Many of us are accustomed to the routine of shopping at our local big box grocery store. It is what we have always known, what our parents did and where we found deals and coupons. Well, take a moment to pause and consider you local ethnic market or Asian grocer. There are ton of advantages to shopping at them compared to your usual stopping ground. Read on to see what I mean.

• Encourages and promotes diversity: There are many types of foods and flavours sold at ethnic grocers that aren’t routinely stocked at the other big box chains. This allows you to experiment with new ingredients and recipes.
• Improved nutrition: Just like exercise, our bodies get used to certain things. If we don’t add variety and mix up our exercise routine, we will hit a point where we no longer receive gains. Well, it is similar with nutrition. Our bodies need variety and various forms of minerals and vitamins in order to stay functioning at peak performance. By trying out a new vegetable or fruit from an ethnic market, you are giving your body a chance to intake new nutrients or get a boost in one that isn’t included a lot in our regular meals.
• Learn something new: Many countries use different cooking methods and different recipes compared to what we may have been raised on. By shopping at an ethnic market, you get the chance to learn something new about a culture that you didn’t know before.
• Helps local small businesses: I don’t know about you but I love the feeling I get when I can see where my money goes. By shopping at a local market compared to a big box store, you meet the people who benefit from your purchase; the family that you are supporting. Often in small ethnic stores, the owners and their families run the shop. Not only are you building new relationships but you are also supporting a fellow neighbour. How great is that?!
• Ensures authenticity:  Buying at a market almost guarantees that you will receive the real deal. You won’t be buying the North American version or interpretation of the dish or ingredient. You will be eating like the locals would be in that home country. Your experience of flavour and taste will be genuine.
• Variety: We often are able to buy a better variety of spices and other staples at the market compared to the store. Cooking is our hobby, and trying many different flavours is fun for us so being able to get anything we can think of at one place is a dream come true.
• Saves cash: In almost all ethnic markets, you can buy huge quantities for a small price. We often buy spics, legumes, and grains at our local market. We save a ton of money and we get a 6 month’s supply each time. Saves us money on gas too since we don’t have to go shopping as frequently.

So before you head out this week to your usual grocery hang out, consider trying shopping at your ethnic market. You might just get addicted like we have.