Perimeter Paranoia

Adapted from an article written for Ingles Nutrition Blog – [email protected]

How many times have you said or heard things like “ONLY shop the PERIMETER of the store” or “the BEST foods are in the PERIMETER of the store?”

If you are a consumer this may not be a good or accurate message to live by. Why?

1. Do you really think supermarkets haven’t figured out that
dietitians or other people who like to preach nutrition have been saying
this and changed the design of their stores accordingly? On the
perimeter of most of our Ingles stores we have: cake, sausage, bacon,
high sodium lunch meats, soda, beer, wine and videos. Sure, we also have
fresh meat and seafood and produce, but if someone takes that
“perimeter” message literally they aren’t going to be making the best
choices.

2. There ARE healthy, nutritious and economical items in the center of
the store like beans, whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat pasta) and
canned & jarred tomato products (good source of lycopene), frozen
fruits, and vegetables.

3. You still need to READ THE NUTRITION FACTS LABEL, no matter where
an item is in the store, and shop for healthy options THROUGHOUT the
store.

4. It ignores the economical side of shopping. Some cannot afford or
don’t want to buy everything fresh for whatever reason. Advanced
technology enables growers/manufacturers to give us excellent quality
frozen fruits and vegetables that don’t know a season but can provide us
with vitamins and minerals throughout the year.

The bottom line: Don’t fall prey to easy messages that aren’t always accurate.