Grocery Store Marketing Voodoo

Combat the Grocery Store Marketing Voodoo by watching "Anatomy of a Grocery Store!" Let's take responsibility for our health by realizing that we live in time when food companies are on a quest for the almighty dollar with little concern for our health

I discovered this enlightening and empowering video: The Anatomy of a Grocery Store. 

At first it shocked me and pissed me off, but ultimately it energized and empowered me. 

I hope it does the same for you. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR2WhElTk6Q

I hear people say all the time,
"I try so hard, but I just can't manage my weight. I just can't lose these 20 pounds. No matter what I try, my family ends up eating unhealthy foods. I am just too tired or too busy. Really, I try, but no matter what, I feel like a failure when it comes to feeding my family with healthy foods. I don't have time to plan this out any better, and besides, the fresh stuff is much more expensive. By the time I get to the grocery store, I am exhausted and quickly drive the aisles, shove the sale items in that grab my attention, open and eat packages of cookies and chips in the car on the way home, or worse, realize that the fresh ingredients I just bought can just wait till tomorrow, because it is late and the kids are hungry and this drive thru is tempting."

Take heart. You are not alone. The typical family today is pressured to work, care for children and maintain the health of the family. The trouble is, even educated people who know which foods are healthy and which foods are not, fall prey to Grocery store voodoo marketing. That's right, I said Grocery Store Voodoo Marketing. There is a force out there that is working against us.

Make no mistake, I am an adult and take full responsibility for my individual shopping and eating habits. However, the food marketing industry (a 33 billion dollar industry) does not have the same health goals that I do. In fact, their business relies on my biological shortcomings. There is an estimated 4,500 marketing ads for food and consumables per person per day in the United States. Unbelievable! That is an ad targeted at each of us every 14 seconds for which we are awake. Wow.

This short video is mesmerizing. I had heard that grocery stores are arranged in such ways as to capitalize on our weaknesses - such as placing candy at the check out and loading junk food displayed "ON SALE" on end caps. I have even heard that if you shop the outer periphery of the store, you will find the healthiest foods (however, this concept may be pre-Whole Foods/ Central Market environments that now promote their produce when you first walk in) But this video expands the voodoo marketing idea with 3 salient points:

The food advertising industry works to sabotage us in 3 ways:

1. It attacks the unconscious mind
2. Sets up default purchases and default combinations
3. Erodes our willpower reserves

The biggest shock for me in watching this short video, was the realization that food companies PAY MONEY for shelf location. In fact, it was stated that grocery stores make more from food companies paying for prime locations than they make from consumer purchases. Silence. I had to rewind and listen to that 3 times. I had NO idea! 

I have organized a few strategies to take the voodoo marketing down! I hope you will join me.

1. The reality is that I own my health. No one but me. I can not trust or rely on companies, stores, or the government to care about my health. Not only that, marketing is actively working to seduce my dollars, and my waistline. I must rise to the challenge of caring for my health through proactive decision making, nutrition education, time/dollar management of resources and consumer education. After all- I do choose where and when I shop, just as I choose what and how much I put in my mouth.
2. Recognize bad patterns and weaknesses. If shopping on Friday after a full day of work yields a cart of cookies and Ho Ho's then I need to change my shopping day and time. Simple as that.
3. Shop with a list. In today's digital age, the list can even be a permanent part of your phone. Have a framework of staples that you know you buy every week. Go to the store with a list. 
4. Buy less. Simple as that. Do you throw food away each week that goes uneaten? Buy less. I learned over the years - that for a week- I only need to plan on 5-6 dinner meals. There are always leftovers, or cereal nights, or salad nights, or events that get in the way. Always have a backup meal ready to go- For me that was oatmeal. 
5. If dinners are generally sabotaged, be willing to look at the problem with a new solution focus. What if- everyone in the family agreed to eat a healthy main lunch that could be organized and packed the night before and dinners became less of a big deal? We have this visual default that the dinner plate needs to have a meat and 3 sides, preferably a combination of vegetables and grains/starches. Stop. New solution. What if dinner were eggs poured over Seitan with a salad on the side? What if dinner were opening a can of beans and cooking minute rice and pouring salsa on top? What if dinner were oatmeal with sliced apple and walnuts? Maybe dinner doesn't have to look like the dinner that June Cleaver fixed for the Beaver. 
6. Ask for family help. Each person in the family can recommend 1 meal for the week and then they have input and can help prepare the ingredients for their recommended meal. Try Salad night with hard boiled eggs on top. Try Sandwiches- even natural PBJ on good bread with sliced apple and banana. Let a few of your dinners be much simpler. 
7. While shopping, be mindful of item placement. Take that extra moment to look above and below what has been arranged at your eye level. 
8. Use a template for meals: 1 protein, 2 vegetables, 1 grain. Then rotate. Example: chicken, broccoli, carrots, and rice/ fish, Quinoa, salad/ Seitan, tortillas, tomato, avocado and lettuce. Start filling in the blanks...
9. Shop with a friend that empowers you. Agree to meet at the store and then know that someone in the store is your champion. If nothing else - send your spouse. Some people are just better shoppers. Hey- we all have our skills.
10. Change your grocery store. Hear me out. I gave up a big mega chain grocery years ago because I was tired of buying their crappy low quality products. I switched to healthy stores (that can be more expensive if you are not careful) but there is far less opportunity to buy junk. The stores where I shop greet me with fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean protein sources that include traditional and vegan. I have found that I spend FAR LESS at Sprouts, Whole Foods and Market Street than the "other places." 
11. Decide to take "those guys" on! It really burns my biscuits to think of the voodoo force working against me. I'll show them!
12. And  my favorite...Relearn and rethink what a MEAL is - based on nutrition - rather than old habits and customs. Put together meals that have a balance of protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates-preferably vegetables. Dinner doesn't have to look the way it used to! Color is a great guide! If everything on the plate is yellow beige (chicken nuggets, potatoes, corn...YUCK) Instead, Quinoa, eggs, spinach, avocado, black beans, red peppers/tomatoes/olives! YUM!

I hope you enjoy this video and here's to happier shopping! While the video made me a bit annoyed, it ultimately, energized and empowered me! I hope it does that same for you.

Here is to our optimal health!

Lisa

Check out these beautiful plates of food! Not what the Cleaver Family ate for dinner.
Photo credits to Julia Sobolevsky.