Navigating the Grocery Store

The quote "Knowledge is Power" is a great motto for nutrition.  Since my goal is to help you live a healthy life, I wanted to write my first post on grocery shopping since eating healthy starts with shopping healthy. There are many subtle cues from lighting to shelf organization that are designed to navigate the way we shop. It's important to know where to find healthy foods so we aren't lured in to buy junk foods. Here are some tips for making healthy choices at the grocery shopping. 

Before you go:

• Make a List. Think of meal ideas and make a list of what to buy. Having a list helps keep you on tract and will cut back on impulse buys (see my sample grocery list below). Skip the aisles that don't carry items on your list. 
• Have a bite to eat. It's never a good idea to enter a building filled with delicious food without a base in your stomach. Being hungry lowers our standards on what foods are healthy choices and racks up the grocery bill.
• Allow Yourself Time to Get to Know the Store. We may not have time to look at every item, every time we get groceries but acquainting yourself with the types of products offered at your store will help you make better decisions. 

At the store:

• Start with the Produce Section. We are most likely to buy products in the first row we enter, then the second, the third and so forth, so order matters. A lot of grocery stores are realizing this and putting the produce section in the front (I'm lucky the Target ,Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Rainbow by my house all do). If the store you shop at has the produce section is in back then I recommend starting in the back. 
• Shop the Perimeter. A lot of healthy food items are located on the outer loop of the store. Produce, dairy, refrigerated items, meat and sometimes the section of grains, nuts and other items in bulk are usually found on the outsides of the store while chips, soda and other junk food are located in the middle aisles. 
• Look Up and Down. Research shows we are 35% more likely to choose foods within inches of our eye level. Beware of this as the healthiest foods are traditionally not located at our eye level (Ever notice that a lot of cereals adverted to children are located on the bottom few shelves right at their eye level).
• Look at Food Labels. Don't feel bad about stopping to compare food items. Sometimes a quick peak at the nutrition facts label can make it clear which item is the better choice. If you are someone who has a hard time deciphering food labels. Stay tuned as I'll touch on that in a future post.  

Sample Grocery List (organized by meals)

Breakfast ideas

-Instant Oatmeal

-Soy Milk

-Low Fat Yogurt

-Cheerios

-Bananas

-Frozen Fruit
-Whole Grain english muffins
-Peanut Butter

Lunch:

-Whole Grain Bread

-Deli Meat

-Sliced Cheese

-Hummus

-Select Harvest Soup

-Whole Grain Crackers

-Larabars

-Apples

-Grapes
-Low Fat Yogurt

Dinner:

-Salmon

-Brown rice

-Frozen Chicken

-Ground Turkey

-Taco Kit

-Broccoli
-Zucchini

-Spinach

-Tomatoes

-Feta Cheese

-Salad Dressing
-Veggie Burger Patties
-Chili Ingredients: Low sodium chicken broth, black beans, kidney beans, Muir Glenn Diced Tomatoes, 1 Jalapeno, 1 onion, garlic, 1 green pepper, Chili Powder, Cumin and meat (optional)


Snacks and other items: 
-Almonds
-Low fat cottage cheese
-Low moisture string cheese
-Carrots
-Calcium fortified orange Juice
-Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches
-Olive Oil

If you're interesting in hearing the steps some grocery stores are taking to help Americans make healthier purchases check out the recent story I heard on Minnesota Public Radio. 

Nudging Grocery Shoppers to Healthy Food