a supermarket! When you think about it,so many of the wares on sale are dead,lifeless,lacking in any nourishment - in fact not helping our general health and wellbeing at all,AND over packaged,which doesnt help the environment x

I have a small amount of full fat milk and a little honey with my breakfast porridge but that is the only milk I have. I drink black sugarless coffee or cold water. I make my own bread, cakes and biscuits, jams and bottled fruit. I have worked hard at cleaning up my diet but still have too much sugar. We have just invested in a yogurt maker so that we can have unadulterated yogurt! I have made some loose set jams that work well with yogurt. I am about to start making some sweets too in a bid to get rid of more chemicals. I have put together a month of meal plans with a weekly shopping list attached and am finding I buy far less now. Some days when I am tired it is hard to cook from scratch but I am getting used to it. In the UK I relied heavily on factory made vegetarian products. I cannot get those here so now cook proper veggie meals that my meat eating other half also enjoys. I bought the River Cottage veg book and now use it extensively. Last night we had stuffed squash, making the most of them being in season. Tonight it is sweet potato gratin with a sort of satay in the middle. Yummy! I am not calorie concious just now as you can tell but I am enjoying cooking and eating!

Thanks @Bobshouse for reminding me that I have a yoghurt maker.........now that I can't seem to get the yoghurt that I liked at Aldi I may as well go back to making my own! Also have a lot of jam that needs using up which I could add to it instead of honey!

But is there any Candy in the permeter aisles?

No, thanks for that Candy. Thats a very useful list. Personally, I have tried cutting out puddings. The only thing sweet I've eaten lately is Ginger Beer. The diet version is even more sickly than the original...bizarrely

[wildmissus]

Thanks CM, I always write a shopping list when I go so you've saved me the bother tonight.........yes I know it's Saturday night but if I do my messages tonight I have all day free tomorrow. The only problem with my shopping lists are that I always buy stuff that are not on the list....can I really avoid the chocolate aisle!

Bob@bobshouse that's great..sounds like you're really doing well and enjoying making things from scratch! X
@wildmissus it's years since i' ve heard anyone say " messages".. We always said it when i was a kid..i did my Mum and my Nan's messages and remember both their C o op dividend numbers !
It Is hard for most of us folks to keep out of the choc n candy aisles..
I read a book in 2010 that put me off everything sugary and fatty ..i effortlessly lost three stone plus in a few months. Didnt even enter my head to look at cakes,biccies etc..i didnt diet,just ate what wasnt sugar and fat combined.What is this book i hear you cry? Its calledSlim for Life by Jason Vale..i think he hypnotised me out of liking all the bad stuff..but suddenly one day i snapped out of it,started eating badly again and regained most of the weight.* shakes head mournfully * x

I'm lovin your threads/posts CM. Interesting and fun. Thanks.

[wildmissus]

Well CM, I did my messages last night and I didn't buy any chocolate. That's probably because I have had so much of it recently and I feel grotty from eating it! I did however buy soured cream and single cream and can't wait to have them with my mexican chicken and berries.

The mexican chicken stew is a good one for a fast day (or any day in our household) -

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/531628/mexican-chicken-stew

@wildmissus we have that A LOT. Goes down a storm here. I cook it for much longer than the method says though. How long do you cook it for? What do you serve it with? Any tips?

We also do messages

[Tracieknits]

Oh wildmissus I make something like that too, but I add onions and a chili pepper (poblano, if I can find it, but jalapeno works too), and I sautee the onions in oil until they're nice and golden, then add garlic and the chilli just before adding the tomatoes. It's fab

Can someone enlighten this poor Yank? What do you mean by "doing messages"?