Now.... what am I supposed to eat??

I do not think it's entirely our fault as a society we are overweight. I was headed to do my grocery shopping this weekend, and it dawned on me. The marketing queens & kings for the food industry are pretty smart. They have configuring grocery store layouts and product placement down to an art. It's no accident that grocery stores are set up the way they are, and they aren't always to our health benefit.

As I'm shopping, I see all the things that are put on the end caps of the aisle and in the mid-aisle displays. Guess what? Those things are typically there because they are the most profitable. (Not that profitable is bad, but it isn't always good for our body)

Stores are also set up in the aisle pattern so it almost forces you to go down each aisle. Most boxed/canned/processed items are in the blue below. The set up of the store is designed to draw you up and down each aisle. The perimeter, in red, has what I call the "real food". That's where you'll find your meats, dairy, eggs, produce, etc. If you spend too much time going up and down the aisles, you'll have a tendency to pick up more processed items.

As you're shopping, you should try to spend the majority of your time on the perimeter of the store, and less time in the aisles. (it's helpful if you know the store well, so you can pick which aisle you go down).

Staying in the red area will get better food selections. (The items in the red require more "cooking" so check out my Pinterest board Healthy and Yummy Foods for tips if you need them.)

We all have our junk food indulgences. I cave to cravings as well, but if you're educated on how the food industry works, then you'll be better educated when you shop.

How do you shop? Where do you spend most of your shopping time??