With bikini season approaching, most people have only one thing in mind: Losing weight.
Now there may be an easy way to keep your diet on track if you’re struggling, according to a new study from Pittsburgh.
According to the study, overweight or obese African Americans who regularly made grocery lists were more likely to eat healthier food–and have a slimmer physique as a result.
Experts believe that this can impact people of all races, however.
“We don’t know whether people who are healthier pay more attention to what they eat and pay more attention to their weight and are also people who do more planning, or if people who do more planning are more able to avoid impulse purchases and the less healthy options presented to them at the supermarket,” says Tamara Dubowitz, lead author of the study and a researcher at the RAND Corporation in Pittsburgh. “We can say there is a link but we can’t say what causes it.”
Surveying a population of African Americans living in poor households, researchers quizzed them about their grocery shopping habits, including if they made a grocery list prior to shopping at a supermarket. Around 30 percent of them reported doing so, whereas 26 percent reported doing it occasionally. Researchers also found that older females were more likely to do this.
Looking further at the data, they found other striking associations, the biggest being that those using a grocery list ate fewer calories. But their biggest finding was that they often had lower body mass indexes, or BMIs. This measurement is used to determine if a person is obese or overweight; most grocery-list users weren’t.
Researchers can’t say for certain if grocery lists motivate people to eat healthier, however.
“It’s quite likely that using a list is a behavior linked to other healthful behaviors,” says Jason Block, associate director of the obesity prevention program at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. “It’s possible that some things people did to eat healthier food and maintain a lower weight had nothing to do with shopping lists.”
Still, experts can’t deny that a link is there–and sticking to a grocery list isn’t a bad idea anyways. Other research also shows people who make lists before shopping are less likely to buy things they don’t need; and for a hungry dieter, that could help them stay on track.
“The typical supermarket these days is carefully engineered so that they are constantly tempting customers to make impulse purchases and unwise food choices (e.g. placing candies at the checkout),” says Ichiro Kawachi, chair of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard School of Public Health. “Having a plan and sticking to it is a good start to pre-committing yourself to a healthy purchase pattern.”
What You Should Do
Trying to slim down for summer? Using a grocery list could help keep your diet on track, according to these findings. It isn’t a guarantee that you’ll lose weight, however.
Readers: Do you use a grocery list? Why or why not?
Sources:
Grocery Lists May Help Shoppers Stick to a Healthier Diet, Lower Weight – FoxNews.com
About The Author: Zero to Hero Fitness!
Our mission at Zero to Hero Fitness is to help you to finally lose the weight and keep it off, strengthen your body and mind, and experience naturally high levels of energy throughout the day. We believe everyone, regardless of your past or current struggles with your health or fitness, can greatly improve on your existing condition and live life in your best body possible.