How to Win at the Grocery Store #1

Don't let the grocery store decide what you eat.

Have you heard this one?
​
"If you want to be healthy, only shop the outside edge of the grocery store."

Don't listen to that, it's nonsense.

​Read more to do it better...

On the outside edge of the typical grocery store, you will usually find the fresh produce, dairy and meat. You'll also find the deli, the pre-made foods, the bakery, factory farmed animals, giant displays of candy and soda, and all the powers of manipulative marketing known to man.

On the inside aisles, you'll find lots of  junk food, but that's also where the beans live, and oats, organic soups, cereals, spices, tea, canned tuna, dried fruit and canned fruit, and  frozen fruit too.

You need all the aisles in the grocery store.

Wisdom and self-defense win the grocery store game, so know the rules going in:

1. You are being manipulated every step of the way.
Every package, every shelf, every sight, sound and smell - they are doing everything in their power to empty your wallet, and your wellbeing has nothing to do with it. The only person in the grocery store truly interested in your wellbeing is you.

2. You are being overwhelmed with stress every step of the way.
There are exceptions: "food adventurers" are excited by every new discovery. But most people eat the same basic top 10 or top 20 favorites over and over, and want their whole food program to be LESS complicated. We believe that lots of choice empowers us, but the average grocery store has over 300,000 choices, and you told yourself you'd be in and out of there in 5 minutes.

Why not narrow your choices down by about 99%, and your stress too?

It does not matter that there are 500 different boxes of cereal on the shelf. You like 2 or 3 of them. Know what they are, and say goodbye to all the rest. Ignore the sale, ignore the big fancy display, ignore the gorgeous package with the mouth watering photo. Buy YOUR foods and ONLY your foods. It doesn't matter if they are having the greatest sale ever on something you don't care about - just keep walking.

I call this strategy the power of 3. What are your 3 favorite breakfasts? You 3 favorite soups? You 3 favorite snacks? Hint: don't say chips. What kind? Be as specific as you can, narrow it down. Then you've got boundaries around your grocery shopping experience. So yes, every once in a while, you might enjoy tortilla chips and salsa, but if your favorite is popcorn, buy that. Don't even bother looking at the things that you don't care about - you don't care about them. Looking at them, thinking it over, trying to decide - it's all stress. So narrow it down; know what you like, and stick to it.

When you get bored, you can re-evaluate, but know in advance what you are doing, and why. Don't let the grocery store decide for you. 

More strategies tomorrow! Today, spend some time on the power of 3. What are your 3 favorite.....

​#practicalpradipika @airstreamyogi @camputopiayoga @allisonrissel @shineon.ygoa