Grocery shopping for dummies

When I was younger, I would head to the grocery store with my mom, usually under the coax that I could pick out a treat for keeping her company and not mindlessly running through the isles screaming or crying like many other children.

You would think, being familiar enough with a grocery store from those trips, and seeing same food day in and day out magically appear in our fridge at home, that once I had to actually grocery shop for myself, it wouldn’t be so life altering.

Wrong.

Last year, neither my mother nor my college’s cafeteria was responsible for feeding me. Still, at 21, shopping for food hasn’t proven to be an easy task. Trying to stay in shape at school, I understand that I am directly responsible for the fruit and vegetables (or lack there of) that go into my mouth. After much practice, and still some random hits and misses, I think I’m beginning to find an approach that works for me.

I’ve realized, however, that your success or failure with nutrition weighs heavily on your techniques in the grocery store. Your path through your local supermarket will dictate how well you meat nutritional guidelines. For instance, starting with processed foods (usually in the middle of the store on shelves) or spending more time in the aisles will result in more processed foods in your cart, which generally result in higher calorie and fat content than produce on the outer walls of the store.

This idea came from a great article I read by Dr. Pamela Avery. Her article, Eat around the edges, investigates the set up of grocery stores and the pattern of produce and healthy choices residing around the walls.

Dr. Avery explains the reasoning is because fresh produce needs to remain in a controlled climate, therefore relies on the electrical outlets and refrigerators that are often on the edges of the store. She continues that these areas should be considered the ‘green zone’ and make up a majority of your food choices.

Her mastering of the shapes and techniques of storage of foods provides a healthy routine while shopping. Another helpful approach to healthy shopping may be to clearly separate your produce from processed foods in your cart. This will help to make a quick visual distinction of your shopping habits.

What is your routine in the grocery store? What are some of your bad shopping habits?