Health

Individuals that design grocery stores are highly skilled manipulators. Ever notice that the bakery is in the back of all grocery stores? The scent of the bakery draws you to the back of the store and away from your intended goal.

The dairy products are also in the back. Again, you have to trudge through the store to get to your dairy purchase and on the way you can easily be diverted. Remember, the perimeter of a grocery store usually contains all the basic necessities of your healthy diabetes diet.

It would be better for all of us if we never entered into the center core of the grocery store. It contains all the foods you never knew you could live without. Did you know you can buy a mix to make green bean casserole? It contains a can of green beans, a can of fried onion rings, a can of cream of mushroom soup (for real) and costs three times as much as buying the items separately. But you get the instructions so it's a wash, right?

Another thing to stay clear of in groceries stores is the dietetics section. The food tastes awful, is expensive, and often contains more carbohydrate/calories than the regular products, and the sorbitol products give you gas. In my opinion, there's no real necessity for a dietetics section in the grocery store.

I think we've all heard the old adage, don't go to the grocery store when you're hungry. This is still good advice. When I go to the store hungry, everything looks divine and my bill shows it.

I do feel as a consumer and person with diabetes that it's important to read labels and know what you're buying. The Nutrition Facts label contains a wealth of information and it's to everyone's benefit to know how to use it.

What are your pet peeves about the grocery store, and how do you manage your shopping trips?