4 Tips to Make the Most of Your Trip to the Grocery Store 

By Danette Wickman, RDN, CD

1. Make a grocery list and stick to it

A grocery list is one of the most important things to have prior to stepping into the store. It will save you time, money, and potentially inches from your waistline. Individuals who enter the grocery store without a grocery list are more inclined to have impulse buys, both of which can be costly and unhealthy. Keep a running list of things you run out of or might need for a new recipe throughout the week.

2. Eat prior to grocery shopping

Eating prior to grocery shopping will prevent you from buying something you don't want or wish you wouldn't have.

3. Shop the perimeter of the store

We're all guilty of spending time in the center aisles, but you should spend the most time shopping the outside perimeters. This is where you will find produce, fresh meat, fresh seafood/fish and dairy. Fresh foods are healthier than the processed food you find in the center aisles, which often have more sodium, calories, and fat.

4. Use the first in, first out inventory model to your advantage

Choose foods such as produce from back of the shelf. It will be fresher as all the grocery stores and retailers use the inventory model "first in first out."