Grocery shopping on an empty stomach: bad idea, right? You’ve probably already been warned not to go grocery shopping when you’re hungry. Is this a piece of cake or is it true that it is not a good idea to go grocery shopping on an empty stomach? We looked into it for you.
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Wrong choice
You have to do some shopping for dinner so you go to the supermarket. You are already hungry and want to eat delicious food. Before you know it, your basket is full of products that don’t belong at all for dinner. Once home, it is tempting to first eat a snack that you just got because you still have to cook. When we go grocery shopping on an empty stomach, we tend to buy products that we didn’t actually intend to buy. Does this sound familiar? You are not alone in this. Research shows that if you are hungry while shopping, you are more likely to make the wrong choice. We often choose a sweet or fatty unhealthy snack when we go to the supermarket hungry.
You buy more when you are hungry
You don’t just buy the wrong food when you’re hungry. Research from the University of Minnesota shows that people are also buying more things. In an experiment, visitors to department stores were asked how many things they bought and how hungry they were. The result? Hungry shoppers spent an average of 64 percent more on items and clothes. The researchers think this may be due to a hormone called ghrelin. This hormone stimulates your appetite and lets your body know that you are hungry. So going to town hungry might not be the best idea. Starting with a delicious breakfast or lunch before shopping is also very tasty and better for your wallet.
How do you handle groceries?
So it is clear that it is a better idea to do your shopping on a full stomach. Do you still not trust yourself? Then make a shopping list. Don’t be too hard on yourself about this. Taking one snack with you to have at home is always nice for when you get a snack craving. Otherwise you’ll end up with another trip to the supermarket when you’re hungry, even though you were trying to avoid it.
