Email
Common Food Shopping Traps You Should Avoid
Many supermarkets and grocery stores today are using simple but highly effective strategies to influence your buying decisions. Daily Finance lists some of the most common food shopping traps that people fall for, such as:
- Piping in artificial smells to “inspire” you to buy more.
- Conveniently placing sale items – which aren’t exactly cheap – at aisle ends.
- Putting the most expensive items at eye level, while placing cheaper items on the top and bottom shelves.
- Using gaudy and bright product packaging for expensive products and plain wrapping for cheaper items.
- Hyping numbers. Signs may say “10 for $10,” or “2 for $5,” but if you compute the costs, the price is usually the same. (Check out the complete list here.)
Martin Lindstrom also wrote an interesting Time Magazine article that reveals the advanced sales tactics used in supermarkets today. He says the tactics are very simple, such as changing the flooring of the section of the store or removing dollar signs from labels, but they are profoundly effective (link).
Follow These Easy Shopping Guidelines
Dr. Joseph Mercola says that you should not fall for these supermarket tricks. He says you must learn to “navigate” through your grocery store so that you become less prone to buying impulsively and choose the most healthful food no matter where you shop.
Here are some simple shopping guidelines you should follow:
- Prepare a grocery list to keep you focused on the items you need.
- Shop the store’s perimeter because the outermost edge of the supermarket contains the healthier, non-processed foods.
- Buy fresh vegetables instead of canned versions. Those that have a deep and vibrant color are usually packed with the most nutrients.
- Check the nutrition labels to compare products, identify ingredients, and maximize nutrients.
- Do the math, and check the per-unit price. Buying in bulk may seem enticing, but make sure to check the individual price to determine whether buying more is really cheaper.
Dr. Joe Mercola also says you should pay attention to details, such as comparing sizes when evaluating prices of competing brands. Some manufacturers also manipulate the pricing formula for multi-packs. Before, multi-packs were cheaper per unit compared to smaller or individual packs, but now, some smaller multi-packs are cheaper per unit.
Are You Still Buying Processed Foods?
A lot of people still think that processed or prepared foods are cheaper than whole foods. The truth is that prepared foods can be twice as expensive as unprepared versions. Buying whole foods that you can transform into homemade meals can be cheaper than purchasing prepared foods in a box.
Dr. Mercola says that avoiding processed foods will also reduce your chances of accidentally serving genetically modified (GM) foods to your family. GM foods in the U.S. currently do not have labeling requirements, which is alarming because over 90 percent of both US corn and soy crops are GM. These are the most heavily sprayed crops in agriculture, so you’re getting far more pesticides and herbicides. Products made from these crops, like corn oil, soybean oil, cornstarch, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), modified food starch, and tofu are commonly found in processed foods.
GM ingredients are everywhere, especially in pre-made, pre-packaged, processed foods of any kind. To help you avoid GMO, you can check out this Non-GMO Shopping Guide.
More Healthy Shopping Tips from Dr. Mercola
Dr. Mercola says it is very important that you learn to separate the best organic foods that will benefit you from those that do nothing but wreak havoc on your health. Here are some common characteristics of a high-quality food:
- It is grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers
- It is not genetically modified
- It does not contain added growth hormones, antibiotics, or other drugs
- It does not contain artificial ingredients and preservatives
- It is fresh. Dr Mercola says that if you have to choose between wilted organic produce or fresh local conventional produce, the latter is the better option.
- It is not factory-farmed
- It is grown with the laws of nature in mind. Animals should be fed their native diets free of grains and animal byproducts, and have free-range access to the outdoors. When buying organic beef, look for grass-fed varieties.
- It is grown in a sustainable way (using minimal amounts of water, protecting the soil from burnout, and turning animal wastes into natural fertilizers instead of environmental pollutants).
When shopping for organic foods, always look for the USDA 100% Organic seal. The labeling requirements of the NOP apply to raw and fresh products and processed products that contain organic agricultural ingredients.
Dr. Mercola also encourages you to avoid health-harming ingredients. He says this can be tricky because there are many additives, preservatives, and food colorings that can damage your health. He says two common culprits to watch out for are:
- MSG – Check out this website for a comprehensive list of MSG-rich foods.
- Fructose and other artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose (Splenda), acesulfame K, and saccharin.
If you do not know what to look for when you go grocery shopping, you can easily be fooled by subversive sales tactics. So educate yourself on what “healthy food” really is so you can shop wisely and maintain optimal health.
|
|
|
Email
|
Tags: Dr. Joseph Mercola, food shopping, gm foods, grocery shopping, joe mercola, Joseph Mercola, Mercola, shopping guide, supermarket shopping
