Shop and Cook Like a Healthy Pro

This Lark mission was all about shopping and cooking to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. You now have the tools to get started, if you haven't already. Whenever you like, you can practice your skills at grocery shopping for healthy foods and cooking great-tasting, nutritious meals for yourself and your family.

Just like any other habit, shopping and cooking to prevent type 2 diabetes takes a lot of skills. You can focus on just one skill at a time if it is too daunting or confusing to work on them all at once. You might consider taking a week or two to focus on each skill until it becomes routine.

• Have a plan at the grocery store: avoid the processed food aisles and stick to fresher, less processed items when you can.
• Make a set of weekly menus and a shopping list based on those menus.
• Cook at home when you can instead of going out to eat or ordering in. 
• Steam, roast, grill, or bake instead of fry.
• Count on dried beans and whole grains, as well as sweet potatoes and winter squash, to be dependable, antioxidant and fiber-rich staples that cost only pennies per serving.
• Base meals around vegetables and lean proteins, such as fish, eggs, tofu, non-fat plain yogurt, and chicken.

Remember that the cost of healthy eating tends to be similar to that of unhealthy eating, so don't shy away. You can save time by prepping in batches and using up leftovers, and you can make meals family-friendly by making healthy ingredient swaps in kid-friendly favorite recipes.

With small changes and persistence, you can shop and cook healthy food just like a pro. Lark will support you as you make those changes and work to lose weight. Great job staying committed!