How to Shop the Grocery Store

I know that a lot of my posts during Weight Loss Month have been about diet, but that's because diet is one of the biggest reasons that Americans are overweight.  The American diet is centered on fast, easy, and unhealthy.  Along with avoiding fast food and making your own dinners, you need to know how to shop at the grocery store.

You see, grocery stores are smart.  They set up the junk food that tastes really good and stimulates the pleasure centers in your brain in the middle of the store and by the cashiers.  There's a reason all of the candy is sitting right next to you while you're waiting in line instead of the vegetables.  You're more likely to impulse buy a Butterfinger than broccoli.  You're also more likely to roam the middle of any store than the sides and back.  That's why, if you think about the grocery store you go to, most, if not all, of the processed, chemically enhanced, packaged "food" is in the center of the store.  That's where most of the people shop.

So, if you want one quick way to start shopping healthier, avoid the center aisles as much as possible.  Now of course, there are some very healthy necessities in the center of the store.  For example, eggs are in the center of the store I shop at.  But they are also right next to the sugar loaded, hormone filled yogurts. 

Another good rule of thumb is to try to avoid buying anything that's in a package.  Yeah it's typically faster and easier to make something in a package, but that also means that there are usually preservatives and other chemicals to help it stay "fresh".  When you prepare your own meals instead of throwing one in the microwave, you know for sure what is going into that meal and, for instance, you know that the chicken is actually going to be chicken and not chicken flavored chicken byproducts.

If you follow these 2 simple suggestions as much as you can, you will find yourself buying healthier food and preparing more homemade meals that can fit into your weight loss diet a lot easier that the stuff in the middle of the store.