To be honest, just looking at the picture above gives me a little bit of anxiety! Navigating the American Supermarket can be a challenge, especially if you are trying to eat healthy. Realistically, the food industry is big business and you are the consumer ($$$). So, navigating the aisles in search of something that is actually GOOD for you is near impossible. Here are a few tips:
- Graze the perimeter. Doing so eliminates the temptation and frustration of having to avoid unhealthy choices. Realistically, the produce and fresh items are generally along the edges of the store. Everything in between is filled with highly processed, sugary, fatty foods.
- Avoid labels and packaging. The fresher, the better. If an item is fresh, the packaging will be minimal. The exception would be Trader Joe's, which packages even their produce.
- Read. If you have to venture away from the perimeter for a labeled item take the time to read. It's sad to think that many of us spend more time reading People Magazine or TMZ than the labels of the food we are buying at the store. Read the ingredients - you'd be surprised what is in your food. I was recently cooking and needed to use breadcrumbs. I happened to glance at the ingredients and could not believe how much random crap is in there (for example, Niacin!). Yuck! No thanks!
- Educate yourself. After you've actually taken the time to read the labels, take some time to do a little research. For example, there is no DV% for sugar on ANY label (interesting), so you have to do the research to learn how much sugar you can actually consume each day.
- Try to avoid the supermarket all together. Find a more local store. Graze a farmer's market.
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