Top 5 Things to Avoid When Grocery Shopping

1. Never go shopping when you are hungry. When you are hungry you get cravings and if you go shopping when you have cravings, you will end up buying everything in the store. Imagine going down every aisle when you want to eat something. You will think about everything as a potential meal and buy it. You will buy unhealthy food and a lot of it, which aside from being unhealthy, will also kill your wallet.

2. There are some foods that are very convenient to buy canned. They have a very long shelf life and for the most part are cheap. If you eat too many canned foods, you will be increasing the amount of sodium you take in to potentially unhealthy levels. Sodium is high in canned goods because it prevents bacteria from spoiling the food. Nutrients can also be lost during high temperature processing. High temperatures are used in canning to kill off microbial growth which increases shelf life. If you can, buy fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables.

3. Generally, the more processed a food is, the unhealthier it is. To know what is processed, ask yourself how much time and effort it will take to prepare. Less time means more processing. Frozen foods that only need to be heated and helper meals in which you only add meat are the most popular processed food items. Cooking from scratch is always healthier than buying ready made meals.

4. Every store has a snack aisle and you need to do your best to stay out of it. If there is one thing you want, go in and get it but do not stay for too long or you will be tempted to buy everything you see, especially if you are hungry.

5. Going shopping without a list is a huge mistake. Try it and you will see that your cart will get full of items you had no intention of buying. Making a list will limit you to what you actually need. It will cut down on junk food you know you do not need and will save you money from everything you do not buy. Stores know the longer you stay, the more you will buy. Making a list will get you out of there faster.

For more ways to make sure you buy healthy foods at the store, visit the Guide to Healthy Grocery Shopping. You can also share your tips and see how others stay healthy while buying groceries at the diet forums.

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