The perimeter of the grocery store may not be the most exciting place to shop, but do not let the lack of appealing cookie boxes, brightly colored cracker packages and interesting flavors of sodas stop you from planning the majority of your diet around the foods found along perimeter of the grocery store. The foods located along the outside aisles of your grocery store offer you healthy foods that can help you meet your nutritional and weight-management needs.
Identification
The perimeter diet is not a formal diet, but rather a lifestyle diet recommended by medical professionals such as those at the Mayo Clinic and dietitian Gaye Lynn Hicks. A diet based on perimeter shopping is one that involves planning your diet and meals based on vegetables and fruits in the produce aisle, lean meats from the meat section, low-calorie, low-fat choices from the dairy section and whole-grain breads from the bread or deli area can give you up to 90 percent of the foods you need, according to Hicks.
Benefits
Avoiding the overly processed, high-calorie foods in the center aisles of the grocery store enables you to more easily limit the amount of sodium, excessive calories and unhealthy trans and saturated fats often found in boxed pastas, canned soups, jarred sauces, fried chips and crackers. Limiting your unhealthy dietary fats and sodium can reduce your chances of developing high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, high cholesterol and may make it easier to manage your weight. Eating the fruits, vegetables and other whole, natural foods along the perimeter of the grocery store gives your body energy, nutrients and enables you to more easily control your caloric intake.
Additions to the Perimeter
While you can meet most of your nutritional needs on a perimeter-based diet, there are some foods your grocery store generally features on the inner aisles that are part of a healthy, well-balanced diet. If eating at a 1,800-calorie level, you need 1 1/2 cups of fruits, 5 oz. meat or beans, 3 cups of milk products, up to 5 tsp. of healthy oils, 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and 6 oz. of grains each day. Use the inner aisles to purchase whole-grain pasta, brown rice or oatmeal, bags of dried beans, small cans of unsalted nuts and a small jar of olive oil. The additions of whole grains and olive oil to the vegetables, meats, dairy and fruit on the perimeter enables you to meet all your nutritional requirements.
Sample Perimeter Diet
A breakfast of warm oatmeal made with skim milk and topped with fresh berries or bananas is filling and gives you grains, fruits and dairy. Grill 1/2 a chicken breast for lunch and eat it in a whole-grain bun, or as a topping for your vegetable salad. Add a cup of fat-free yogurt and a piece of fruit to your lunch. For dinner, drizzle 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil over salmon and bake it in the oven. Steam fresh vegetables from the produce section, make brown rice and finish your dinner with a cup of diced melon. Avoid high-fat meats such as beef to keep the saturated fats in your diet low.
