Shop Often, Eat Fresh

I visited my grandparents in Hong Kong one time, and I noticed they had an old 1960's refrigerator. My dad, who grew up in the States, bought this refrigerator for his parents in 1969. I opened this fridge up, and it was completely empty. Apparently, they hadn't used the refrigerator in 23 years. They had no use for it, because they bought their food fresh daily and never stocked up on items. In fact, during my 2 week stay with them at the time, the only thing that was in their refrigerator was a jar of peanut butter that I bought for myself.

Many countries other than the US are like this: you shop for fresh food frequently rather than once a week at Costco. The main reason people in these countries grocery shop so frequently is that they buy fresh foods, foods that will spoil in a few days if you don't eat them: vegetables, fruits, meat.

Even though it's a pain in the ass to shop so often, it is a much healthier way to eat. Sure, food that comes in a box, can or vacuum sealed might last forever on the shelf, but these foods tend to be starchy carbs. And if you ate nothing but starchy carbs because you can't cook and are too lazy to learn, then you end up with a fat body lacking in vital nutrients.

A great strategy while grocery shopping is to employ "U-shopping." U-shopping means you only shop along the perimeter of a supermarket, because that is where you normally find the fresh foods and the foods that will spoil: meats, vegetables, fruits. Processed foods (foods that come in a box or can) are typically in aisles.