Ever gone to the grocery story intending to buy apples and milk
and left with a jar of queso dip, a gallon of ice cream and an
enormous bag of Halloween candy? Impulse shopping can wreak
havoc on your healthy eating plans, but experts say it may not
be entirely your fault. An editorial published in this week's
New England Journal of Medicine blames part of the obesity
epidemic on our food environment. Dr. Deborah Cohen and Dr.
Susan Babey collaborated to write the article "Candy at the Cash
Register - A Risk Factor for Obesity and Chronic Disease." "The
reality is that food choices are often automatic and made
without full conscious awareness," the authors write. "In many
cases they may even be the opposite of what the person deciding
would consciously prefer." Advertising encourages spur-of-the-
moment emotional purchases that are triggered by seeing the
product, according to the editorial. The way food is arranged in
a grocery store can have a big impact on what consumers buy. A
2009 study showed products pl