How to Choose?
Recently (with the New Year and all the resolutions it causes) I have been asked a number of times how to be less confused while grocery shopping, all the labels all the nutrition facts all the claims and choices. Well this is to answer that cry for help.
Am I really so old that the idea of shopping the perimeter of the grocery store has been lost on so many? If so I’m glad my memory is still sharp because what I’m about to share I’ve been teaching clients for decades.
- The positive wording: shop the outer edges (perimeter) of the grocery store
- The negative wording: step away from the inner isles for your food purchases
The inner isles of foods are
- filled with extras you do not require as a human such as:
- sugar (sweeteners of all types including agave, honey, maple syrup, cane, etc)
- preservatives
- hydrogenated oils
- rancid oils (absolutely detrimental to health)
- grains (possible allergens)
- soy (this will require an entire post)
- peanut (allergen and lousy fat)
- corn (allergen and lousy fat)
- the list goes on and usually on and on (a red flag to step away from the product)
- Over
- packaged
- priced
- processed
- advertised (its a jungle of misleading messages to get you to pick up a new product)
Now to leave you on a positive note
The outer isles or perimeter of the grocery store is where you will find food that are
- Fresh (that’s why its on the outer edges, back in the day that was the easiest place to run the coolers and chill)
- meats
- veggies
- fruits
- dairy
- eggs
- Real
- Unprocessed
- Unpackaged
This is where you want to have the bulk of your shopping come from (if not all-but I am not into absolute). What a wonderful place to spend your money, which by the way is how you tell the store what to carry (believe me I was in natural retail for over 12 years- if you don’t buy it they wont carry it, for long)
If and when you have them available, do (please) shop the local farmers markets! When you can connect your food with the faces of the growers your shopping experience becomes personal and don’t we need a little more of that in ours days? Again we speak with our wallets so choose your worde wisely!
You can’t do anything but pump up your nourishment by shopping this way. Go forth and enjoy! Oh and be sure to bring your bags 
Sending much Aloha!
Behavioral Health Hawaii
This is really great and useful information, Gina!
It is funny, I thought about the shopping I did the other day, and I guess I’ve been doing it this way for a long time now, since switching over to a Paleo diet (only I avoid the bread section and the ice cream in my store as they are on the outside too!), and I just duck into the center aisles to pick up things like canned salmon or tuna once in a while, or spices if I cannot use fresh.
The grocery bill also dropped significantly…
Hope you are well my friend!
Brett
Excellent point Brett! The savings from keeping out of the center can be quite amazing. We tend to forget who pays for all that processing and packaging.
So glad you stopped by and I love that you are eating Paleo…I’d love to hear more of your experience.
Aloha!