The Supermarket Trap

How many times have you walked into a supermarket with items in mind that you know you need and somehow walk out with a few more items than intended? What happened? Did you have a plan? Another sign of not planning is when you start with a handheld basket and wind up with a cart. Sound familiar?

The supermarket is designed to try to influence you to buy more of what you really don’t need and it is usually not the healthiest items. Take a look around the next time you are in your neighborhood supermarket. What do you notice when you first walk into a Shoprite or other similar store? In your face are cookies, cakes or some type of packaged muffins on sale. What do you notice at the ends of each aisle? That would be some type of processed, packaged good. What about on those displays in the middle of the floor before you checkout? You can always count on more processed, packaged goods. What about at checkout? Candy. Placement of various foods in the store and on shelves is so important for food companies. I call it subtle buyer influence. Some foods and soft drinks are always at eye level for adults and if you have children or grandchildren, you know there are foods marketed to them at their eye level, especially in the cereal aisle.

Think about the layout of most food stores. You will always encounter the fresh fruits and vegetables along the first outer perimeter that you come to. Do you ever see fresh fruit that does not need refrigeration anywhere else in the store? If you continue around the outer perimeter, you will visit the deli counter, fish and meat sections, and then dairy in the far corner of the store. Did you ever notice how dairy is always the furthest point from the door? I think this is strategic because most people consume some type of dairy item whether it is eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt or butter. So even if that was the one item you needed, you have to walk by so many other products that say, “buy me” on your way to the dairy section and back to checkout. If you do not have a list or specific plan when you walk into the store, the trip from the front door winds up with some detours and that basket receives a few more items than planned.

I suggest to always have a list when you enter into a supermarket. If you don’t, you may feel like you entered a trap and might walk out with more of the items that are packaged, processed and not healthy. You may not even realize it, but take notice the next time you are in the supermarket. Above everything, avoid shopping on an empty stomach. You will surely buy more than you need and those will be impulse purchases. ShopRight not Wrong.

Carbohydrates and Sugar Cravings

There are various types of food cravings such as salty, crunchy, spicy, sour and of course sweet. A sugar craving tends to the most common and very detrimental to your health, especially if you exercise on occasion or not at all. When people crave sugar, they may go for a quick fix and opt for sugary drinks, candy, cake, cookies or other processed foods.

All carbohydrates contain sugar and are simple or complex depending on their structure; in addition, they are our main source of energy. Most of your processed foods are simple and contain refined sugar with little vitamins and minerals. Think of packaged cookies and cakes. When large amounts of simple sugars are ingested in the absence of other nutrients, they enter the bloodstream very quickly, which provides that quick burst of energy. In a short time, the blood sugar drops and hunger sets in again. The body is looking for an even level of blood sugar so it tells you to eat something to bring it back up. So you may go for sugar again and this starts a cycle of ups and downs until you eat a meal.

When complex carbohydrates such as vegetables or whole grains are ingested, it takes more time for the body to process; therefore, the bloodstream does not get flooded as when drinking a sugary drink. The sugar takes a longer time to be absorbed, which provides a longer duration of energy. Also, when complex carbohydrates or (natural) simple carbohydrates such as fruit are consumed with other nutrients (a healthy fat, protein or fiber) the absorption rate is slowed.

Exercise is so important to how the body processes carbohydrates, as well. The more you exercise, the more the carbohydrates are transformed and used as immediate energy. If a person is not exercising, the body will use what it needs from those transformed carbohydrates and the remainder may be stored as fat.

When you are feeling hungry and sluggish and need a snack, go for a piece of fruit and yogurt. Other options are one tablespoon of peanut butter on a whole grain piece of bread or carrot sticks with hummus. Whatever you do, make it more natural and healthy and let go of the processed to let go of the cravings.