This is my second post of the day, I was not planning another entry today but I had to share the experience that I had at my local grocery store today. It spoke volumes to me in terms of where our society is when it comes to healthy eating.
As part of my weekend routine, I typically plan my meals for the week either on Saturday or Sunday(we will discuss pre-planning your meals at a later blog post) and by Sunday afternoon I head out to the the grocery store to purchase my weeks’ staples. This week my menu included homemade oatmeal muffins for breakfast, grilled herbed red snapper on a bed of mixed greens for lunch and mixed vegetable/lentil soup for dinner. My snacks for the week will include carrots and greek yogurt. Sounds delicious, right?! My shopping list included kale, spinach, celery, carrots, lentil beans, frozen wild caught red snapper, sweet potatoes, garlic and onions. While shopping I decided since I was making oatmeal breakfast muffins, that I would also make homemade oatmeal cookies as my go to sweet snack, thus I grabbed Ghirardelli bitter sweet dark chocolate chips and walnuts, Yum!
I made way to the cash registrar with my goods and half way through the transaction, the cashier said to me, “everything here is so healthy, why not balance it out with some cookies.” Balance with cookies, really? He proceeded to offer me oatmeal cookies fresh from their bakery that he said were on sale.
I told the cashier that I was planning on my making my own oatmeal cookies without all the added additives, extra fat and extra sugar. He honestly looked perplexed.
The point of this blog wasn’t to share with you what my meals for the week would be. The point here is that the cashier felt that my style of healthy eating was somehow strange. The fact that my cart wasn’t full of foods packed in a box, plastic bag or can was atypical. Eating processed foods full of additives, preservatives, trans fats and excess sugar seems to be the norm. Where did we go wrong in this society to think that eating healthy is a foreign concept?
Eating nutrient dense foods will enrich and prolong our lives. Unhealthy eating takes years from our lives when we become plagued with disease and illness. It’s time to change our mindset, let’s start eating to live, instead of living to eat.
by Marjorie Binette, MD
Where did we go wrong in this society to think that eating healthy is a foreign concept? I can answer that question with 2 words: Economics and Convenience. Eating healthy has become somewhat of a status symbol if you will. We see people holding their cups from a smoothie store or toting recycable shopping bags from those trendy grocery stores. Those stores can be expensive and are not often found in every neighborhood. Residents in certain areas have difficulty finding a fresh fruits and veggies in the stores that service their area. Others still may find those items in their local store but the items are on their last breathe of life right their on the shelves. So the issue may be for some I can’t find easily find fresh foods where I shop and if I do am not will to pay what they are asking for not so fresh food items. Take a drive. some areas have more fast food eateries than regular grocery stores, some have regular weekend framers markets, some yet are filled with trucks deliverying fresh foods to its residents. So yes, for some eating healthy has sadly become a foreign concept. It is either I cant find it or can’t afford it or I can afford it but not paying that for that! What alternatives can you suggest to your readers who may face this challenge?
Thank you Arden for visiting SistersInHealth.com. Your comments and points are appreciated and well taken, so much so it inspired by latest post, “When Eating Healthy Isn’t An Option.” Please visit again soon.
Well it’s almost as if “someone” wants us to get sick so “someone” can get richer. It’s very political and nothing to do with really having a healthy America. Look at our portion sizes. Look at some of the FDA approved items they allow to be sold to the consumers. What about produce? I find it odd how “organic” produce costs more yet the crap they spray with pesticides is so much cheaper and available. Why? Because they’re charging the consumer for the potential spoiled produce? Uhm lower the price and you won’t have to worry about that as the produce will fly off the shelves. Or the other excuse is the cost to move product quick enough before it spoils thus the need to use pesticides and preservatives. The same costs to spray the bad stuff could be used for creative R&D that would solution that issue. But is it really an issue? How does whole foods and trader joe’s do it? The mind wonders!
I love this blog! It is so relevant and helpful I really like the insight that you provide on healthy eating and a good lifestyle. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this wonderful knowledge with all of us!!!!
Is Healthy Eating a Foreign Concept? I can answer that question with 2 words: Economics and Availability. Sadly, healthy eating in today’s society has become somewhat of a status symbol if you will. We all are familiar seeing the logos on cups from the smoothie stores or people toting around their recyclable shopping bags from the trendy grocery stores. These stores are often expensive and are not found in many neighborhoods. Take a drive around and go through difference areas, the discrepancies will are very clear. Some areas are saturated with fast food eateries whether it be major chains or local spots, some areas have regularly scheduled weekend farmer’s markets, some still have trucks creating all sorts of traffic issues as they deliver groceries from online supermarkets, and some areas do not have a proper grocery store. We have seen the reports of groceries stores that do not stock fresh fruits and veggies that people want to pay money for because their is nothing fresh about them, they are already spoiling right there on the shelves. Or if they you would want to feed your family, what is that one grocery charging? So at the top of the triangle, we have can’t afford, can’t find it. One the right side of the triangle, we have I can afford it, but can’t find it. And worst yet, on the left side of the triangle is I can afford it but it is spoiled. So what do we do? Any suggestions on how to find healthy eating alternatives when economics and availability are not on our favor?