Eating · Exposure
Grocery Shopping Exposure Plan
Aisles skipped, labels flipped, brands defended — the store IS the exposure
The grocery store is where food rules live — the aisles skipped, the products flipped to read labels, the safe brands. This plan makes shopping into a graded exposure with response prevention baked in.
What I currently do in the store (check any)
- Read every label before buying
- Compare calorie / macro counts between products
- Skip whole aisles (bakery, snacks, ice cream, deli)
- Only buy 'safe' brands / same items each week
- Avoid the store during peak times so no one sees my cart
- Put items back at checkout when the cart 'looks bad'
- Shop hungry to 'earn' a smaller cart
Exposure ladder
Step
What I'll do differently in the store
SUDS
Rule broken
Example rungs: walk down a skipped aisle · put one 'off-limits' item in the cart · buy a new brand without reading the label · shop after eating a snack · shop at peak hours.
Response prevention — what I won't do after (return, purge, restrict)
Support person who'll shop with me first time
What's in the cart isn't the disorder — the rules about the cart are
A recovered pantry has variety, not perfection. Every rule broken in the aisle is a rule less to defend at home.