Choosing a Healthier Grocery Store

When it comes to shopping for groceries, it’s healthier to choose your store wisely, because it appears that these can directly influence the nutritional value of the food we end up buying.

In a 2018 study published in Preventative Medicine, investigators gleaned data from the USDA’s national “Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey,” which collects comprehensive statistics on the foods Americans buy.  The researchers obtained information on almost 5,000 shoppers who purchased groceries at different kinds of stores, then compared those to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in the “Healthy Eating Index.”

Here’s the skinny on your food shopping habits:

• Food purchased at natural or gourmet stores (ex: Whole Foods) had a higher Healthy Eating Index than food bought at large supermarket chains.
• Food bought at “other” retailers (including convenience stores) had the lowest Healthy Eating Index.
• Women, Older Americans, and shoppers with a higher reported education all made significantly healthier purchases.

Of course, it is definitely easier to make these shopping venue choices when you actually have them.  Many parts of the country are veritable wastelands when it comes to healthy shopping and dining options.  It is up to the consumer to make the best choices they can with the resources they’ve got.

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