Because if you are…
You’re probably going to be waiting a while.
I’m referring to the food industry…
Having our ‘good intentions’ at heart…
I mean, did you see that 53% of supermarket promotions were on ‘less healthy’ products?
^^^ ‘Less healthy’ is referring to higher sugar (In my opinion, we should move away from the old ‘healthy’ and ‘less healthy’ food labels. Rather, we should focus on ‘healthy’ and ‘less healthy’ DIETS…but I’ll go on to that another day).
And depending on who you believe…
20% of our supermarket bill is on impulse buys.
Motivated by promotions.
‘Can I interest you in a £1 chocolate bar, please?’
NO…just my petrol, thanks! (Or I should say, diesel, as my wife freaks out when I say petrol…creatures of habit, ay?)
And most of the supermarkets are rubbing their hands together when they’ve seen you park up in the parent and child parking.
‘QUICK…fill the checkouts with Kinder surprises and the end of the aisles with Coco Pops”
^^^ I remember going shopping as a kid. I’d throw a tantrum if I didn’t get my POM-BEAR crisps and Kinder Surprise…
After all, according to the scientific journal of Coco the Monkey…
‘I’d rather have a bowl of Coco Pops’ (I hope you sang it to the jingle in the old advert).
On top of the sugar tax (which I do think can only be a good idea, in general)
They now want to remove multi-buy promotions.
Nanny state does spring to mind a bit, here.
BUT…
Again, if it means we make better-informed choices and STICK to the shopping list.
^^^ Unlike they do on Eat Well For Less (Which does make me laugh…)
Then it could save us some money (and reduce waste…)
Is it that we can’t be trusted?
Or is that we’re rushing around so much that we just pick and go?
I mean, you hear about reports suggesting that those who do their shopping online spend less…
BUT…
They fail to capture those little moments…
You know, where you pop to the shops to get some milk and eggs…
And come back with a Twix and a bottle of red wine (liquid breakfast it is…)
What makes this worse is that even when we ‘think’ we are getting a good deal
This may not actually be the case.
In a recent survey of 2000 people, just 2% were able to choose the best value deal from 4 sets of offers!
And here’s my challenge for you today:
1. Of the following options for milk, which represents the best deal?
a) Six pints of milk for £1.80
b) Four pints of milk for £1.40
c) Two six-pint cartons of milk on offer for £3.50
d) Two four-pint cartons of milk on offer for £2
Too early, right?
‘Just grab and go.’
^^^ Which reminds me of those Belvita breakfast biscuits (I spoke about them over here)
But what I’m leading up to is this:
It’s a minefield out there.
You got Dr Belvita telling you that he will fit you up for 4 hours with ‘slow release’ carbs….
And then the WOO WOO health foods isle (where I sometimes break out into a meditation…)
Telling you that YOU have to eat ‘gluten free’, ‘rubbish free’, ‘chemical free’, ‘carb free’ etc…
Which COULD actually be making you fatter (as I explain here)
And that’s exactly why a nutritional strategy that gets you toned and allows you to include all your favourite foods (yep, the chocolate and wine…even when they’re on special offer!)
WITHOUT beating yourself up and feeling guilty
TRUMPS one of them boring, restrictive diet plans that have you blaming your willpower when you give up after 4 weeks (once again..)
Speak soon,
Matt
PS. Have you worked out the best deal for the milk challenge above?
PPS. I’m still trying to figure it out now (calculators are allowed)