What details to include in the shopping lists

Remember that both My Foods Shopping List and My Antioxidants Shopping List are meant to be presented to your client, so they need to be as practical (and as easy to implement) as possible!

Here's what you need to think about when completing each column of either shopping list:

1. Food item

Let's use carrots as an example. Will they be fresh or frozen? If fresh, carrot sticks or whole carrots? If your client is new to carrots, will they want to try all types and different ways to eat it (e.g. cooked or raw, grated or sliced, puree or soup)? Or do you want to keep it simple for the client and just write "carrots" (and let them decide when shopping)?

Some clients may want as much specification as possible, while others may feel overwhelmed when presented with too much information and do better with a couple of pointers.

You'll probably get a sense for that as you sit down with the client to walk them through their shopping lists, which is their opportunity to ask questions, and for you to ask about any food preferences or special diets (e.g. for religious reasons), and provide more details or options. And you don't have to have all the answers on the spot - it's okay to say "I'll look into that and get back to you."

2. Amount

This is the amount of food.

In here, you'll want to consider how your client will shop for their carrots. Will they buy a bag of carrots at the supermarket, where you can see the weight on the label? Or... will they go to an open market that doesn't specify the carrot's weight?

Either way, you could write, for example: "500 grams (10 small carrots)". That way, the client has the amount represented in both ways (weight plus visual).

Here you can see that each small carrot weighs 50 grams. So if your client's (hypothetical) target is to eat 500 grams of carrots a week, then 50 grams x 10 small carrots in their weekly shopping will do the trick. In Google you can also use the Quantity "drop-down" menu to select a different carrot size (indicated by the red arrow on the image above).

The RDAs (recommended daily amounts) for each nutrient are depicted in your Module 12 (Essential Nutrients and Antioxidants A to Z Guide). In there, you can check the nutrient amount per 100 grams of food. So, for example, 100 grams of carrots provide 8,500mcg of betacarotene. This means that one bite of carrot (10 grams) would already give you the betacarotene RDA of 800 mcg for the day. Realistically, if your client buys 500 grams of carrots, they can eat them throughout the week (probably incorporate them in meals shared with their family) and the minimum RDA would be easily met.

If you know where your client buys their groceries, that's a a plus, because you can just check what kind of carrots they're likely to find there, for example:

3. Nutrients in it

This is just for your client's general information, a "bonus" if you may: it makes them aware of the reason for eating carrots and their health benefits. This way, when you meet to discuss why these foods have been included in their shopping lists, you'll have a reference point to talk about, e.g. "the betacarotene in carrots will help you with...".

You can simply list the key micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, and/or phytochemicals) in each food item and their health benefits, but without detailing the exact amount per micronutrient. Micronutrient amounts are for your own calculations - make sure to revisit the Essential Nutrients and Antioxidants A to Z Guide in Module 12.

Additionally, you'll find even more details about different food items (including carrots!) in Module 15's Health Benefits of 160 Superfoods, and can also include some of that information in the shopping lists.

Conclusion

Planning a client's diet and shopping lists is time-consuming but completely worth it. Now you can see why your time has a real value as you take on clients - there's a lot of work and preparation that goes around it - not to mention that you also need to take into account your client's food preferences, shopping and cooking habits!

AUTHOR: Alex Ruani, Research Director

Updated on: 15/10/2026