Shopping for groceries is one of your most occurring activities in life. Some go every day, while others go once a week. Here are my 5 tips to keep in mind next time you go shopping in a supermarket, so you know what is going on, and how you can make healthier purchase choices and maybe even save some money!
1. Never go shopping when you are hungry. You will buy much more, and probably more bad things too!
2. The products that are on eye level, and on the corners of aisles, are usually the ones the company pay the most to be put there, as they generally generate more sales when the products are in sight. It doesn’t always mean it is the best, or the cheapest. No, usually they are the junk food. search the whole aisle for better choices. Keep this in mind when you go shopping and search the whole aisle for the better (organic) option.
3. Milk is always put in the back of the store, this because most people need milk, yoghurt butter or eggs. So you have to walk through all the long aisles, and hopefully you get persuaded to put some more products in your basket along the way. The same counts for the area around the cashier. A supermarket puts products there that they know can also get you to buy it. Think sale items,and lots of candy. Usually those are things you don’t need but since you are waiting there to pay for your groceries, you might get tricked into adding some to your purchases. Because you think to yourself:” hey, they are cheap” or “I might need them at some point”. Be strong and don’t do it! If you really need those products, you can always return later to the store.
4. Read food labels. When you can’t pronounce what is in it, It is probably not so good for you. You can go online and search what the ingredient is, or buy a book which explains what all the ingredients in the products you buy are. Any ingredient that includes “genetically “, “modified”, “High Fructose syrup” is likely to be not good for you and usually the same counts for ingredients with names that sound like they could be components to make a bomb. (you never know!)
5. Buy mostly fresh produce, not too much canned or prepackaged. Frozen is ok. Don’t buy for a whole week. come back a few times in a week, and just buy what you need for those 2 or 3 days. Otherwise by the end of the week you have to throw away a lot of things that have gone bad, and this way you save money!
Book tips:
1. What to Eat by Marion Nestle
2. What’s really in your basket? By Bill Statham.
3. Wat zit er in uw eten? By Courinne Gouget
Love Lonneke
Try Whole Foods Market @ Lonneke Engel – Healthy Eating and Health starts here, in particular with their Non-GMO projects :-)
Hello Lonneke,
Thank you for your 5 advice.
Before you go shopping at the supermarket make a list of purchases you need to buy is also a good thing I think (and try not to deviate).
It is true that supermarkets are the world champions to entice you to buy (and often unnecessary things and unhealthy !)
In France, it’s the wine who is placed at the back of the store ….. yes, for the same reason as for milk in Holland (but the french always drink moderately of course, euuh, I think, right? Each country has its own culture Lonneke !!!!).
Thank you again for your 5 advice Lonneke.
Hey Christophe, great tip too! Actually in USA and the Netherlands the Milk is placed in the back. Every supermarket places the products almost everyone uses the most in the back.. it is the psychology of the Supermarket ;)