It is understood that hitting the grocery store on an empty stomach is less than advisable, as you risk impulse purchases that likely won’t fulfill your health needs or budgetary goals. The same is true of only shopping the perimeter at your local supermarket. While you might have thought of perimeter shopping to be a way of “hacking” your grocery needs, fresh fruit and vegetables are no longer the sole features of this section. Big chains have discovered that this heavy foot traffic area was losing its high profit potential, and decided to shake up the perimeter’s contents. Now, what you’ll find are tempting colorful displays stacked with sweet treats, bright packaging, and quick “ready meals” that don’t always offer you the nutrition you’re after.
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t shop in this area at all; it’s a good starting point, especially when you’ve taken the time to plan your meals in advance. For those who tend to hit the supermarket two or more times a week (our heart goes out to you), keeping a reverse shopping list may help with the fluorescent-lighting-induced headache. This trick also helps prevent food waste and buildup of partially-used ingredients in your kitchen at home.
Shopping the whole store, not just the perimeter, is especially useful when it comes to those canned goods that are just as buried in the grocery store aisles as they are in your personal pantry. Keeping track of what you have as it runs out is a great way to direct your route as you venture away from the perimeter the next time you enter your local store. What you miss when you exclusively shop the surrounding border is a wealth of health-conscious, wallet-friendly cooking staples that will elevate your cooking game and leave you satisfied with your weekly spend.
Inner aisle staples can help your health and your wallet
The misconception that center shelves at the grocery store are riddled with heavily processed foods inadvertently drives shoppers away from their bounty of health-conscious components. Fermented and pickled products, which are often found in the inner aisles, not only add a tangy layer of flavor to your weekly meals, but also host a medley of health benefits due to their gut-healthy bacteria. There are many elements in the center of the grocery store that will also allow you creative control over your diet beyond the canned black beans and olive oil you’re used to incorporating. These sections host all kinds of non-perishable goods like red lentils, dried oats, a slew of healthy oils and fats, nuts, as well as canned products like beans, fruit, and tinned fish.
What you should consider is the plethora of affordable, nutritionally viable options just waiting to be discovered in the center of the store. The apprehension to maze-like passageways of metal cans that seemingly never end is admissible, sure. Though what lies on the other side is entirely worth it. The sheer amount of fermented products hidden in these aisles like kimchi, pickles, and vinegar can upgrade your weekly meals at home into something worth skipping take-out over. For instance, have you ever tried topping your burger with pickled foods or swapping cured meats for tinned fish amidst your medley of vegetables and cheeses on your expert-approved charcuterie board? Well, now’s the time to try it out. These (among many other dry storage goods) offer surprising health benefits, all tucked away from the perimeter — you’d be at a loss not to factor this into your next grocery store route.
