
You might have heard this food portioning rule of thumb: Fill half of your plate with vegetables and the other half with equal parts lean protein and whole grains. Could the same thing work with your grocery shopping cart?
Marketing researchers from New Mexico State University thought so. A piece of yellow tape was stuck across the center of shopping carts in a Las Cruces, NM supermarket, along with a sign directing shoppers to place fruits and veggies in one half of the cart and other groceries in the other half. And, what do you know, the supermarket saw an amazing 102% increase in the sale of fruits and vegetables!
Maybe we just need a visual reminder to choose more nutritious foods at the grocery store. You don’t have to take a roll of tape with you to the market; you can eyeball the contents of your cart to see if your purchases are balanced toward better health. Or if your market makes them available, opt for the smaller, two-tiered basket carts and dedicate one tier solely to all kinds of fresh, health-promoting produce.
Related: Low-salt shopping secrets, Tips for stress-free shopping & cooking, Top 10 items for your pharmacy shopping list, A shopping list for eating across the rainbow (opens as PDF)