Some people say the grocery store is the best place to pick up a date. Unfortunately, it’s also the best place to pick up a spare tire (put on more weight), if you make bad food choices. So instead of focusing on your pick-up lines, take a minute to check out our Top 5 Tips for guys on a grocery shop:

  1. Plan Ahead — Show up with a game plan. Eating before you leave the house and knowing what you want can prevent you from reaching for the Cheetos in the chips aisle.
  2. Stick to the Wings — Fresh veggies and fruit, meat and eggs are usually stocked on the outermost areas of the grocery store. Do a perimeter sweep first to fill your cart.
  3. Catch Words — Advertising can be sneaky. Just because it says “low fat” doesn’t mean it’s not chock full of sugar. If it does say “low fat” immediately look at the sugar content of the product.  If in any of the first 4 ingredients on the label you see words like: sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, lactose, maltose, cane sugar then slowly back away from the product and put it back on the shelf – chances are the product is packed with sugar of some type.
  4. The Short List — Good rule of thumb is this: the shorter the ingredient list, the better the food. While not always true, this is a good way to avoid unnecessary preservatives.
  5. Line Matching — Compare two similar products and check out their Nutrition Table numbers. Grab the one with the lower sugar, fat and calories listings.