We all know how to shop for groceries, right? Go to the store. Pick food. Pay. Leave. But that’s not the healthiest or most budget-friendly way to get your groceries taken care of. By learning how to shop better, and buying healthier foods, you’ll not only increase the longevity of your paycheck, you’ll increase your life span, as well.
Learning to shop smart for groceries is a trait that will help you make your everyday life healthier and full of energy. However, to achieve this goal, a little planning needs to be mapped out and executed.
4 Tips For Next Time You Go Shopping:
1. Shop Around the Aisles, Not inside Them:
You’ll notice that around the aisles in almost every supermarket, you’ll find fresh produce, meat, cheeses, breads, and other good-for-you foods. Inside the aisles, however, you’ll find boxed, hormone-grown, nutrient-leeched, preservative-full items. Stick to the outside of the aisles. Buy fresh fruits and veggies instead of canned and frozen stuff. Don’t buy pre-sliced, pre-packaged lunch meat; go to the deli counter and get it fresh.
Make it a habit to go around the entire perimeter of the store first, before entering any of the aisles. You’ll find that most of the healthy stuff that you needed will already be in your basket or cart!
2. Don’t Shop on an Empty Stomach:
It’s easy and tempting to reach for a ‘small’ snack like a box of cookies or chocolates when you’re hungry. A full belly will ensure that such junk food is less appealing to you.
Make sure you’re not hungry when you go on a shopping adventure. That way, you won’t be tempted to buy food you don’t need, or that isn’t healthy for you. This will also help to save a lot of money, because you’ll be spending it only on food you need.
3. Make a List:
Plan your meals for a week or two. Then make a list of items you will need. Then use the list! If it’s not on the list, don’t buy it (unless of course you need it—need being the key word). Remember, big companies spend a large amount of money to study consumer behavior and accordingly, place ‘impulse foods’ throughout the stores. Try to fight your impulse shopping by persuading yourself that you’ll ‘come back’ to get that new concoction in a shiny box after you first finish your original list. Chances are that you’ll have overcome your temptation by that time.
4. Read Each Label Closely:
It is because of the great awareness of smart consumers in the last decades that companies have to declare the breakdown of a product on it’s label. Don’t let this great advantage slip through your hands, and like a smart shopper, check each label closely. Make sure that the product you’re buying has healthy ingredients like fibres and protein and is not high in unhealthy stuff like sugar and fat etc.
At first, you may see your grocery expenses increase a little. But in the long run, eating healthier food keeps you full longer, which means you eat less, which means you buy less food. Plus, you’ll live longer!
Won’t it be a good feeling to know you’re saving money and becoming a healthier person each time you walk into the supermarket? What are your tips?
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