Grocery Shopping Tips

I basically had to completely re-learn how to grocery shop when we started the AIP. Although I had gotten pretty good at the whole gluten free thing since KT was diagnosed with celiac years ago, going AIP was a whole new ball game and made being gluten free seem like a walk in the park! I’d really like to make this an easier transition for you by sharing some tips. 

Shopping On a Budget

Putting our family of four on the AIP was, at first, extremely costly. I discovered it doesn’t have to break the bank. We are a single-income house hold so making this diet sustainable for our family budget was critical to its success. I have to say a huge thank you to my who completely supported me in starting this for KT and our family and didn’t even flinch or ask questions when he saw the grocery bill sky rocket. We did have to sit down after the first few weeks to figure out how we could find ways to make the grocery bills come down while fully complying to the diet plan, which includes grass-fed beef, wild caught salmon and organic fruits and vegetables not to mention the exotic new flours! All costly unless you know where and how to shop. So, here are my tips:

1) Don’t rule out the discount stores. I didn’t realize this, but it’s pretty easy to find organic fruit and veggies just about any where now. Not knowing this I was spending a pretty penny shopping at our local Goodness Me and Nature’s Emporium. Until I discovered I can buy so many of them at Walmart or Costco for a much lower price. I’m aware some may not like or agree with shopping at big box stores and prefer to go for the local, smaller stores. I get it. I do try to by local but, honestly, with a family of four on a budget I just need to work within our means. Shopping at places like Walmart and Costco really do help. Our local Walmart carries loads of organic veggies and fruit. Last week they even had grass-fed lamb so of course I stocked up! (And I have no idea why I took this picture. But I did.) 

Costco also carries a number of great organic foods, frozen and fresh. Take the time to familiarize yourself with what these stores have so you know where to go for the best price. I do, of course, still shop very regularly at stores like Nature’s Emporium (mostly for my baking ingredients, offal and beef bones), Metro (they always have a great stock of grass-fed beef and lamb) and, this summer, the local farmers market on Saturday. 

2) Buy in bulk when on sale. This is kind of a no-brainer. It’s always a good idea to stock up when items you know you’ll need are on sale and this is especially true on the AIP. Our local Metro is actually the best place I find to get grass-fed beef and lamb. They often do sales and when they do I basically buy the stock up! You can freeze the meats in mason jars or BPA free Ziploc bags. I’ll do a separate post on using mason jars but I’ll just say here I really prefer using mason jars for freezing to cut down on the amount of plastic we are exposed to.

3) Buy frozen organic veggies and fruits. I know fresh is always better, but the convenience and cost saving of having frozen veggies and fruits on hand is huge for us. You can get organic frozen kale and spinach (already chopped!) at Goodness Me and Nature’s Emporium. Costco does organic frozen cauliflower rice as well as frozen organic fruits. Their frozen broccoli isn’t organic but it is pesticide free. They also have organic grapes, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries when in season. Although pasture raised chicken is preferable on AIP, I do buy Costco’s fresh organic whole chickens, chicken breasts and thighs. 

4) Organic and grass-fed are great but don’t sweat it. Some times the grocery budget gets pretty thin, especially by the end of the month. When this happens don’t sweat it or toss in the towel on doing AIP. You can still stick to all the principles of AIP and cut costs where you need to. If you can’t afford the organic fruits and veggies it’s ok. Yes, it’s preferable to do organic but, seriously, it’s not worth putting your family in financial difficulty! You’re still doing so much for the health of your child cutting out all the harmful or potentially harmful stuff (gluten, grains, dairy, sugar, etc.) organic or not. If you can’t do organic produce and grass-fed/pastured meats then try to prioritize the higher quality meats over produce. Use the dirty fifteen and clean fifteen lists to know which fruits and veggies are the more important to buy organic and which you really don’t need to worry about.

Get it Delivered

I can’t say enough good things about the online company Natura Market (naturamarket.ca). If you live in southern Ontario, like us, you’ve got to check them out! They have great products AND you can search by your diet (AIP, Paleo, Keto, Whole30, etc.). Their prices are good and they have a wide selection. Best of all it comes straight to your door! Shipping is free with purchases over $50. We get some of our favourite AIP compliant chips and snacks from here. Can’t say enough good things about this company. 

Make it Fun for YOU

I’ll admit, when we started AIP I felt like all I did was grocery shop (and cook!). If this is you right now, don’t worry it will get better! But the reality is you probably will be shopping a bit more often than you previously did. This is because you’ll be getting a lot more fresh produce. We just don’t use canned stuff anymore. I felt a little resentful of this at first until I figured I’d just make it a more pleasant experience for myself. When you shop, if you’re a mom to young kids, see it as a break. I rarely take my kids with me. I know that sounds bad but, honestly (I use that word a lot, don’t I), I need to make it an enjoyable time and, again, honestly, (yup, there’s that word again), while I love my kids I also just enjoy shopping by myself and taking my time. Occasionally, I do take them so they can be part of the experience and learn practical life skills and I can feel like a good mother. But most of the time it’s just me. I started trying to mindfully slow down and enjoy looking at different foods and selecting them rather than rushing through. It sounds cheesy but, really, it works. Try to deliberately do this next time you shop. Just slow down. Shopping early in the morning before the crowds also makes it a nicer experience for me. Come up with some ideas on what might make it a better experience for you!