Checklist

Grocery and meal planning checklist

A short plan before shopping saves money, cuts waste and makes it easier to cook. Work through the steps once a week. They are about habits, not about calories or weight. Your ticks are kept in this browser, and you can print the page.

1. Plan the week
2. Check what you already have
3. A mix across the week
4. At the shop
5. At home
6. Talk to someone if

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Why plan at all

Most of the benefit comes from removing daily decisions. If dinner is already chosen and the ingredients are in the house, it is easier to cook than to order in. A plan also helps you spread food groups across the week without tracking anything, which is a gentler route than counting numbers. If you want to see how a day adds up, the protein, fiber and fluid tally is optional.

Keeping it flexible

Treat the plan as a menu, not a contract. Swap days, use frozen vegetables when fresh ones spoil, and let leftovers carry you through a tired evening. A plan that survives a bad week is more useful than a perfect one. For ideas on a pattern built around vegetables, whole grains, beans and olive oil, see the Mediterranean diet guide.

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Where this comes from

The mix of food groups and the emphasis on vegetables, fruit, whole grains and a variety of protein foods reflect the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The food safety steps (keeping raw and ready-to-eat foods separate, washing hands and surfaces, and refrigerating leftovers promptly) reflect public food safety guidance from the US Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These are general, widely published recommendations; the practical order of the checklist is our own arrangement.