As a personal trainer, you know that nutrition is key to helping your clients achieve their long-term fitness goals and for overall well-being. To eat healthy, clients need to have the right ingredients and for that they need a grocery shopping list that keeps them focused on their goals.

In this post, we’ll walk you through the essential tips and must-have items for beginners on their journey to healthier eating. Ready to get started? Let’s dive in! 

Understanding the Basics of a Healthy Eating Grocery Shopping List

First, before exploring specific foods, it’s important to help clients understand the fundamentals of a balanced diet. Encourage your clients to incorporate nutrient-dense foods into their diets that provide essential vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients. 

Similarly, emphasize the importance of incorporating variety and moderation to ensure they meet their nutritional needs while also enjoying a diverse range of flavors.

Tips for Crafting the Perfect Grocery Shopping List

Next, here are our top tips for helping your clients craft a beginners healthy eating grocery list. 

#1: Plan ahead

First, encourage your clients to set aside time for meal planning and grocery shopping. For example, suggest creating a weekly meal plan that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Next, remind them that planning ahead not only saves time but also helps clients avoid impulsive food choices.

#2: Stick to the perimeter

Secondly, help clients understand tips for navigating the grocery store. For example, advise your clients to focus on the outer aisles where fresh produce, lean proteins, and dairy products are typically located. These whole foods form the foundation of a healthy diet. Similarly, sticking to the perimeter helps clients avoid the temptation of unhealthier processed options.

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#3: Prioritize whole foods

Encourage your clients to opt for whole foods whenever possible. For example, these include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Additionally, urge them to choose minimally processed options to maximize nutritional benefits and minimize added sugars, sodium, and unhealthy fats.

#4: Include a variety of colors

Empower your clients to fill their shopping carts with a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. For example, different colors indicate a diverse array of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Therefore, help your clients learn to experiment with different varieties to keep meals exciting and nutritious.

#5: Don’t forget lean proteins

As you know, protein is essential for muscle repair and growth, making it a crucial component of any healthy diet. Encourage your clients to include lean sources of protein such as chicken, turkey, fish, tofu, beans, and legumes. These options are not only nutritious but also versatile and satisfying.

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#6: Stock up on healthy fats

While fats often get a bad rap, they are essential for overall health and satiety. Encourage your clients to include sources of healthy fats such as avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and fatty fish like salmon and mackerel. Similarly, these fats provide omega-3 fatty acids, which support heart health and cognitive function.

#7: Choose whole grains

Finally, emphasize the idea of swapping refined grains for whole grains to increase fiber intake and promote feeling full. Similarly, encourage your clients to choose options like brown rice, quinoa, oats, barley, and whole wheat bread and pasta. These whole grains provide sustained energy and essential nutrients.

Must-Have Items for a Beginner’s Healthy Eating Grocery Shopping List

Next, once you’ve planted the seeds of the importance of a healthy diet, it’s time to help your clients create their healthy eating shopping list. Here are some of the essentials to include: 

Fresh produce

• Leafy greens (spinach, kale, arugula
• Colorful vegetables (bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli)
• Seasonal fruits (apples, berries, oranges, bananas)
• Cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, Brussels sprouts)
• Root vegetables (sweet potatoes, beets, carrots)

Lean proteins

• Skinless chicken breast
• Turkey breast
• Salmon or other fatty fish (trout, mackerel)
• Lean cuts of beef (sirloin, tenderloin)
• Pork loin
• Shellfish (shrimp, scallops)
• Tofu or tempeh
• Eggs (consider omega-3 enriched)

Whole grains

• Brown rice
• Quinoa
• Whole wheat pasta
• Oats (steel-cut or rolled)
• Barley
• Bulgur
• Whole grain couscous
• Farro

Healthy fats

• Avocados
• Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashews)
• Seeds (chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds)
• Olive oil (extra virgin)
• Coconut oil
• Nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter)

Dairy or dairy alternatives

• Greek yogurt (plain, low-fat)
• Cottage cheese
• Skim or low-fat milk
• Cheese (feta, mozzarella, cottage cheese)
• Unsweetened almond milk or other plant-based milks

Beans and legumes

• Black beans
• Chickpeas
• Lentils (green, brown, red)
• Kidney beans
• Cannellini beans
• Split peas

Herbs and spices

• Garlic
• Basil
• Cumin
• Turmeric
• Cinnamon
• Paprika
• Ginger
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Oregano

Using the ABC Trainerize Smart Meal Planner

The ABC Trainerize Smart Meal Planner offers a convenient solution for streamlining meal planning and tracking nutritional intake. Here’s how it works:

Personalized meal plans

Coaches can set meal plans based on their clients’ dietary preferences, caloric goals and macro split preferences — while the option remains for clients to make changes to meals if they wish. The Smart Meal Planner provides options for balanced, low-carb, or low-fat meal plans, catering to individual needs.

Efficient meal tracking

Next, with the ABC Trainerize app, clients are able to track their meals and macros. They can log their food intake, monitor their progress, and stay accountable to their nutrition goals.

Macro tracking made simple

Additionally, clients are able to effortlessly track their macronutrient intake with the app’s built-in tracking features. So, whether they’re aiming for a specific protein, carbohydrate, or fat intake, the Smart Meal Planner facilitates easy monitoring.

Meal plan customization

Lastly, The Smart Meal Planner allows customization based on clients’ preferences and dietary restrictions. Clients can swap out meals, exclude specific ingredients, or explore new recipe options within the app.

Shopping Simplified with ABC Trainerize Grocery Shopping Lists

With just a tap on the Grocery List icon within the meal plan on our mobile app, your clients effortlessly get a shopping list generated with all the ingredients needed for their meal plan.

Clients have the flexibility to select specific days or meals they’re planning to shop for, offering personalized grocery planning. Our interactive list also smartly adjusts ingredient quantities based on the number of people, ensuring accurate shopping quantities every time.