Strength & Energy. You need energy – calories from food – for weight lifting and for daily activities.

Muscle Mass. Protein is necessary to build muscle & for muscle recovery. Nutrition can also minimize muscle breakdown.

Body Fat. Fat is emergency storage. Your body holds on to fat when you don’t eat enough calories or don’t eat enough fat.

Health. Testosterone levels, hydration, vitamins, minerals, fiber, … Your nutritional choices reflect your health.

The next 10 nutrition rules will take care of the above…

1. Eat Bre akfast. Sleeping gets you in a catabolic state. Eating breakfast stops the muscle breakdown. Eating breakfast also helps fat loss by increasing the amount of calories you burn at rest.

• Some breakfast recipes: scrambled eggs with veggies, oats & bananas, protein shakes, smoothies, etc.

If you have problems eating breakfast, read the article on how to build the habit of eating breakfast.

2. Eat Pre & Post Workout. Pre workout so you feel full of energy at the gym. Post workout for muscle recovery & to replenish your energy levels.

• Pre Workout. 1 hour before working out. Proteins, carbs, some fat. Meat, rice, veggies for example.

• Post Workout. Directly after working out. Post workout shake of whey & oats or whole meal of proteins, carbs &

some fats.

You burn more calories post workout so if you want to eat junk food, the best time is post exercise

(check rule #10).

3. Eat Ever y 3 Hours . Boosts your metabolism. Prevents cravings by keeping you filled with healthy foods. Provides you with the calories you need for energy and to gain weight.

Example meal plan:

7am Eggs with veggies

10am Quark cheese with fruit.

1pm Tuna, brown rice & pineapple.

4pm Mackerel, brown rice & apple.

5pm Workout.

6pm Post workout protein shake.

7pm Meat or poultry with potatoes & veggies.

10pm Cottage cheese, berries, flax seeds & fish oil.

4. Eat 1g Protein per Pound of Body-we igh t Daily. You need protein to build muscle & for muscle recovery. Protein also boosts your metabolism: your body burns 25kcal per 100kcal protein ingested, which is more than for carbs or fats.

Get 1g protein per pound of body-weight. That’s 2.2g protein per kilogram of body-weight.

Sources of protein:

• Red Meat Beef, pork, lamb, deer, buffalo, etc.

• Poultry Chicken, turkey, duck, etc.

• Fish Tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, etc.

• Eggs Eat the yolk, it’s full of vitamins.

• Dairy Milk, cheese, cottage cheese, quark, yogurt, etc.

• Whey Not necessary but great for easy post workout shakes.

If you weigh 150lbs/68kg, 1 can of tuna at lunch, 300g cottage cheese as snack, 300g meat at dinner and 500ml milk through the day gets you 150g protein. Check also these protein sources for vegetarians & vegans.

1   -   Prepare meals in advance

Preparing what you have to eat the day before is a great way to make sure you don’t go off track with your nutrition program. Prepare the bulk of your meals the night before using plastic containers, and be ready to hit the ground running the very next day. You may be tempted by all the restaurants or fancy fast food places which may not be interested in providing the healthy food choices, but are more interested in providing foods that taste good and will only make your goal harder to reach. Don’t give in to what’s out there, bring your food with you and stay focused on what you are wanting to achieve.

2   -   Eat small but often

Eating meals every 3 hours has been proven to speed up your metabolism, burning fat at a more effective rate. Peaking or spiking your metabolism in this way is much like stoking a fire, keeping the fat burning revving along and not giving the fire a chance to die out. Each time you eat, your metabolism kicks into play, and begins to burn away at any fat stores. So as you can see, keeping your metabolism active is essential for dropping off the pounds and acquiring that lean look. Eating more frequently say 5-6 times a day means you will need to eat smaller meals with 3 hours between each.

3   -   Do not eat until you are full

If you eat too much in one sitting you will not be able to eat your next meal 3 hours later, so if you have eaten until you are full you have eaten too much. Eating too much may lead to some of that food being stored as fat and also you will not want to eat your next meal, so you will be back to square one.

4   -   Eat lean to become lean

With each meal you should try and incorporate lean protein as the main component. Include things like egg whites, chicken breast (lean meats), fish, fat-free dairy products like cottage cheese, etc. These food sources provide the lean protein you need to help keep you metabolism spiked, build muscle, and keep you feeling fuller during meals.

5   -   Eat natural foods

Eating natural foods rather than processed foods will be more beneficial to you. Natural foods provide the essential nutrients your body needs to make the changes you want, keeping your body in a healthy condition. So stay away from synthetic foods and go with the good old fashion foods and you can’t go wrong. You should eat things such as whole grain foods, fruits and vegetables, and lean meats, etc. For example, rather than drinking apple juice, why not eat an apple.

6   -   Cut out those beverage calories

Many people look at drinks/beverages and assume because they are not a bulky food source they do not have an effect on their diet, well this is false. Some drinks are packed with calories and are an underlying problem that people tend to ignore. Most of the juices we drink are loaded with fruit sugars which are not good for you. Avoid soda based drinks like coke and Pepsi. There are 139 calories in a can of Coke. Now imagine how much exercise you would have to do to burn off those empty calories. Well let’s put it this way, walking briskly for about 20 minutes (13 minutes if you’re walking uphill) burns about 100 calories. If people drink these high calorie drinks, and don’t do the equivalent exercise needed to burn the calories off, the end result is those calories will undoubtedly store as fat. Drink plenty of water or even green tea. Green tea has been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers and also helps boost your metabolism.

7   -   Indulge in one cheat meal per week

If you are following a strict nutrition program the temptation to stray is so easy to do. Having cheat days during your program is a good incentive for all the hard work you may have done to get this far, letting you indulge in some of the foods that may not be good for you as a treat. Rather than have a cheat day, it may be better to have one cheat meal per week. This means you are still rewarding the hard work you have done, but will not offset the progress you have made so far during the week. Taking a whole cheat day may lead to a higher intake of calories than you had previously burnt off during that week. So limiting it to one cheat meal per week should overcome this problem, but at the same time reward you for all your hard work.

Sticking to these seven fundamental tips should hopefully set you on your way to achieving your goals and make a change to how you look. Remember, getting in shape is not all about how much work you put in at the gym, it’s also about what you eat. So follow these steps, keep focused, and good luck!

Read more health and exercise tips HERE.

In our fast-paced society, eating is often done with little or no thought as to what exactly it is being ingested. Excess body fat is a direct outcome of this hurried, poor nutrition. Even if you have the best intentions with your diet, you are likely frustrated and fed up with extra pounds.

I don’t blame you for being confused about what you should eat. The media surely doesn’t help. One day the talking heads want you to give up all fats. The next day carbs are the culprit, and then acai berries become the holy grail of weight loss.

The food manufacturers increase confusion by printing misleading labels and bogus health claims.

Sometimes it seems like the whole system is set up to confuse and frustrate us into buying the latest and greatest packaged food.

The bottom line is that your physique is largely a result of what you eat, so the foods that you put into your body should be carefully selected.

It’s time to re-examine what you eat.

It all starts with reading nutritional labels. The nutritional content and ingredient list will give you everything you need to know about the quality of the food item.

I’ve outlined 5 ingredients that should raise a red flag when you turn over that package and find them listed:

Red Flagged Ingredient #1: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
HFCS is a manmade sugar, derived predominantly from genetically modified corn. The sweet concoction has been shown to promote binges and hysterical hunger, and wrecks havoc on your blood sugar levels, promoting fat storage.

The introduction of HFCS into our food supply directly paralleled a 47% spike in Type 2 Diabetes cases as well as an 80% increase in obesity. Food manufacturers use HFCS in many mainstream products, including the following:

• Sauces (including ketchup)
• Yogurt
• Energy Bars
• Soft Drinks / Fruit Juices
• Processed baked goods
• Cereals
• Crackers
• Ice Cream
• Salad Dressing
• Most packaged snack foods

Red Flagged Ingredient #2: Hydrogenated Fat / Partially Hydrogenated Fat (Trans Fat)
Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats have undergone such extensive processing that the chemical structure has changed from a “cis” shape, which the human body recognizes and utilizes, to a “trans” shape, which is foreign and destructive to human physiology.

Check each food label for the word ‘hydrogenated’ and avoid it diligently. Cutting out hydrogenated fats is a simple set towards looking and feeling your best.

Red Flagged Ingredient #3: Aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that was denied 8 times by the FDA before being approved in 1973. Many scientists objected the approval, claiming that aspartame hadn’t been proven safe for use as a food additive.

MIT neuroscientist, Richard Wurtman, researched the effects of aspartame and concluded that it promotes cravings for foods high in calories and carbohydrates. Though aspartame is calorie-free it still causes insulin to be released, which job is to stow away sugar – when this sugar is not available, the result is often hypoglycemia and severe hunger. Not exactly a recipe for weight loss.

Red Flagged Ingredient #4: White Sugar
White sugar comes from the juice of a sugar cane plant that has undergone an intensive refining process. In this process all of the enzymes, fiber, vitamins and minerals are destroyed, rendering it nutritionally void. White sugar is also extremely high in calories, which your body loves to store away in fat cells.

Refined sugar has been linked to a weakened immune system, hyperactivity, ADD, mental and emotional disorders, dental cavities, hypoglycemia, enlargement of the liver and kidneys, and an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. All that and it leads to weight gain.

Red Flagged Ingredient #5: White Flour
White flour comes from natural whole wheat that has been stripped of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. This results in a nutritionally void product that is packed with calories that release quickly into your system, creating a spike in blood sugar. As you know, this promotes fat storage and leads to hysterical hunger and cravings. You don’t need that.

Once you cut these 5 items out of your diet, you’ll be pleased with the results. Expect to lose weight, to have more energy and to feel better than you have in a long time.

If you’re serious about looking and feeling your best through purifying your diet, then focus on eating real food items. Real foods include lean meats, vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds.

Would you like to expedite your fitness and weight loss results? Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will quickly transform your body.

Remember, while nutrition is vitally important for weight loss, true results are achieved through a combination of both nutrition and challenging, progressive exercise.

Binge eating sucks. But what drives us to do that? And how we can stop it?

Disclaimer: Now let me get the legal beagle mumbo jumbo out of the way…I’m not a doctor, and if you have a serious eating problem you should talk to a trained health professional…there’s probably even a medical definition of binge eater that I don’t know about…

…so for our purposes, we’ll refer to binge eating as anything that involves eating too much junk and making you feel guilty.

…And if you are just one of those folks who goes 37 days in a row without binge eating and then – POW – it shows up and kicks you in the butt…leaving you feeling guilty, frustrated, and upset, then let’s help you out.

Personally, there is no better common-sense tip for avoiding binge eating than…

Keeping the junk out of the house.

Easier said than done in most homes, I know, and heck, I find myself with my hand in the cookie jar more than I’d like. But hey, how else am I going to eat ice cream other than by making home-made ice cream sandwiches?

So do your best on that one, but if you can’t keep ALL the treats out of the house, here are some more tips…

This is another superficial one…but you just need to stay active and find something else to do besides look through the cupboards for the 3rd time this evening.

Don’t use food as a reward or just something to do out of boredom.

Go for a walk. Run some errands. Treat yourself to a bath or download some tunes. Buy a punching bag. Put on some music and dance.

And a couple of other practical tips…if you are going to binge, do so by overeating fruits and vegetables. And also, when you are done eating, brush your teeth, makes eating less appealing for a while.

Okay, those are good, but it is time to get a little deeper.

You are probably binge eating for some emotional reason.

One person recommended keeping a diary and writing down how you feel when you eat. I think this is great advice that most folks should do even if they don’t binge eat. Just do this for a week and you’ll get a really good understanding of why you are eating.

Were you hungry? Bored? Tired? Stressed? Anxious?

The May 2009 issue of Men’s Health magazine reports that anxiety causes many people to overeat sugar. If that is the case with you, then you need to find a way to deal with the anxiety…and that will take care of the overeating.

I’m also reading an interesting book called, “The Culture Code”, and the author argues that most overweight folks overeat because they are mentally “checking out”. Something emotional is driving them to turn to eating so they can escape other problems.

If that is the case, and its serious, then again, professional help is in order. Either way, I think tracking your mood when you eat is a great way to identify the source of your binges, and you’ll be able to build some powerful routines and possibly overcome binge eating.

Some other “deep” responses I received on twitter had to do with the relationship we have with food. How do we view food? As a fuel? As something to be enjoyed with others? As a necessity? Or as one of the major comforts and joys in our lives?

Do we have the POWER over food or does food have the power over us?

Do we practice extreme self-denial that ends up being counterproductive because it leads to binge eating? And if so, then how can we get into a balanced eating lifestyle that allows treats but without binge eating all the time?

Another reader recommended “Intuitive Eating by Tribole and Roesch”. I haven’t read it, but they said it was a great book that touches on all aspects of unhealthy food habits. Definitely a good resource for those of you who want more info. If you read it, let me know some big lessons.

And if you have any tips on avoiding binge eating, please let me know below.

You’re already doing that but not getting results? Maybe you’re not
eating that healthy. Here are 10 foods you might think are healthy
because they’re labeled as such, but which in reality are anything but
healthy.

1. Breakfast Cereals. Cereals are labeled healthy & nutritive and
recommended for weight loss. Read the labels: cereals are often high
in sugar & salt and their vitamin/mineral content is chemical based.
Drop that spoon.

Healthy alternative: eat oatmeal instead.

2. Granola Bars. Granola bars consist of healthy oats & nuts. But
they’re glued together with blood sugar raising ingredients like corn
syrup. Some bars even contain chocolate chips, making them as bad as
candy bars.

Healthy alternative: homemade protein bars.

3. Yogurt with Fruit at The Bottom. Fat free doesn’t mean healthy.
Labels tell you they contain added sugars, corn syrup or artificial
sweeteners. Same with fat free frozen yogurts which can contain 20g
sugars per 1/2 cup.

Healthy alternative: plain unflavored yogurt mixed with fruit cut into pieces.

4. Bread. Convenient and tastes good, but not as healthy as you think.
Whole grain or whole wheat means nothing. Dark bread can still contain
corn syrup & trans-fats and eating too much bread will make you fat.

Healthy alternative: Ezekiel Bread, but lower your bread intake.

Bread is also not as healthy as you think.

5. Sandwiches. Often labelled “fitness” or “light”, but containing
sugar-laden salad dressings, little veggies & proteins and too much
white bread. Freshness is questionable and you need the foot-long to
fill your stomach.

Healthy alternative: make your own sandwiches and use omega3 or whole
grain wraps instead

6. Fruit Juice. Even 100% fruit juice has added sugars, usually
fructose. Cans of fruit juice contain up to 38g sugar per 8oz. Excess
fructose causes obesity, bad cholesterol, poor appetite control, etc.

Healthy alternative: home-made fruit juice or eat fruit.

7. Sport Drinks. Supposed to help you replenish electrolytes, carbs,
etc. But it’s actually sugar water, with up to 30g sugar/serving. If
you eat healthy and don’t drink 2 gallons water in 1 setting, you
don’t risk water intoxication.

Healthy alternative: water during workout, protein + carbs post workout.

8. Fast Food Salads. Contain sugar-laden salad dressings, croutons
made from refined white flour or white floor pasta. In many cases
you’re better off ordering a double cheeseburger than a chicken salad.

Healthy alternative: make your own salads.

9. Frozen Meals. Nothing is wrong with frozen veggies/fruits. But a
lot is wrong with frozen meals often labeled “light” or “healthy”.
They’re processed, high in sugar, and come with sauces & sodium.
Avoid.

Healthy alternative: cook all your meals for the day in the morning or evening.

10. Diet Soda. Contain artificial sweeteners like the controversed
aspartame. Do your research and decide if you want to take the risk.
Start with this & this thread on diet soda in StrongLifts.com Forum.

Healthy alternative: water, water with squeezed lemon, green tea.

Eating fats also helps fat loss: your body holds fat if you don’t eat fats. Fruits & veggies contain vitamins & minerals, necessary for recovery from your workouts. And carbs fuel your muscles so you feel full of energy at the gym.

Lots of you struggle to get these foods. Sometimes because you’re too busy or sometimes because you just lack information. This list will help you — 20 super foods you need to build muscle & lose fat.
1. Whole Eggs. Cheap & rich source of protein: 7g/egg. The yolk contains most nutrients: half the protein, vitamins A/D/E and cholesterol to naturally increase your testosterone levels.

Don’t worry about cholesterol in eggs. Dietary cholesterol isn’t bound to blood cholesterol. If you have bad cholesterol, lower your body fat rather than throwing the yolk away.
2. Fish Oil. Reduces inflammation (joints/skin), lowers body fat and increases testosterone levels. You need 9000mg EPA/DHA per day. Since you’ll probably struggle to get that from eating fatty fish, consider a fish oil supplement.
3. Wild Salmon. One of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids that also gets you 20g protein per 100g serving. Farm raised salmon is, however, omega-3 deficient: it’s corn/grain fed. Go with wild salmon.

4. Berries. Strong antioxidants that prevent cancer, heart & eye diseases. Any kind works: cranberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc. Buy fresh or frozen berries and mix with oatmeal.
5. Yogurt. Contain bacteria that improve your gastrointestinal health. Don’t buy frozen yogurt or yogurt with added sugar and fruits at the bottom. Get plain low fat yogurt. Eat it with berries & flax seeds.
6. Flax Seeds. Source of fiber, protein & omega-3. Grind the flax seeds to get the most out of them. Take 1 tbsp with yogurt & berries before going to bed. Stay away from flax oil: it’s unstable and contains no fiber.
7. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 70% monounsaturated fats that protect against heart diseases and cancer. Add 1-2 tbsp olive oil to your salads. Buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil: it contains more polyphenols and tastes better.
8. Mixed Nuts. Contain mono- & polyunsaturated fats, proteins, fiber, vitamin E, zinc, potassium, magnesium, etc. Mixed nuts are caloric dense, great if you’re a skinny guy who wants to gain weight.

Anything works: almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, … Peanut butter also works as long as you buy natural peanut butter without added salts/sugars.

9. Red Meat. Protein, vitamin B12, heme iron, zinc, creatine, carnosine and even omega-3 if you eat grass-fed beef. Eat steaks & hamburgers from top round or sirloin.
10. Broccoli. High in cancer-fighting phytochemicals and anti-estrogenic indoles. Broccoli is also high in soluble fiber and low calorie, helping fat loss. Eat other cruciferous vegetables for a change: cabbage, bok choy, cauliflower, kale, …
11. Spinach. One of the most alkaline foods. Spinach prevents muscle & bone loss, but also cancer and heart diseases because of its high nutrient profile.
12. Turkey. If you don’t believe saturated fat is good for you, try white turkey. The leanest beef has about 4.5g saturated fat/100g, while white turkey has close to 0g (that why it’s so dry). Eat turkey with spinach & quinoa.
13. Quinoa. South American “king of grains”. Quinoa is higher in fiber & protein than rice or oats, tastes a lot better and is gluten free. Buy the whiter grain, it’s better quality. Eat it post workout with meat & spinach.
14. Oats. Reduce cholesterol, provide you with low-gi carbs for energy, and high in soluble fiber.
15. Tomatoes. High in lycopene, which prevents cancer. The lycopene in tomato paste is 4 times more bioavailable than in fresh tomatoes. Have pizza or pasta with tomato sauce & olive oil post strength training.

16. Oranges. Vitamin C to fight diseases, magnesium to lower blood pressure, anti-oxidant beta-carotenes, etc. Quit drinking processed orange juice which often has added sugars. Eat oranges or make your own orange juice.
17. Apples. Pectin in apples helps weight loss by increasing satiety. Apples are also the strongest antioxidiant after cranberries (eat the peels). Unfortunately apples are one of the most pesticide-contaminated fruits. Go organic.
18. Carrots. Their huge vitamin A content improves eye-health, especially night vision. Carrots are also rich in fiber, low calorie and taste good, even raw.
19. Water. Your body holds water if you don’t drink enough. Drinking prevents water retention, helps muscle recovery and prevents dehydration from strength training. Get a brita filter and drink 2 cups of water with each meal.
20. Green Tea. Strong antioxidant and natural diuretic. Green tea also speeds up fat loss, prevents cancer and improves blood sugar & circulation. Drink green tea in the morning instead of coffee. Real green tea, not the teabags.
Putting it All Together. Eat proteins, veggies, fruits & fats every 3 hours. 2 cups water with each meal. Carbs post workout only. Junk food 10% of the time. Get stronger in the meanwhile and you’ll build muscle & lose fat.

Thanks to a complex web of farm subsidies, chemical engineering, and plain old evil, 21st-century food companies have actually made it cheaper for consumers to eat processed junk instead of healthy, nutritious staples such as fruit, veggies, and lean meats. It would take a book or two to explain how they pulled it off. Instead, I’ve opted to write this short manifesto: a list of ways you can beat “The Man” by eating healthier and saving money at the same time. Who’s with me? ìViva la revolución!

1. Buy in bulk. There’s usually economy in volume. There’s a problem, though. If you’re only feeding two people, what do you do with the other 22 chicken breasts you just bought at Costco®? Simple. You divide them into 11 freezer bags and freeze ‘em to be thawed out as needed. The same works for many fruits and veggies, except maybe leafy greens. Frozen lettuce? Not so much.
2. Shop online. While known mostly for books and video entertainment, Web retailers such as Amazon offer some amazing deals when you buy in bulk. Granted, you’re not going to find much fresh produce, but for staples such as tea, coffee, and cereal, you’ll get serious bargains—often on the brands you prefer—which is much better than being at the whim of Sam’s Club® buyers.
3. Buy in season. Pick up a pack of strawberries in summer, and there’s a good chance it only travelled a few miles to get to your grocer. Buy the fruit in winter, and it had to be shipped from a warm climate on the other side of the planet. It’s simple economics. It costs more because it took more effort to get it shipped. Local produce tastes fresher, too, therefore . . .
4. Shop locally. If you go to the farmers’ market, you practically have no choice but to buy produce that’s in season! Many of you might believe the stigma that these places are all about fancy mushrooms and $9 “heirloom” tomatoes. Yeah, you can get that stuff—and it’s delicious—but in between the specialty booths, you’ll find hard-working, everyday farmers selling standard produce at below-grocery-store prices.
5. Make your own veggie broth. Don’t worry. I’m not going Amish on ya. It’s just an easy, fun way to save a couple bucks. Get yourself a 2-gallon Ziploc® bag or something similar, and keep it in the freezer. Every time you have veggie offcuts like carrot peels, green bean ends, or broccoli stalks, throw them in there. You can also add wilted veggies, but nothing rotten or moldy.Once you’ve filled the bag, fill a big pot about one-third full with water. Bring it to a boil, and cram in as much as you can from your Ziploc. Once it’s boiling again, set it to simmer for about an hour. After that, drain the stock into a large bowl. Then, using a strainer, squish the remaining stock out of the veggies and into the bowl.In 2-cup increments, put the stock in smaller Ziploc bags and freeze them. All told, it takes a couple hours, but it also saves a couple bucks and cuts down on food waste.
6. Check out coupon Web sites. The coupons in the Sunday paper are always good, but nowadays, you can really tailor your coupon pile to suit your exact needs by looking through Web sites like Coupon.com or SmartSource.com.
7. Eat less. You might not like to hear this, but do you really need the other half of that burrito tonight? It would make a fine lunch tomorrow. You’ll be saving money and your waistline.
8. Do you really need it? Every time you throw something in the grocery cart, ask yourself if you really need it. Sure, we all need our little indulgences, but you don’t need a cart full of them. For example, is your guacamole really going to suffer without that guacamole seasoning? (Here’s a little hint: A couple shakes of salt is going to have the same exact effect.)
9. Make your own. Jars of pasta sauce and canned chili are majorly convenient, but if you have an afternoon sometime, make a giant pot of the stuff and freeze it for future use in several smaller containers. It’ll probably taste better, and odds are, you won’t add high maltose corn syrup to your sauce the way Ragú® does.
10. Grow your own. A full-blown garden would be quite a challenge for most of us, but a small potted herb garden can go just about anywhere there’s sunlight—and it’ll impress your friends/dates/kids. Robust, perennial herbs that you can just clip from when needed include mint, rosemary, and some varieties of oregano.
11. Make a grocery list—and stick to it. Marketers spend millions of dollars researching packaging and shelf placement, to influence you into randomly putting the pretty boxes in your cart. It’s time to fight the power. Make a grocery list and treat it like the gospel. If you see something shiny and pretty, a tempting bag of potato chips or a spice you’ve been dying to try out, look at your list. If it’s not there, it doesn’t leave the shelf. When you get home, if you’re still jonesin’ for that spice, work it into your menu and buy it next week. (Note that I didn’t say the same thing about the potato chips.)
12. Don’t shop hungry. Suggestion #11 will be almost impossible to pull off if you’re shopping with the munchies. Have a meal before you go so that you’re not tempted to pig out while walking down the aisles of your local Piggly Wiggly®.

Obviously, all 12 tips here aren’t for everyone—except me, of course, because I recommended them—but if you just take two or three to heart, you’ll definitely see a shift in your grocery budget. So grab that shopping list and let the revolution begin!