Make shopping for fruits and veggies easy!

By Ruth Vodonos, UC Davis Healthy Aggies Intern

Having to grocery shop can be stressful. You might walk in hungry just to buy everything that looks good, but then regret it later when you realize how unhealthy it is. I know I have personally gone shopping hungry only to buy myself mostly snacks and sweets, realizing a day later that I have not bought any food I can actually create a healthy meal with. You might even go grocery shopping with the intention of buying only healthy foods, only to find yourself hungry two days later when you’ve only bought salad type ingredients and you have already run out.

This is why creating a list of the food and beverages you need to buy so that you have a game plan once you enter the store can help you in reaching your health goals. Making a grocery list is a great way to make shopping quicker, easier, and ensure your meals have more fruits and veggies in them!

Choose MyPlate has an amazing free template of a grocery list that allows you to organize your list by different sections.

Focus on creating a list full of fruits and vegetables. Add in protein foods and grains (aim for whole grains!). Below are some ideas of fruits and vegetables to get you started on making your list! 🙂

Here are some ideas for fruits you can add to your list.  Use fresh, canned (without added sugar) or frozen varieties:

• Apple
• Apricot
• Avocado
• Banana
• Blackberry
• Blueberry
• Cherry
• Cranberry
• Date
• Fig
• Grape
• Lemon
• Lychee
• Mango
• Melon (cantaloupe/honeydew/watermelon)
• Orange
• Peach
• Pear
• Plum
• Pineapple
• Pomegranate
• Raspberry
• Strawberry

Here are some ideas for vegetables you can add to your list.  Fresh, frozen or canned all work:

• Arugula
• Asparagus
• Beans
• Beet
• Bell pepper
• Bok choy
• Broccoli
• Brussel sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrot
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Collard greens
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Edamame
• Eggplant
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Mushroom
• Onion
• Pea
• Radish
• Spinach
• Squash
• Tomato
• Yam
• Zucchini

What are some of your favorite ways to get enough fruits and vegetables each day?  Let us know in comments!