Shop the Perimeter of your Grocery for the Real Foods!

I've worked in the retail industry most of my life. I've also been through many "Healthy Eating" type workshops (otherwise known as WeightWatchers, TOPS, etc.). I've also read a book or two on the topic. They all seem to suggest to skip the interior aisles of the store.  You can conjure up an image of almost every store you've been in - west wall - Fresh Produce; north wall - Fresh Meats & Seafoods; east wall - Dairy; south wall - checkouts! Some variation of this pattern exists in almost every standard grocery (or grocery department of your mega-corporate retailer). Of course, the Frozen Foods are often in those interior fixtures. So, there are always some allowances for modifying the basic rules. However, most of the excessively over processed packaged foods are in the aisles.