The
Tour of the Grocery Store
Many
times the entrances and exits to the grocery store lead you right to
the deli or bakery section of the store. These are strategically placed
next to the floral department at the front of the store. The colorful
flowers give you a good feeling and the lighting over the bakery enhances
the appearance of the breads and pastries in the cases.
Lighting
and color are just two marketing tools to entice you towards certain
products and sections of the store. The music is another factor. You
are meant to feel at home in the store so you will spend more time there.
The
rather unpleasant aspect of shopping seems to be the checkout line.
To soften this portion of the shopping experience, there are magazines
and small candies and cookies in individual portions to help ease the
pain. All in all you are a target of marketing from the moment you walk
in until the moment you leave. It is up to you to determine how you
will handle this.
Several
years ago I embarked on a large weight loss program (I lost over 85
lbs). I decided to calculate my expenditures on obesity one day and
I pulled out some of the grocery receipts I had stored in my old tax
boxes from before the weight loss program. I highlighted all of the
things I don’t even buy anymore and about 2/3 of the receipts
were highlighted!
Now,
I walk mostly around the periphery of the store. I don’t get tricked
by labels that read “carb friendly” but have a high fat
content or things that say “low fat” but have high carbs.
Nor do I care if something is “light” or not. What I look
for are foods that provide a good source of the nutrients I am working
with for my weekly food plan.
There’s
the key, a weekly food plan! I generally decide the dinners for the
week first because I tend to have more variety in my dinners than the
other meals. I usually will have a fish meal, a meat meal, a vegetarian
meal, an egg dish, a poultry dish or two and a salad and/or soup meal.
I find the basics for these meals and then I find whole grain bread
for sandwiches, some protein sources for lunch (Salmon, tuna, turkey,
chicken or beef), some eggs, cottage cheese or yogurt and a high protein
cereal. Then I am off! I find I am more efficient in the store since
I don’t linger through the aisles and I don’t feel pulled
to candy at the check out next to magazines promising weight loss at
every turn. Oh, also I sip water while I shop. Call me crazy but I am
really enjoying my new found freedom from the pull of the heavy marketing
that is a real money grabber at the grocery store.
If
you would like more information on healthy eating and weight loss, please
contact me. I am always happy to work with people on this most important
health issue. Please contact me about my corporate and community lecture
series options too.
