7 Healthy Food Shopping Hacks

Healthy eating starts with healthy shopping, and that means filling your cart with care – consistently.

Of course, it takes time and practice to get into the groove of things. Get started or boost an existing routine by experimenting with healthy shopping habits, such as these seven helpful suggestions from Costco.

1. Build a regimen

Healthy shopping is easy when you have a routine. Pinpoint versatile basics you enjoy, such as salmon, eggs, oats, lentils or sweet potatoes, and plan most of your meals around them.

Pro-Tip: Try eating the same breakfast each day for one week, such as oatmeal or scrambled eggs, varying the day's remaining meals. This will help establish a morning routine without sacrificing diversity at dinnertime.

2. Look for tasty toppers

Stay satisfied with your staples using flavorful condiments, such as salsa or Dijon mustard. Tonight, it's salmon with coconut mango tequila sauce. Tomorrow, it's a honey-mustard glaze.

3. Celebrate healthy snacking

A little smart snacking goes a long way to help curb hunger. Stock up on snacks that keep you feeling fueled rather than full, such as yogurt, almonds and nut butters for dipping.

Pro-Tip: Avoid over-snacking by pre-packing a week's worth of snacks in resealable bags or containers. Stow what's left out of sight and out of mind until next week's menu.

4. Know your options

Before shopping for ingredients, check to see if there's room for substitutions. Try swapping out quinoa for white rice, Greek yogurt for sour cream and applesauce for sugar (just to start!).

Pro-Tip: Keep a food substitution chart in the kitchen, noting comparable quantities. It's easy to see that you can replace 1 cup butter with 1 cup pureed avocado when baking.

5. Get jazzed about juicing

Don't shy away from purchasing lots of fresh produce. Instead, use the surplus for at-home, nutrient-packed juicing – DIY juice can save big bucks and the recipe variations are endless.

Pro-Tip: During the cold and flu season, combine 1 orange, ½ lemon, 4 small carrots and 1 piece of ginger (about 1 inch) in a juicer for an added immunity boost.

6. Look for in-season staples

Less expensive, fresher and full of flavor, seasonal staples are ideal for clean cooking. Maintaining a seasonal shopping list helps keeping to a routine easier.

Pro-Tip: Not sure what's in season, or which fruit and veggies are fresh? Chat with employees to learn more about the stocking schedule, both seasonally and weekly.

7. Create your mindset playlist

When possible, shop alone to avoid unexpected additions to your cart. You can even try listening to your favorite gym playlist while you shop to maintain focus and a health-oriented mindset.

Pro-Tip: Arm yourself with a list and plan to shop when you aren't tired or hungry. If you're drawn to something new, use a shopping app to translate nutritional information in a pinch.