11 supermarket hacks – shop healthily!

Everyone knows this feeling. At the beginning of the year you vow to eat healthier. But then things turn out completely differently. At the beginning of March you come home from shopping and realize: that was probably nothing. The shopping bag is full of “Treats and Cheats”. Healthy eating starts in the supermarket, so we have a few simple tips for you on how you can shop more consciously. And even with good intentions, it works like magic!

1. Meal Preps – A meal plan for your week

The latest trend on social media is the meal prep phenomenon (literally: meal preparation, less sexy in German). After shopping on the weekend, you prepare your breakfast/lunch for the whole week. This makes it easy to eat healthy even during the week - alongside the stress of everyday life. The ultimate breakfast prep is overnight oats . To do this, you can simply mix 100ml milk with approx. 50g oat flakes and put it in the fridge overnight. The next morning you have a healthy and delicious breakfast that you can top with low-fat quark, Skyr or fresh fruit. So create a meal plan for the whole week. This gives you a better overview in the supermarket and you know exactly what you need.

2. Write yourself a shopping list

You can then make a shopping list from your meal plan. The classic list is still the easiest and most proven way to keep track of things in the supermarket. This means you have everything visually in front of you so that, firstly, you don't buy unhealthy food indiscriminately and secondly, so that you don't forget anything. This can even save you money!

If 3Bears Porridge is on your shopping list, take part in our photo challenge on Facebook and Instagram.

3. Shop colorfully

Your shopping basket should always be colorful! Of course we don't mean colorful gummy bears ;) Look closely at the colors of the vegetables and fruits and buy some of each. This makes healthy eating more fun because the eyes eat too. In addition, a green apple provides you with completely different nutrients than a red pepper - so you can eat a more balanced diet.

Photo by @mona.im.wunderland

4. Watch out for sugar traps

Be careful – there are many sugar traps hidden, especially on the cereal shelf! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. As a porridge manufacturer, we have of course looked into this extensively and defined for ourselves that we want to offer an alternative without industrial sugar. But you will still find sugar on our nutritional list - why is that? The sugar in 3Bears Porridge comes solely from the fructose of the fruit - so it is naturally occurring sugar.

You can find even more inspiration for healthy recipes in our article 11 breakfast ideas without added sugar !

5. Take a look at the ingredients list

Pay attention to the list of ingredients for each product. Do you read strange words there that you don't understand, like monosodium glutamate or antioxidants? Is the list of ingredients very long and convoluted? Then these are often not natural ingredients, but rather industrial additives. The list of ingredients for our Cinnamon Apple variety is very short and sweet: whole grain oat flakes, 24% dried apple pieces, 7% apple flour, 2% cinnamon, rice flour (which is used to separate the fruit pieces). In all of our varieties we only add natural and air-dried fruits that are processed as pieces or flour.

6. Buy local

Regional products can be fun and are often cheaper than imported goods! Both products prepared in Germany and German fruit and vegetables reduce your carbon footprint. You can also support regional manufacturers and farmers. Especially when it comes to one of the main ingredients of porridge - milk - you should pay attention to regional origin in order to give German farmers a chance. Did you know that our porridge is also made in Germany? We source the 3Bears oat flakes from a German mill and our fabulous varieties are mixed near Lake Constance. Porridge made in Germany!

7. Buy seasonal fruits and vegetables

After regional products, you should also make sure to buy seasonal products. Every season offers healthy fruit and vegetables - you just have to prepare them in an exciting way. In winter you often long for a juicy red tomato, but in the supermarket they are often not well ripened and are watery. Instead, buy another red product from nature - for example beetroot! It's also great in a smoothie , which you can refine with oat flakes, apples, a little lime juice and almond milk.

8. Buy whole grains

If you like porridge for breakfast, you can also buy whole grain oatmeal mixtures. But what does whole grain actually mean? The difference to conventional oat flakes lies in the processing process. With whole grains, the oats are rubbed to remove the outermost hard layer, but the husk remains. And it contains many valuable nutrients!

9. Don't go shopping hungry

The well-known trick – and it really works! Everyone has seen themselves cheat shopping when you go to the supermarket with a growling stomach. That's why it's important to grab a bite to eat beforehand or have a good breakfast. With porridge in the morning you will be full until lunch and you will have time to go shopping on Saturday morning.

10. Talk to the supermarket staff

We often receive news that our porridge cannot be found in supermarkets. Many people probably feel the same way with other whole foods. Therefore – don’t be shy! Talk to the store manager if you can't find a product you'd like. Often it's just hiding somewhere. If the product is not available in the market, the store manager also has some influence on what he includes in the range. So the more people ask about a product, the more likely the leader is to order it for his market.

11. Don't fall into the snack trap at the checkout

So when you've come to the end of your shopping tour, the biggest challenge still awaits you: the candy shelf! You just have to be really strong here! The tips beforehand, for example a shopping list or a meal plan, can help you become aware of what you really need and what you don't. Of course, you can also have a cheat day - turn a blind eye to your lists and resolutions ;)

As delicious as on cheat day, and still good for your conscience - our 3Bears Porridge All Varieties Package: