By Dean L. Jones, CPM

Nearly half, or 49.0% of people spent their respective time visiting McDonald’s contributing to this major corporation earnings of roughly $28 billion for the year.  Subway received 37.8% of the consumers, while Burger King garnered 24.3%.  Not surprisingly Starbucks had 23.9% of those visitors studied, and Wendy’s was close at 22.8%.  Taco Bell is still turning heads, undoubtedly for their Doritos Locos’ tacos, getting them 18.2% of the monthly visitors.

A consumer habits data service company called Placed Insights monitored the consumption behavior of more than 70,000 Americans ages 14 and older on a monthly basis to see where people spent their buying time.  For the record, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Target were the other stores frequently visited in the top ten for the month of March 2013.  You may wonder if we are making good use of time when 6 of the top ten most visited US stores in one month is concentrated at fast food eateries.

Eating processed sugar probably does not readily come to mind when visiting and eating at a fast food establishment.  However, a significant number of menu items have added sugar including the sauces, dressings, buns, ketchup, and of course desserts.  Accordingly, this may get you thinking about spending time elsewhere this year to improve upon daily eating patterns.  At this time of year one may want to consider spending more time at stores that carry fresh fruits.

Although for the many people suffering from type 2 diabetes, it is a constant course of action to watch their glucose levels.   Fortunately, sweet fruits can fit into a normal diabetic health plan.  Consuming a plant-based diet, particularly fruits, provides all of the necessary vitamins, minerals, and fiber.  However, like anything, keeping track of carbohydrates is essential when it comes to consuming fruits.  Above all, canned fruits usually are drenched in processed syrups or other types of added sugar that will really cause damage when over consumed.

This is the cool time of the year to more frequently visit grocery stores selling traditional luscious summer fruits like fresh blueberries, strawberries, or actually any type of fresh berry is packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber, plus they are low in carbohydrates.  Peaches and apricots contain plenty of vitamins A and C, potassium, and fiber.  Pears are a good money and nutritional value as they have potassium and fiber.  Similarly, twelve sweet cherries have 59 calories and 14 grams of carbohydrates, better still tart cherries contain more anti-inflammatory agents than any other fruit, and are as well crammed with antioxidants, which may fight heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.

Therefore begging the question of spending your time well or unwell?  Visiting stores that sell fresh fruit is well spent and stores with loads of processed foods may be time unwell spent.  Nonetheless, stay sugar alert!

 

www.SugarAlert.com
Dean Jones, Ethics Advocate, Southland Partnership Corporation (a public benefit organization), contributes his view on health attributes of packaged foods & beverages.