The Perimeter Rule

When we started dating, one of the first things that I learned from Topher was to shop the perimeter of the grocery store and avoid the interior aisles. Why? Because most real foods are on the perimeter--fresh fruits & vegetables, poultry & seafood, dairy products, and frozen foods--and most food products are in the aisles--microwaveable soups & entrées, soda, dry cereals, and cookies & cakes, most of which are high in sodium and contain HFCS.

Not surprisingly, Michael Pollan mentions the same simple food rule in his book In Defense of Food:

"SHOP THE PERIPHERIES OF THE SUPERMARKET AND STAY OUT OF THE MIDDLE. Most supermarkets are laid out the same way: Processed food products dominate the center aisles of the store while the cases of ostensibly fresh food--dairy, produce, meat, and fish--line the walls. If you keep to the edges of the store you'll be that much more likely to wind up with real food in your shopping cart" (p.157).