Tuesday, May 12, 2015

The Power of a Shopping List

            As several Americans are discouraged to lose weight because of the efforts of getting on fancy diets and performing vigorous exercise, a study has recently shown it really doesn’t have to include these endeavors or be that difficult. The simple exercise of making a shopping list and sticking to it when going to a grocery store has been shown to be effective in losing weight.

            In this study, people who said they used a list when they shopped for groceries had a healthier weight than those who didn’t, even in neighborhoods where there were a variety of obstacles in healthy eating. Researchers went door to door, collecting demographic information, height, weight, and other details about a person’s diet in lower income neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, where residents had fewer options to healthy food. Researchers found that when asking more than 1,300 residents about their grocery shopping habits, nearly a third said they always shopped with a list. Around 17% said they sometimes shopped with a list, while 26% said they never bothered to. On average, it was determined that those who used a shopping list regularly, weighed at least 5 pounds less than those who didn’t.

            So you may ask, what makes shopping with a list more effective? When shopping with a list, we are more prone to stick with what is on the list instead of drifting off with no direction, purchasing miscellaneous food products in our presence. If you plan at home and organize a healthy-food filled list, you are more likely to stay focused. Food marketers have the goal to sell their products, not to make us healthy. That is why it is very important to plan and look into the nutrition of foods before we purchase them, instead of simply buying them because their packaging and advertising looks well. Using a shopping list, no matter your income level, can help you live a healthier lifestyle!


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