Are you prepped and ready when you make your weekly trip to the grocery store? Supermarket companies have spent many years of research and millions of dollars just to encourage your impulse purchases. Their best scenario? You’re tired, rushed, haven’t planned anything for dinner and aren’t sure what you want to make/pick up for you and your family. You walk through those big doors, right into the aromas of either bakery goods ( yummy in the morning!) or fried chicken (just right for dinner!). The foods that they want to tempt you with are at your eye level. The junk that will set your kids whining is at their level. You have entered into the battle zone! Have you ever done an online receipt survey for a grocery store? Some of their questions include, ‘Do you always use a list when you shop? Do you ever buy anything that’s not on your list? Did you buy anything that you had not planned during this shopping trip?‘ Now, in the perfect world you’d have your list of everything you need for the week, your coupons organized and your cloth bags in the car, but…. Reality? “We’re out of milk! Mom! There’s nothing to eat!”
When you find yourself in the store with no plan, and MUST take something home to eat…..what’s the fallback? First, just shop the perimeter of the store. That’s where you’ll find proteins, dairy products, whole grains and produce- pretty much everything you need to meet nutritional needs. “Just Say No” to the chip and soda aisles, the bakery and candy shelves. The only time any of us need to go into any scary inner aisle is to pick up frozen or canned veggies and fruits and whole-grain pasta or cereal. Thank goodness at least the cleaning aisle is a safe place!
Foods on sale on the end-caps are nutritionally almost never worth the money. Healthy food is the most important gift that we can give to our own and and to our kids’ bodies. Aim for more produce – up to eleven servings a day! It’s hard to find space in your tummy for junk if that tummy is full of fruits and veggies! Go for chicken, fish and low-fat or fat-free dairy. It’s less convenient to eat the bad stuff- if it isn’t in your home. We’ll take a moment to find something healthy if those are the only options! Instead of butter, mayo or margarine, try olive oil and canola– your healthiest oils for salads and cooking.
After you practice awhile, you will develop a healthy pattern of travel through the store, and this will lead to better health for your whole family! How great is that!!
