This was too good not to share. Thanks to Darya Pino at Summer Tomato for creating this fun diagram.
I have always recommended that you shop the perimeter of the grocery store to find the healthiest foods. This flowchart pretty much says the same thing, in a fun lighthearted manner. By sticking to the outside of any grocery store you will be focusing on fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meats and dairy/eggs. Add in your staples of grains (preferably whole grain: rice, pasta, cereal, bread), some dried or canned beans and you have a complete meal plan. All the other interior isles in a grocery store are primarily processed, low-nutrient filler foods and condiments. That’s where a list comes in handy! If you need hot sauce, mustard, canned artichoke hearts, nuts or other fairly healthy canned/jarred foods make one trip down that interior isle for ONLY the foods on your list. And don’t always be tempted by the end of aisle attention grabbers! They aren’t always sale items that are a good deal, sometimes it’s food that the store needs to unload because of overstock.
Next time you are at your favorite grocery store, take a moment to really notice the layout and begin to organize your shopping list according to how you can most efficiently move through the store. This will help cut down the time you spend wandering the isles.
Happy shopping.
