Don't stumble when out shopping!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Don't stumble when out shopping!
1
Mon, 05-07-2007 - 10:20pm

Thought it would be a good time for an article on 'Tips for Shopping'-


The Top Five Grocery Store Blunders
(AKA Stupid Shopping Mistakes)


By Jackie Keller


When your kitchen is well stocked with easy to prepare, nutritious foods, eating healthier is easy. The key is putting the right things in the shopping cart when you're in the grocery store! Here are five common blunders that can easily be avoided the next time you're at the market.



    1. Going to the market hungry. It's true--we eat with our eyes. You're a lot more likely to stock up on fatty foods you might have otherwise avoided if you're hungry when you enter the store. Try not to enter the store "on empty", and your basket will more likely be filled with premium fuel.
    2. Tunnel vision when reading the labels. Get out of the habit of only looking at the total fat, calorie or carbohydrate counts on the nutrition facts label. They don't tell the whole story. For example, look for hydrogenated fats in the ingredients listing, and the type of fat that makes up the total number. Not all fats are created equal!
    3. Listlessness. No, I'm not talking about being tired. I'm talking about shopping without a grocery list. One of the easiest ways to "shop & spend" more than you should is to head into the store without a specific list of items that you need. Start with a plan (in the form of a solid list), and you'll end up with the right stuff.
    4. Sticking with Old Faithful. Yes, there is comfort in the familiar, but if you always eat what you've always eaten, you'll always get the same nutrients. Pardon the paraphrase, but it's easy to buy only what you know. Reach out and touch some new greens, and try an inexpensive experiment or two. Greens contain powerful micronutrients that can vastly improve your health, so reach out the next time your in the fruits and vegetables section of your grocery store.

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About the Author. Jackie Keller, a healthy lifestyle and culinary educator, is the Founding Director of NutriFit, LLC, and author of Cooking, Eating and Living Well, a cookbook and guide to nutrition-related lifestyle change.


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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-04-2003
Tue, 05-08-2007 - 3:26pm

IG, thanks for this! Because it is a tight month financially, I have been a bit more careful when grocery shopping and just making a list kept me much more on track in terms of what I was buying both money-wise and health-wise!


I hate it when I'm shopping and starving. That's when I curse the person who thought to put the candies right by the cashiers! LOL