Have you ever popped into the supermarket for just a few items and ended up with a full shopping basket? I remember going for just one item and struggling to the checkout with a full basket. Then there are the big weekly shops where we can easily distracted by bargains and discounts.
Have you also noticed that most of the mulit-buy offers are on the end of the isles to attract our attention? These items are usually high fat and sugar comfort foods such as chocolate and biscuits. These items can trigger desires in our brain so that we start to crave some chocolate or biscuits and end up buying some to eat either at the checkout or when we leave the store.
How can we shop and not be tempted by such items or end up with more than double the number of items we planned to buy?
The answer is to never to shopping when hungry and to always take a list.
Going shopping when we are hungry is going to make it extremely difficult not to eat something going round the store or just after, and the foods that we will want when shopping and hungry will be high in fats and sugar because our brain will be tired and screaming for glucose. Eating something healthy before we go is a great way to resist temptation once in the shop.
Having a written list is the other great tactic for successful food shopping. Only buy what is on the list unless the discounted item is non-food related. Recently I was able to buy my usual washing powder at a discounted price. On the same day there were three different chocolate brands on offer. Although washing powder wasn't on the list I know that I will need some within in the next month so it was permitted under the 'list rules' that I have for shopping.
Other rules include working out a weekly menu so that I buy what I need and there is less waste, only buying what is on the list and not getting sucked in my amazing offers for '4 packs of lollies for the price of 3' and having something to eat before I go shopping.
Happy shopping
Sarah
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