“As a professional athlete, what I use to fuel my body is of paramount importance. To get the best results, I have to know exactly what I eat for each meal, but before the Whole30, that wasn’t easy. I’m sensitive to gluten and dairy, but I never knew where those ingredients were hidden. The Whole30 has been invaluable—it made me a label-reading guru! I look for single, whole ingredients or foods with very few ingredients. I know how to avoid sneaky sugars, gluten, and dairy, and translate labels with science-y or healthy-sounding ingredients that aren’t good for me. Since I’ve done a few Whole30s, I’ve learned to easily shop for and prepare the most flavorful, healthy foods I’ve ever had in my life!”
—Erica Tingey, UCI professional cyclist and two-time National Champion
One of the most common challenges for people new to the Whole30 is grocery shopping. You can no longer dash through the store picking up the usual—on the Whole30, every product with a label requires a critical review, and you may have to stock your kitchen with some foods you’re not used to buying.
Also, this may be more expensive than the way you’re used to shopping. We just wanted to address that up front, and put it into perspective. Eating real food does cost more than eating heavily processed fast-food or convenience foods, and stocking your Whole30 kitchen may require some up-front purchases of more costly items things like cooking oils or spices. But isn’t eating whole, nutrient-dense, health-promoting foods that make you look, feel, and live your best worth a few extra dollars? Most people find they want to prioritize healthy food once they start feeling better, and are willing to spend a little less in other areas of their lives (like the cable bill, high-priced coffees, or upgrading your smartphone) to make room for grass-fed meats and organic vegetables.
Many people even find they’re saving money on the Whole30 by cooking at home and not spending money on impulse junk foods, alcohol, and dining out. Regardless, we understand that your budget and time aren’t unlimited, so let’s talk about making the most of your Whole30 grocery shopping experience.
The most important thing you can do to save time, money, and frustration during your first Whole30 can be summed up in two words:
Meal. Plan.
We’ve already talked about this, right? (Refresh your memory.) By planning your Whole30 meals a few days ahead of time and making a detailed shopping list for each meal, you’ll be shopping only for the ingredients you need, and will be less tempted to add “extras” to your cart—these extras can really add up! You’ll also be far less likely to waste food, as everything you buy is needed in one recipe or another.
It’s also incredible stress-relieving to have a meal plan. Knowing your dinner is already simmering in the slow cooker means far less worry during your work day, and far less temptation to call for pizza when you get home hungry and cranky.
Habit and change research shows that the best plans are detailed, yet not so long-reaching that they become overwhelming. Planning too far in advance (like a whole month of meals) is a lot of work, and what if you don’t feel like steak two weeks from Tuesday? Planning for the next three to seven days is perfect; you’re not expending effort thinking about what you’ll eat every single day, but it’s not so long that you feel married to the plan. It also helps your brain achieve some “small wins” quickly—successfully navigating your first few days of Whole30 meals is just the kind of milestone that gives you the self-confidence to keep going. Decide how many days you’ll plan based on how often you can go to the grocery store, and how flexible you want to be with your food choices and your budget.
After you’ve decided which meals to make, you can turn that into a detailed shopping list. To make creating your own shopping list easier, download our free template from www.whole30.com/pdf-downloads, check off the items you need, and write the type (pork shoulder vs. pork ribs), quantity, or amount next to the ingredient.
Now that you have your meal plan and a shopping list, it’s time to hit the grocery store. But wait—you should have a plan for this, too!
First, give yourself plenty of time to grocery shop, especially if it’s a pre-Whole30 “stock your kitchen” kind of outing. Don’t go into the store thinking you’ll be out in your usual 20 minutes—reading labels and finding new ingredients takes time. If you have kids, leave them at home if you can. Dedicating an hour alone to shop at your leisure will reduce any stress you might be feeling, and give you the chance to practice some of these guidelines before you shop again with kids in tow.
If your partner or spouse wants to shop and learn with you, even better—unless you’re afraid they’ll behave like a toddler, in which case you should probably leave them home, too.
Going when stores are less crowded will make you feel less rushed and more free to explore products and read labels at your leisure. Check with your local store to get an idea of their delivery schedule and sale cycles, and time your trip to coincide with the days when bins are the fullest and things are on sale. But don’t go right after work—stores are packed with people stopping in for “just one thing.” Your best bet is to go home, have dinner, then head back out around 7 p.m. Not surprisingly, weekend afternoons are the busiest time, and generally when shelves are more bare—but many families make Sunday their designated “food prep day.” The key is choosing a strategy that works for you, and then making it part of your weekly routine.
Now you’re in the store, shopping list in hand . . . So where do you start?
To make the most of your grocery store budget, shop strategically. There’s a reason protein comes first on our shopping list—focus on meat, seafood, and eggs first, buying grass-fed or pastured if you can. If your budget is really tight, you may want to meal plan around what you see on sale in your grocery store flyer, or choose recipes that use more economical cuts of meat (like our Braised Beef Brisket, Cod with Mushroom and Red Pepper Relish, or Roasted Pork Shoulder with Butternut Squash, Kale, and Tomatoes) instead of buying expensive tenderloins or halibut.
Don’t overlook frozen burgers, salmon, or shrimp—they’re an economical way to buy high-quality meat. Just make sure to read your labels carefully, as many prepackaged burgers or patties include off-plan ingredients. Finally, even at $6 a dozen for pastured and organic, eggs are still your cheapest protein source.
“Going organic” is not a part of our Whole30 rules, although we highly recommend it where you can afford to do so. If you only have the budget to buy a few organic items, we’d have you prioritize your animal protein sources over vegetables and fruit. Pesticides aren’t delicious, but we believe the negative health consequences of factory farming are so detrimental to the animal (and the meat it produces) that it’s most critical for you to source animals raised in a natural environment and fed a natural diet. Look for words like 100 percent grass-fed, grass-finished, pastured, and organic on your label, or ask your butcher how the animal was raised and fed. For more information on sourcing healthy protein and produce, see Resources.
Next, move to the produce section, buying organic vegetables, fruit, and fresh herbs only if you can afford it. Spend your organic dollars on those fruits or vegetables you can’t peel (like lettuce or berries), and buy things with a peel or removable skin (like avocado or onions) conventionally. Fresh herbs really add punch to a meal; find them in the produce section, too. (Cilantro and parsley are usually kept by the green onions, while basil, dill, thyme, and others are usually sold in small plastic packages.)
Canned vegetables are also an economical option; you can find canned sweet potato, butternut squash, and pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!) at most grocery store chains. Be sure your canned fruit is packed in water or fruit juice, however, not a sugary syrup.
Thanks to modern farming practices, you can find just about any fruit or vegetable year-round these days, but learning which foods are at their peak throughout the year is a healthy and economical shopping strategy. Buying produce when it’s fresh and in season means the vegetables and fruit are more nutritious. (Since out-of-season produce may be shipped from thousands of miles away, it spends many days in transit, all the while losing some of the key nutrients.) It’s also less expensive, as buying grapes in March means long shipping times, high fuel costs, and other factors that all add up to an insanely huge price tag. Finally, eating seasonally naturally guarantees a healthy variety in your diet, which means your body is getting a wide array of micronutrients to keep it healthy. You can download our Seasonal Produce Guide at www.whole30.com/pdf-downloads.
Finally, go frozen! Frozen vegetables are an economical and easy way to get your greens (and reds, and yellows) in. Just make sure your vegetable mix isn’t full of corn, lima beans, or other off-plan “vegetables,” and don’t come swimming in a sugary sauce. Frozen fruit (like berries) are also a great way to get a taste of summertime in February without the high prices of off-season fruit.
The aisles are your next stop, for healthy fats and pantry items. Plan to stock up on healthy fats over time, as these can be the most expensive items on your bill, after protein. First, buy a few different kinds of cooking fats, as you’ll use these every day. Prioritize extra-virgin olive oil, unrefined coconut oil, and butter (clarifying it yourself is cheaper than buying ghee), as you’ll use these most frequently with these recipes. They’re pricey, but you’ll only have to stock up once every month or two, so consider them an investment.
Next, add the fats you’ll need for your meals, like avocado (back in the produce section), full-fat coconut milk, or coconut flakes, and grab some canned olives as back-up. Finally, shop for nuts and seeds as part of your meal plan, or as an easy on-the-go fat source. Buy just the amount you need from the bulk bins—it’s less expensive than buying a whole bag—and if you buy mixed nuts, make sure your mix doesn’t contain peanuts!
Finally, stock your pantry with what you’ll need for your meal plan, and if you can swing it, pick up a few basics. (Use our shopping list as your guide.) This includes checking off at least a few often-used spices (like salt, pepper, ground mustard, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder), and adding to your collection over time as you can afford it.
You can’t beat the flavor punch of fresh herbs, but if you’re trying to stretch your grocery store dollars, you can substitute dried herbs in any of our recipes. The general ratio is 1:3 (one teaspoon of dried herbs for every tablespoon of fresh). It’s not super important to get this ratio exactly right—herbs are very forgiving, and you might discover you like a lot more cilantro or dill than our recipes call for. It’s also really easy to grow your own basil, thyme, or rosemary at home! All you need are a few pots, a sunny counter space or table, and a watering can.
As for how often you should shop, that’s really up to you. There are a few benefits to shopping more frequently (a few times a week, versus once a week). First, because all the ingredients you’re buying are perishable, grocery shopping more frequently means all that fresh food is far less likely to spoil before you can use it—another money-saving bonus. Plus, being able to shop a few times a week means you can meal plan just a few days at a time, allowing you more room to include newly discounted foods in your plan, or better accommodate for your family’s tastes or requests.
However, you may not have time in your schedule to meal plan, prep, and shop a few times a week. Shopping once a week certainly makes things easy from a time perspective, and can help you better track your grocery budget. If that’s the case, you’ll want to extend your meal plan out to seven days, and take the time to make a detailed shopping list for every dish. Start with a clean refrigerator (eat up last week’s leftovers!), because you’ll need the space for your big haul. Finally, let your family know that what’s on the plan is exactly what you’re eating—but you’ll take special requests in time for next week’s shopping trip.