Grocery List Templates

Environmental issues were quite prevalent in 2018, from the bane of single-use plastic to the effects of the palm oil industry. But in 2019, scientists say we should look at what we’re eating as a way to prevent environmental disaster. To do this, they have come up with a healthy planetary diet shopping list that could also save the world!

Overview

Our interest and concern for the environment show no sign of slowing down in 2019. Especially when scientists say this year will see the in our atmosphere. January 2019 has also seen the launch of a new diet which says it can help save the planet. But what is it, and can it really have an effect on our imperiled world?

We’ll go through the tenets of the planetary diet, as well as answer some questions you might have about it. However, you’re more than welcome to skip all of this and head straight to your free printable shopping list.

What is the Planetary Diet?

The planetary diet was developed by the . This is an international organization that has partnered with scientists, researchers, dietitians, and policymakers to look at developing healthy and sustainable world food systems. The result is a facts-based diet that has several aims:

• Ensure that there’s enough global food to feed an estimated earth’s population of 10 billion in 2050
• Reduce the global numbers of death caused by bad diets (including obesity and malnutrition)
• Have a positive impact on the world’s environment, namely preventing the collapse of the natural world

In order to achieve this, the commission has come up with this new plant-focused diet.

How Does it Work?

The planetary diet puts a large emphasis on eating a lot of vegetables, but keeping sugar, starchy vegetables, and meat and dairy, to a defined maximum.

If you’re looking at that table and thinking this would be quite the change in your diet, you wouldn’t be wrong. If you hail from North America, you probably find yourself eating 6 times more red meat than this diet prescribes. Europeans and residents of Central Asia aren’t much better off, eating around 4 times the defined amount.

According to the diet, your average plate should be half vegetables, and the rest made up of grains and plant proteins, and the limited fish, dairy, meat, and sugar a week that you’re allowed.

So, the idea is not to cut meat from your diet, just eat a lot less to ensure we stay healthy. This will also lessen the impact that the meat and dairy industries have on the environment. This includes the release of contributing to climate change and the deforestation of rainforests for and livestock feed production. Doing this is hoped to scale back meat and dairy production to levels that are environmentally sustainable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it healthy?

Absolutely!

The planetary diet has been developed by top scientists, researchers, and dietitians. Its aim is to create a healthy diet for the entirety of earth’s population. Eating more vegetables has been one of the keystones of dieting for a very long time, and this diet is no different. It’s just this diet sees one of the most dramatic cuts in meat and dairy outside of veganism.

Will I lose weight?

Possibly.

To guarantee weight loss, you will need to make sure you’re sticking to a daily calorie deficit as well as sticking to the diet. Keeping yourself active will also help shed those pounds.

The diet cuts out a lot of meat. Is it really that bad for you?

It’s not that meat is bad. It’s just that for the amount of saturated fat that’s in it, the amount we’re eating is unhealthy, especially red meat. Indeed, meat contains that our bodies need, that can’t be found in plant proteins, so we still need them in our diet. But we could certainly do without gobbling down so much. So, the idea is just to eat a lot less to ensure we’re healthy.

That’s not a lot of sugar. How can keep within this low range?

There’s a surprising amount of sugar in food. This includes things which we might consider “healthy”, such as breakfast cereal or fruit juice. So, be aware that daily 31g / 1oz needs to encompass all those. Make sure you check nutrition labels to get a better idea of how much sugar you’re ingesting. You’ll probably be quite surprised. You might find yourself looking for less sugary breakfast alternatives for your planetary diet meal plan.

As for killing those sweet urges, try snacking on dried fruit, nuts, and seeds, or fresh fruit. They’ll add to your sugar allowance, but they are also full of fiber. This will keep you feeling full and less susceptible to hunger pangs. Fruit and herbal teas are also good for satisfying a sweet craving without increasing your sugar intake.

This diet looks familiar. Is it?

It’s not surprising if you feel you’ve read something like this diet before. The diet is very similar to other healthy diets such as the and the . All have the same core message: cut back on your meat and red meat consumption, and up your intake of vegetables and plant proteins.

Are there any other restrictions?

Although a plant-based diet, it does have restrictions on the amount of vegetables and plant proteins you should be eating each day. But this is purely with the goal of eating a maximum of 2,500 calories a day. The biggest and most important message of the diet is to significantly cut back on the amount of meat and dairy we eat, as these have the biggest impact on both your health and the environment.

If you’re doing a lot of exercise and training, you might need to increase your intake in some of the areas to make sure your body has enough nutrients to stay healthy and function well.

Do I really have to be so strict with this diet?

The idea behind this planetary health diet is ideological. The combination of being healthy and environmentally sustainable for a global population of 10 billion is what defines these limits. If you’re someone who eats a lot of meat, cutting back to so few portions a week might be a challenge. Likewise, some diets on the African continent use a lot of a starchy vegetable called cassava, which is also something that needs to be drastically cut.

We believe diets should never be boring or a chore to do. There are definitely plenty of incredibly tasty and fulfilling vegetarian and vegan meals out there. We heartily encourage you to try as many of these as possible, as well as possible alternatives that you might actually like.

But, if cutting back so drastically is going to make eating an unhappy or boring experience, we know you’re less likely to stick to any new diet or regime. It’s all about finding that balance. But if you can stick to it, it’s a win-win for both your health and the environment.

Will it really save the planet?

As mentioned earlier, this is an ideological diet. Some of the diet’s critics point out that factors impacting our environment are a lot more complicated than reigning in your beef burger binges. Some say it’s unfair to lump individual consumers with the burden of fostering better dietary and environmentally sound behavior whilst issues like are still a thing.

Furthermore, the diet fails to take into account accessibility to the food it champions with regards to socio-economic factors such as affordability. This means that it’s not realistic for many around the world, no matter how well intended it is.

But, this shouldn't give us an excuse to dismiss it, especially when our own health is tied into the planetary diet’s equation. If such a regime can reduce deaths due to obesity and heart disease, then why shouldn’t we be doing it regardless of the diet’s environmental credentials?

Your Shopping List

If you’re curious about giving the diet a go, we’ve put together a nifty little planetary diet shopping list for you to download and print out. Feel free to add or take off any items to make your list your own. Be sure to also read our “How to Store” guides to find out how to optimally keep your food and increase their shelf lives.

Planetary Diet Shopping List

Every year a special dinner is put on by Scots to celebrate the memory of one of their greatest poets, Robert Burns: also known affectionately as Robbie Burns. Every January, Burns Night is a celebration held in his honor across Scotland and around the world by people of Scottish descent. If you want to host your own Burns Night supper, or simply want to discover Scottish cuisine, then look no further than our Burns Night shopping list template, which you can even download and print out for free.

Overview

But what is Burns Night? Well, it’s an evening of traditional Scottish food accompanied by ceremony and recitations of Burns’ work.

Robert Burns is perhaps one of Scotland’s most influential poets and a key figure in the romantic arts movement. Born in Alloway, Scotland, in 1759, he wrote poems, epithets, and even songs. Even if you can’t think of one of his works off the top of your head, it’s highly likely you’ll have come across his work before. “Auld Lang Syne” is a musical setting of one of his poems which is sung at midnight on New Year’s Eve. John Steinbeck's unforgettable novel Of Mice and Men takes its title from a line of Burns’ poem, To a Mouse:

“The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley (often go wrong)”

But before we launch into the shopping list itself so you can host your own Robbie Burns day supper, here are some FAQs. Of course, you can skip the guide and go straight to the  if you wish.

Burns Night FAQ

When is Burns Night?

25 January. The date marks the poet’s birthday.

What’s on the Burns Night menu?

Usually it’s a starter of cock-a-leekie soup (made of chicken, leeks, and grains), a main of haggis (a dish made with sheep’s offal) and neeps and tatties (a mash made of parsnips and potatoes), followed by a dessert of cranachan (a dessert made of oats, cream, raspberries, and whiskey).

However, the starters and dessert can vary. But the haggis and neeps and tatties are an ever-present tradition.

You mentioned a Burns Supper ceremony: What does it involve?

The BBC has a of the ceremony. Of course, it’s up to you how much you adhere to this. The keystone of the ceremony is the “Piping in of the Haggis” where bagpipe music is played whilst the haggis is brought into the dining room. This is immediately followed by the equally essential reading of Burns’ own poem, “Address to a Haggis”, whilst it’s being cut.

Be warned if you’re planning to recite this. It’s written in almost equal parts a dialect of Scots Gaelic and English and might be difficult for people to get their tongue around.

What if I don’t like the ingredients in Haggis?

Haggis isn’t the most pleasant sounding dish. It’s made up of a sheep’s heart, lungs, and liver, mixed with oats, spices, and suet (animal fat), and then cooked inside the animal’s stomach.

We promise you it’s an incredibly hearty, filling, and above all, tasty dish. If you’re a fan of black pudding (a traditional British sausage made of pig’s blood, spices, and oats), then you’re going to love haggis which has a similar taste and texture.

If we still haven’t managed to convince you, you might want to try a vegetarian haggis or replace the centerpiece with salmon: a fish that is native to and abundant in Scotland. Alternatively, you can check out many of the recipes over at .

But it’s Veganuary and Dry January! What can I do?

Don’t worry, you can still celebrate Burns night and keep faithful to your vows. For the cock-a-leekie soup, you can make your own and simply leave out the chicken or replace it with tofu or meat alternative.

For the main course, there are ranges of vegetarian haggis that may be also suitable for vegans depending on how strict you are. But the best thing to do is make one yourself. Essentially, you replace the meat with lentils or other legumes, but still keep the oats and the spices that give it its distinct flavor.

For the cranachan, you can use chilled coconut cream instead of dairy cream.

As for staying alcohol-free, the whiskey in the cranachan can be left out, or replaced with a fruit juice such as orange or apple.

Burns Night Shopping List Template

Without further ado, we give you your shopping list template which you can for free. Please be aware that the ingredients below each dish are if you wish to make your own versions instead of buying them pre-made. Because of this, some ingredients might be absent depending on the recipe you’re using, so feel free to adjust these accordingly.

Burns Night Shopping List

Holidays are comin’! It’s time to get that Christmas food shopping list sorted asap to make sure you avoid a Christmas catastrophe! The focal point of the season in the UK and the USA is the 25th and the big traditional dinner that will be had around midday or early afternoon. You need to make sure that you have everything ready and prepared so your Xmas spectacle goes off with a bang louder than a tonne of Christmas crackers pulled in unison. For that, you’re going to need a good Christmas .

Regardless of the variations and inclusion of family traditions/favorites/idiosyncrasies, there’s still a basic underpinning of traditional dishes that you should have. Therefore, we’ll let you loose with a basic Christmas dinner shopping list that should cover the essentials.

But first, let’s tackle some key questions that often get raised at this time of year. However, you can skip straight ahead to our , if you wish.

Christmas Food Shopping List FAQs

Does it always have to be turkey?

No!

Goose and pheasant are actually the oldest traditional Christmas meat in the UK. Yuletide yums historically even included wild boar’s head, swan, and peacock! Turkey in the UK was first served to Henry VIII for Christmas, but it only became widely popular in the 1950s due to wider availability and better access to refrigerated storage in the home.

Whilst turkey is now seen as a set-in-stone tradition, it’s absolutely OK to have something else instead. You could try more traditional goose, or try duck, lamb, beef, and even fish! Vegetarians and vegans don’t even have to always have nut roast either.

The same can be said about Brussels sprouts! If you don’t like ‘em, don’t feel bad about keeping them off your Christmas items list.

Christmas is a holiday that should be personal, so choose what you and your family like best. If it happens to be turkey, then hurrah! If you actually prefer something else: do it. After all, it’s your Christmas and no one else’s.

Fresh or frozen turkey?

The great thing about frozen turkey is that it’s cheaper and more widely available than fresh turkey. However, frozen turkey does require more preparation as you’ll need to buy it early enough to make sure you can defrost it fully before cooking.

If you’re planning to slowly thaw your bird in the fridge, then the recommended time is 24 hours per 2kgs (5lb). That means if you’ve got a 5kg (12lb) turkey, you’re going to need more than 2 whole days to defrost it fully!

You can defrost one quicker by placing it in cold water, but even then you should allow 30 minutes for every 500g (1lb). Even a small 2kg (5lb) turkey will need 2.5 hours before it’s ready to be put in the oven.

You absolutely must make sure the turkey is completely thawed out before cooking. If it’s not properly cooked, you run the risk of giving you and your guests food poisoning. This will really ruin your festivities.

How large a turkey should I buy?

With many people, the attitude is usually “go big or go home”. But this might not be the best maxim to live by at Christmas. For starters, you need to make sure you buy a turkey that’s not too big for your oven. It’s self-defeating if you’ve bought an avian so oversized that you are physically unable to cook it!

Furthermore, larger turkeys take longer to cook and defrost. So, if you’re planning on getting a bigger bird, you’ll also need to make sure that you plan extra time for both defrosting and cooking.

Unless you’re really keen on leftover turkey curry and sandwiches for the rest of the week, remember that Christmas dinner usually has a lot of trimmings, from pigs-in-blankets to big ol’ crispy roast potatoes. Even if there is only enough turkey for one serving each, there’s still likely to be plenty of food to keep everyone well fed.

Homemade or store-bought?

This is really down to you, your confidence in making dishes from scratch, and the time you have. Making the umpteen Christmas dishes needed for your standard Xmas meal takes a lot of time and timing. When should you start to boil the potatoes for roasting? When must you brown the gravy? What do you do if the trimmings are ready before the turkey?!

Although there’s a lot of pressure to be a domestic deity in December, remember that Christmas is a time that is supposed to be enjoyable. If you’d rather use instant stuffing mix because it saves you time and gives you peace of mind, then that’s fine! If you do want to attempt to make your own Christmas dishes, we highly suggest doing a trial run before the big day so you can build confidence in your ability to cook it, make any adjustments to the recipe that you need, and also get a good idea of how much time is needed to make it. This means that when it comes to C-Day, you’re versed and prepared to make your marvelous homemade feast.

Should I skip the starter?

Christmas dinner is already quite a large meal if you consider just the main course alone. Therefore, skipping a starter might make you feel less guilty about your Xmas indulgence: and less bloated! Omitting the starter from your Christmas shopping list will also save you some festive pennies too.

If skipping a starter is non-negotiable, then try and spread your Christmas courses over a couple of hours, rather than going straight from course to course. This will give you time to digest what you’ve already eaten and prevent you from feeling too gassy, nauseous, or suffer a bout of unwanted indigestion.

But don’t forget there’s likely to be plenty of snacks and chocolates that you might graze on well before the dinner itself. Skipping a starter won’t necessarily leave you and your family famished.

Christmas Food Shopping Checklist

Now that we’ve gone over some of the more poignant festive questions, we present to you our Christmas shopping list template for the crucial main course and dessert! Feel free to make any omissions, additions, or overhauls to this Xmas food list as you wish. This is your Christmas, so make it your own and a good one. You can also of this list.

We all love sunshine and good food, and Mediterranean countries certainly have both. But what they seem to also have is better health than their American or British cousins. But why is that? For over 2 decades dietitians have put this down to their healthy eating habits and a good amount of physical activity. So, why not be more Mediterranean and improve your health and lose weight using our Mediterranean diet shopping list?

Overview

The diet was first developed by Harvard School of Public Health and Oldways, a nonprofit food think tank, back in 1993 as a . It has since evolved into a fully fledged diet.

The whole idea of the diet is about making long-term and healthy lifestyle changes and eating patterns that match those of southern Europeans. It’s not about rapid weight loss or strict meal plans. It’s more about flexible and fundamental changes to how you eat and keep yourself active.

Indeed, there are many underlying healthy eating factors involved in this diet that are similar to those you can find on our or in our . The diet includes:

• Avoiding red meat and sweets
• Opting for leaner white meat, such as poultry
• Eating fish, especially oily fish
• Using plenty of olive oil in cooking
• Eating wholegrain and wholemeal products
• Eating lots of fruit and vegetables
• Having a glass of red wine with your evening meal
• Doing plenty of exercise

So, let's go over the benefits of the diet, answer some burning questions, and provide you with a Mediterranean diet shopping list template to get you started. However, you can skip straight to the end and of the grocery list if you want.

Benefits

The diet has several much-touted health benefits.

Heart Health

One of the biggest health benefits of this diet is how good it is for your heart. There have been into the cardiovascular benefits of the diet. It’s found to:

• Lowers bad cholesterol (LDL)
• Increases good cholesterol (HDL)

What it means is that you can reduce the risk of heart disease. But why is this?

It’s because the diet shuns red meat which is high in saturated fat and opts for leaner white meat: namely poultry. Also, its emphasis on eating a lot of fruit and vegetables, using plenty of olive oil rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and staying active, all contribute to improving your heart health.

Blood Sugar

In 2017, a report found that 9.4% of people in the USA have type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes. That’s around 100 million people. It’s also the USA’s 7th leading cause of death. In the United Kingdom, although the figure might be slightly lower coming in at 6.2% of adults, the amount has more than doubled between 1996 and 2015. Diabetes is also a growing problem globally.

But can the Mediterranean diet help?

It certainly can!

The biggest risk to becoming diabetic or developing pre-diabetes is being overweight. The diet can help you lose weight and therefore lessen your chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Because the diet is also about long-term and sustainable weight loss, you’ll be less likely to drift back into the danger zone.

What’s more, if you already have diabetes, studies have shown that the diet can help significantly control your blood sugar levels, and even them over time.

Mediterranean Diet FAQs

If your interest has been piqued, then you’ll most certainly have some questions about the diet. So, let’s try and answer them.

How easy is it?

It’s not one of the easiest diets to follow, but it’s certainly not hard. The reason it’s not easy is that it doesn’t have a defined meal plan and relies on you making changes to your eating and grocery habits.

This means you’ll have to do a bit more of your own planning to create a robust Mediterranean diet plan, and also exert a little bit of willpower to stick to the food you should be eating. A Mediterranean diet shopping list will certainly help.

Another difficult part of the diet is that you’ll also need to increase your activity: a crucial part of the diet. Depending on your current level of activity, and how pressed for time you are, this could prove challenging for some.

Making things easier is that this is a well known and established diet so it’s actually really easy to find plenty of recipes online to inspire you and help you plan your meals.

Do I really need to do more exercise?

Absolutely.

However, this doesn’t mean that you’re expected to be signing up to every available marathon, and end up living at the gym. The diet is more about being at least a little bit more active, rather than pumping iron 24/7.

Being more active can simply be achieved by doing some more walking than you usually do. Try catching public transit from a stop further away to your usual, or making time for leisurely strolls now and then. Or, swap your car or bus commute with a bicycle one.

However, the more active the activity, the better. But this still doesn’t mean sweating away at the gym by yourself. You can learn a new sport, or join a dance class for more social exercising. Whatever you do, just don’t be languishing on the couch or in front of the computer for too long.

One thing you could do to help is to buy a fitness tracking watch or even download an equivalent app for your phone. Whilst these won’t directly help you lose weight and become healthier, they can serve as motivation and monitoring tools to help spur you into becoming more active.

Do I really need to drink wine?

This is completely up to you. There are many to drinking 1 glass of red wine with a meal on a regular basis. This is why it’s part of the diet.

These benefits include:

• Lowering your post-meal blood sugar
• Increasing your good cholesterol (HDL)

It is recommended that you drink red wine instead of white wine, as the ruddier version has than its paler counterpart.

But you should only drink a glass of wine with your meal if you have the willpower to stick to only 1 glass. Drinking more than this can pile on unnecessary extra calories and start causing . These can be in the form of increasing the risk of liver disease and stomach ulcers.

It’s important to note that there is no “safe” level of drinking alcohol. 1 glass of wine with your meal is considered “low risk”, even taking into account the benefits it’s supposed to have.

So, it’s up to you whether you include wine as part of the diet or not.

Is the diet cheap?

If you’re going to include a lot of olive oil and wine, the diet is going to err on the side of expensive. Especially as, the more “virgin” the olive oil is, the purer it is. This means that extra virgin olive oil is healthier than virgin olive oil as it has gone through less processing. But this also makes it pricier. However, you can omit the wine, and/or opt for cheaper oil that is still rich in omega 3.

You can reduce costs further by eating more vegetarian meals than meat. Like with the , you can replace meat protein with that from food such as pulses, which also contains a high amount of fiber. If you buy dried pulses instead of canned, your outgoings will be even less, although your meals will take longer to prepare.

Is there anything I can’t eat?

Nope.

You’re still free to eat whatever you want. However, food containing a high amount of saturated fat and refined sugar should be avoided as much as possible.

This means you can certainly still have that steak or fried chicken now and then, or a nice bit of your favorite chocolate. But these should be something you do from only from time to time.

It might be hard to adjust to these changes and the absence of these treats at first. Willpower and some smart shopping can help here. Try snacking on wholegrain bread dipped in oil, or eating a nut and seed mix. Instead of having ice cream or sugary puddings for dessert, try having plenty of fresh fruit to hand. Or at least opt for low-fat yogurt. These will certainly stave off any cravings you might have at the start, and help you adjust to your healthier diet.

After a time, you’ll be looking forward to your indulgent treats. But you might find you’re not missing them nearly as much as you thought you would.

Will I lose weight?

Certainly.

But it must be noted that this is not a rapid weight-loss diet. The weight loss you will see will definitely be gradual, but you can sleep easy knowing that this is sustainable. You won’t see it coming back to haunt you any time soon.

Indeed, Oldways calculates that the diet innately puts people at a calorie deficit of 25-40% against daily recommendations. Even if you’re being more free with what you eat, chances are you’ll still be eating fewer calories and will start naturally losing weight.

However, if you want to be sure you’re heading towards weight loss, you can always use a calorie counter to keep track of what you eat.

If you want to see more instantaneous results, you might want to consider something like the . However, it should be noted that the nutritional benefits of this are nowhere near that of the Mediterranean diet.

Is the diet healthy?

Exceptionally!

You’ll be eating plenty of fruit and veg, ingesting lots of omega 3-choc olive oil, doing plenty of exercise, and avoiding food high in saturated fat and refined sugar.

The increase of fruit and vegetables in your diet will mean you’re getting plenty of vitamins, minerals, and fiber that are key to keeping you healthy. The avoidance of saturated fat and sugar will keep your calorie intake steady.

In fact, the diet is so healthy that USA News, considered an authority on global diet trends, rated it as it’s #1 diet of 2019, alongside the DASH diet.

Your Mediterranean Diet Food List

If you’re as excited about this diet as we are, then you’ll no doubt be eager to download and print out your free grocery list to help get you started.

Atten-SHUN! Do you want to lose 10lbs/5kgs in just 3 days, soldier? Then why not try the military diet (also known as the 3 day diet), and get a head start with this military diet shopping list?

Losing weight in 3 days sounds like some super secret military technology, but it’s actually the proclaimed benefits of this diet. The concept of the military diet is a simple 3 day diet plan: significantly and strictly limit your calorie intake for 72 hours, and eat normally and healthily for the rest of the week. And we mean “strict”. There is absolutely no snacking allowed! Rinse and repeat until you reach your desired mass.

But, before we get into the actual meal-plan and military diet shopping list, let’s go over some queries. However, you can skip the FAQs and of your military diet shopping list.

Military Diet FAQs

Will I lose weight?

Yes. Some people following the diet lose weight in 3 days.

The idea behind most diets is creating a calorie deficit. If you eat more calories than your body burns, you’ll put on weight. If you eat less than your body requires, you’ll lose it. Therefore, the rather extreme method of vastly restricting your total calories with this 3 day diet plan will certainly have an impact on your weight.

Whether you’ll lose the much touted military diet results of shedding 10lbs/5kg will be down to your pre-diet status. Unless you’re very overweight or obese will probably lose less than the full 10lbs/5kgs. This is because you simply don’t have as much to lose.

Does this have anything to do with the military?

No. Not at all.

The story attached to this diet is that the military would put recruits on it so they’d experience rapid weight loss to get them to a target weight. However, there is absolutely no evidence to show that such a diet was ever implemented by US military forces. They have even claimed that it has nothing to do with them.

Is the weight loss sustainable?

No.

The weight you’re losing whilst on the military diet is mostly water. But why is this? 

, a registered dietitian, has this to say about the weight being lost being water rather than actual fat.

“With this type of low-calorie, lower-carbohydrate diet, you are losing mostly water and potentially some muscle. Water weight drops quickly as the body's glycogen stores decline, which happens when you restrict carbs and calories. Weight will come back when you begin to eat normally again." This means that when you reach your target weight and start eating regularly again, you’re going to put that water weight back on.

The military diet is merely a quick-fix rapid weight loss program. It won’t make you get into the habit of good healthy eating and lifestyle which is the bedrock of sustainable weight loss. Unless you’re knowledgeable of healthy eating and living a healthy lifestyle, chances are that the weight loss you make during the military diet isn’t going to stay off.

Is the military diet shopping list healthy?

In the long term, it isn’t. Whilst you’re encouraged to eat healthily for the other 4 days, what you are eating in those 3 days isn’t very nutritionally beneficial. Your meals will be made up of processed meat (hot dogs), high-sugar (ice cream) and high-salt food (saltine/cream crackers), and a low variety and quantity of fruit and vegetables. This means you’re not getting enough fiber or vital vitamins for your body to function properly.

There are some claims that this combination enhances weight loss, but there is absolutely no scientific proof of this. Indeed, high sugar is linked to diabetes, salt and sodium can cause hypertension and high blood pressure, and processed meat is considered to increase the risk of cancer.

It’s possible that doing the military diet on only a short-term basis carries much lower health risks than keeping up for a prolonged period. However, as no official scientific or dedicated study has ever been done into this diet yet, it’s hard to be sure. It’s up to you if this is a risk you’re willing to take.

Should I exercise whilst on the Military Diet?

Not during the 3 days you’re keeping to the restricted calorie meal-plan.

This is because you’re already on a massive calorie deficit. If you exercise you’re going to be burning a lot of the very few calories you’re already eating. This is going to make you very tired and hungry.

Can I eat to a different meal plan?

Essentially, yes.

The only main requirement is to stick to the designated calorie intake for each day:

• 1,400 calories on day 1
• 1,200 calories on day 2
• 1,100 calories on day 3

If you’re concerned about whether what’s in the original meal plan is not as healthy as it should be, you can certainly substitute food, as long as you stay within the set calorie limits.

Would you recommend the Military Diet?

This is down to your personal goals. If you want rapid short-term weight-loss, then this will work. In essence, this is a very simple, easy to follow diet that doesn’t require any special supplements or expensive and difficult to source food.

If you have existing health problems then you absolutely should consult your doctor first. Although, we would always recommend consulting your doctor, whatever your health status, before starting any diet.

If you’re looking for sustained and healthy weight loss, then we would not recommend this. We would recommend changing your eating and grocery shopping habits to make lifelong sustainable adjustments, such as using a . Other diets, like the , are highly ranked by organizations such as (the military diet/3-day diet isn’t ranked at all) and is much healthier in terms of the nutrients you’ll be consuming doing these. Also, you should increase your physical activity to help you lose weight more sustainably and healthily.

Military Diet Plan

The following military diet shopping list is the same one that is found in many places around the internet. The fact that the military diet is so straightforward and well-defined is one of the reasons it’s become so popular, as it’s easy to follow.

Day 1

Breakfast:

• ½ grapefruit
• 1 slice of bread or toast with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 1 cup of tea or coffee (without milk or sugar)

Lunch:

• 1 slice of bread or toast
• ½ can of tuna
• 1 cup of tea or coffee (without milk or sugar)

Dinner:

• 3oz/85g of any meat
• 1 cup of green beans
• 1 small apple
• ½ a banana
• 1 cup of ice cream

Day 2

Breakfast:

• 1 egg (cooked to your preference)
• 1 slice of bread or toast
• ½ banana
• 1 cup of tea or coffee (without milk or sugar)

Lunch:

• 1 cup of cottage cheese
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• 5 saltine/cream crackers
• 1 cup of tea or coffee (without milk or sugar)

Dinner:

• 2 hot dogs (no bun)
• 1 cup of broccoli
• ½ cup of carrots
• ½ banana
• 1 cup of ice cream

Day 3

Breakfast:

• 1 slice of cheese
• 1 small apple
• 5 saltine/cream crackers
• 1 cup of tea or coffee (without milk or sugar)

Lunch:

• 1 egg (cooked to your preference)
• 1 slice of bread or toast
• 1 cup of tea or coffee (without milk or sugar)

Dinner:

• 1 cup of tuna
• ½ banana
• 1 cup of ice cream

3 Day Military Diet Shopping List

Now that you know the score and the diet plan, here you can find and of your military diet shopping list. For the other 4 days a week, we highly recommend eating healthy. To assist with this, you can use our for pointers and inspiration. Once more, we highly recommend consulting a doctor before undertaking any sort of diet.

In general, we characterize diets as a way to lose weight. However, sometimes diets focus on ensuring good body function, as well as preventing some diseases. The Autoimmune Protocol Diet serves to heal some autoimmune inflammatory diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. So, find out the science behind this diet and resource yourself with an autoimmune protocol diet shopping list.

Undertaking the Autoimmune Protocol Diet

The autoimmune protocol (AIP) diet is a diet aimed at managing immune system disease, as well as some of its triggers, such as "leaky gut". It does this by tackling inflammation in the body caused by autoimmune diseases, which is what causes pain and discomfort.

What is Autoimmune Disease?

The autoimmune system typically defends against bacteria and viruses and thus, attacks them when they are detected. However, with autoimmune disease, age-associated B cells (ABCs) force the immune system to attack and destroy healthy cells. This results from the fact that the immune system is unable to differentiate between external and internal cells.

What are the symptoms of this disease?

Common autoimmune diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. The early signs of many autoimmune diseases are similar, such as tiredness, swelling and redness of the skin, numbness in hands and feet, hair loss, and skin rashes.

What to Eat

Autoimmune conditions may result from "leaky gut". This is a condition where small holes in the intestine cause partially digested food to leak into the body. This results in an immune system response leading to the damage to the internal cells by mistake.

The autoimmune diet aims to repair any holes in the gut, strengthen the immune system, minimize the symptoms of autoimmune diseases, and prevent the autoimmune response.

Meat and Fish

Meat and fatty fish make up an essential part of the autoimmune diet. Most importantly, if they are organic, will also be free of toxic chemicals. Otherwise, these traces of pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics may exacerbate symptoms of autoimmune diseases. Organic meat is a major source of Vitamin D and vital amino acids, forming the foundation of good immune function and thyroid hormone production.

As for fatty fish, try to eat wild-caught ones such as salmon, cod, and haddock as they are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids.

Vegetables

Go for leafy greens like kale, broccoli, cabbage, and collard greens. They make up a vital part of the autoimmune diet thanks to their content of magnesium, helping to maintain healthy immune function. A lack of magnesium in your diet is likely to increase cytokines production, contributing to rising inflammation levels.

You should also eat mushrooms. Most of them contain bioactive compounds called beta-glucans. Once consumed, beta-glucans can stimulate the immune system and make the gut healthier. Moreover, they are rich in vitamin D, dietary fiber, and contain compounds that protect the liver.

Pumpkin and zucchini are very immune-friendly. Zucchini is loaded with vitamin A which supports the immune system, while pumpkin has ample carotenoids which can lead to lower inflammation in the body. They are also good at decreasing inflammation.

Turnips also play an important role in promoting a healthy gut. The nutrients found in these help to regulate the immune system and decrease inflammation. It also may decrease the risk of inflammation-related conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity.

Fruit

Fruit, especially apples, berries, and citrus fruit, have loads of nutrients including vitamin C, folate, and potassium. These are key to the growth of body tissues and are also excellent sources of fiber that can support the good bacteria in the gut.

Oils and Fats

Oils are a vital part of various dishes, pastries, and cookies. But, if you are on the autoimmune diet, you’ll need to steer clear of oils that are high in saturated fat, like butter or your usual vegetable oils such as sunflower or corn. Instead, go for oils like olive, avocado, and coconut. All of these are low in saturated fats.

You can even go one step further with olive oil. Use extra-virgin olive oil, which has gone through minimal processing, as it contains active compounds such as lignans and oleuropein that are effective in helping curb rheumatoid disease.

Avocado and coconut oils are as beneficial as olive oil. The former, for example, is rich in monounsaturated fats and can lower heart disease and stroke risk. It also has an anti-inflammatory effect of reducing C-reactive proteins that may cause autoimmune conditions at high levels.

Keep in mind to add some healthy fats from fruit and vegetables into your diet plan.

Wait, eating more fats?

Why not, as long as they’re healthy!

Fatty acids lurking in vegetables are also important in balancing hormones naturally. As well as vitamin B-rich , be sure to also add coconut to your auto-immune diet shopping list. Full of healthy fats, coconut is a great source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. It also has antibacterial and antioxidant properties that help soothe inflammation.

Herbs and Spices

Your autoimmune diet should include some herbs and spices which are diet-friendly. These include basil, dill, oregano, rosemary, as well as onion powder, thyme, turmeric, , , and salt. They have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer properties. These also act as preventives against diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic illnesses.

Drinks

As for drinks, herbal tea might be a good alternative to black tea and coffee. This is because the caffeine in them can trigger an immune system response and cause inflammation. Just make sure they don’t contain sugar, gluten, or any other additives.

But there's one excellent thing that you should drink that you've probably never heard of.

Bone broth.

Made by simmering bones for up to 2-days, bone broth has significant amounts of amino acids in it, notably glycine. Glycine helps heal the damage done to your bodily tissues caused by auto-immune diseases. It also balances the immune system and reduces inflammation. Additionally, as it's a liquid, it is easily digested in the body, leading to a healthier gut.

Which food should be restricted on the AIP?

Knowing what to eat to help manage the symptoms of autoimmune disease is only one step of the process. The other is knowing what foods to avoid that will aggravate or worsen the symptoms.

Dairy and Gluten

You’ll need to get rid of gluten and dairy products whilst on the diet. Once consumed, gluten releases zonulin into the small intestine, which causes the small holes to form in the gut.

Secondly, gluten is structurally similar to bodily tissues. Therefore, antibodies may mistakenly attack your own tissues, leading to autoimmune disease. Therefore, the gluten proteins can irritate the gut, leading to excessive aggravation of inflammation and triggering autoimmune disease.

Grains and Legumes

You may wonder if grains, beans, and legumes contain beneficial properties on this diet.

Well, the answer is an emphatic no.

Prolamin found in them can damage your gut and cause an immune system response. Another substance, known as agglutinin, destroys the immune system and causes leaky gut by binding immune cells.

Drinks

While on the autoimmune protocol diet, coffee is to be avoided. That’s because the caffeine in it interferes with digestion by acting as a digestive enzyme inhibitor. Therefore, it can contribute to the development of intestine permeability.

Also, excess alcohol intake increases the number of endotoxins in the bloodstream. These toxins are linked to chronic inflammation, as well as other diseases.

Snacks

Chocolate contains added sugar, which is high in phytic acid and omega-6 fats. Among them, phytic acid is an anti-nutrient that prevents you from wanting to eat something. As a result, you are less likely to eat sufficient nutrients.

But did you know that chocolate can also contain caffeine, like coffee?

As this can worsen autoimmune diseases, those with autoimmune conditions, unfortunately, need to be rid of chocolate.

Nuts and seeds should also be excluded from the autoimmune diet because they contain the anti-nutrient compound, lectin. Lectins tend to bind to different cells and cause increased intestinal permeability. These snacks are also high in phytic acid which interferes with gut healing.

Vegetables

Being part of the nightshade family, tomatoes are not recommended. Consuming them may lead to leaky gut syndrome. This is due to the glycoalkaloids they contain affecting the intestinal permeability.

In fact, nightshades, including eggplant, may worsen some autoimmune diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease.

But that's not all.

Do you like potatoes? Well, if you are on a diet, you'll need to avoid them. This is due to its content of saponins which act as a defense mechanism for the plant. Once absorbed, these chemicals might release toxic particles into our digestive system that can cause "leaky gut".

Spices

Spices, like chili powder, paprika, and chili pepper, contain alkaloids which may aggravate inflammation.

Oil

Anything other than the good oils mentioned above should be avoided. This is because unsaturated fats found in vegetable oils tend to oxidize once they’re heated. If so, they cause inflammation by damaging body cells.

Processed Food

Processed food, like hot dogs and bacon, weaken the intestine’s resistance to bacteria and viruses, further leading to autoimmune disease responses.

Sugar and Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners are linked with some autoimmune diseases. These include aspartame and sucralose. Aspartame, for example, becomes an embalming fluid in the body and the liver can’t clear this toxin normally. That’s why it gets stuck and activates inflammation, leading to autoimmune conditions and cancer growth.

Another substance called sucralose negatively affects the gut microbiome. This microbiome helps us to absorb antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, as well as supporting your immune system. However, as sucralose isn’t easily digested, it causes the good bacteria to die off.

Sugar is also notorious for being linked to type-1 diabetes. Fructose intake leads to the formation of new bodily cells and depletes your energy due to decreasing adenosine-triphosphate (ATP) in your cells. Fructose also leads to insulin resistance which can be risky for those managing type-1 diabetes. This is because they trigger the immune system to attack the cells that produce insulin. Damage to these cells undermines the body’s ability to manage blood sugar levels.

Autoimmune Protocol Diet FAQ

Can you have vinegar on the AIP diet?

Apple cider vinegar has anti-inflammatory properties that may be helpful in alleviating rheumatoid arthritis pain. It contains a number of vitamins and antioxidants that help to speed up the treatment. These antioxidants can also reduce the swelling and pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis.

A common way of using it as a treatment is to drink it. But vinegar is very acidic and the taste can be incredibly unpleasant when taking it neat. Furthermore, before consuming it, make sure to dilute it with water to prevent damage to your teeth. You can also apply it into the affected area in your body about twice a day. Make sure to dilute it with an oil (like coconut or olive) and massage it into your skin.

Can you eat eggs on the autoimmune diet?

Not really.

Eggs should be restricted due to their content of lysozyme found in the whites. Lysozyme creates small holes in the intestine and gets into the bloodstream, triggering "leaky gut".

Autoimmune Protocol Diet Shopping List