Fruitful Grocery Shopping for Health and Wealth

Going grocery shopping has become more difficult in this day and age, but it is becoming more and more important to get this part of our lives right. Diet related diseases are surpassing tobacco related diseases as the number one killer of Americans with 2/3 of Americans now overweight or obese. Without some major policy changes, these numbers are likely to only get worse. In fact, Type 2 diabetes in children was basically unheard of a generation ago and now is becoming a serious problem. Because of the childhood obesity epidemic, projections estimate that children born after the year 2000 are likely to live a shorter life than their parents! This needs to stop.

But because of the system we have built from the minds of food scientists and food industry execs interested simply in making food last longer on the shelves and to get people to eat more (spend more), it is getting harder and harder to eat right. I have just started reading the Food Rules book by Michael Pollan. It is a quick short summary of how to maneuver this crazed food system. It is actually quite sad that we have to have rules like this to avoid the land mines that are in our field of food. And more and more land mines keep getting set by the food industry. It’s amazing that even 1/3 of Americans are not overweight with the maze we have to juggle just to eat healthfully.

First of all, avoid fast food altogether. If you need a steadfast rule, this should be one of them. This should be even less frequent than a “treat”. Do not even think of fast food as food. Think of it as a stimulant. It has been so hyper processed to stimulate receptors in your brain and stomach that it is more akin to an addiction once you are hooked. For some people this is all they eat, they are called “heavy users” by the food industry. Is that a joke? Heavy users (if they aren’t heavy yet, they will be eating there at every meal). Avoid “convenience” foods. As mentioned in the liabilities and assets section, the price of convenience if awfully high. These include prepackaged snacks and especially soda. Think of fast “food”, junk foods and convenience snacks as you would cigarettes, that is, not good at all!

The grocery store is a little better place to find real “food” instead of just empty stimulants. However, before you truck off to the grocery store, think about where else you might get your food. Farmers’ markets are great! So is your own backyard, or a community garden. And if you have the world’s best pet, you will have your own fresh eggs! The less you need to go into any store, the less you will be tempted to buy non-essentials.

But maybe you haven’t gotten completely self-sufficient or it is winter and you need a few extras for your delicious home-cooked meal in addition to your fresh home-canned or garden foods. So you go to the grocery store. But even before you leave, think about which stores you are supporting with your dollar. Ask yourself whether you want Wal-Mart to grow bigger and more powerful with your help? If so, are you ok with all grocery competition in the area to dry up because Wal-Mart or some other big box had lower prices? Remember that they will only be lower so long as there are other stores to get lower than. Once the competition is gone, so are the low prices. Or do you want to support a local (and probably struggling) independent store? (I do!) You should think about these things before even leaving your house.

Once you are in your favorite store, you still need to watch out for those food industry land mines! The best advice I heard and give is to avoid the center aisles as much as possible. The heavily processed foods more than likely are in much higher quantities there. And why are heavily processed foods not good?

Well besides the awful nutrient deficient ingredients and preservatives, they cost a LOT more than the raw materials it would take to make them, even though they are heavily subsidized (especially the corn ingredients). They are what the industry calls “value added” foods which is opposite land speak for “nutrient subtracted” that adds a LOT of value to their stockholders. Take potato chips. A 20 oz bag of potato chips costs maybe $3. How many potatoes could you grow in your garden or even buy in the produce section for $3? A lot! And even if you added in a little olive oil to fry them up at home, you would still be saving yourself a great deal both in terms of health and money.

So stick to the periphery of the store to avoid these traps as much as possible. Get your produce (stock up on fruits, veggies, nuts, beans and mushrooms), milk products (without added sugars and preservatives), whole breads, and unprocessed meats and fish. Then if a few stimulant foods happen to creep in at the check stand, at least you made it out of the store relatively unscathed.

Also watch out for coupons.  Coupons are a great way to save money at the grocery store, and many offer doubling or tripling of coupons, but there is a hidden catch. Most of the coupons are basically advertising campaigns for the largest food corporations out there, and what that means is that they are generally not going to be very good for you. Rarely do you see a coupon for a whole watermelon or a bunch of broccoli!

Another grocery tip I use is to bring reusable bags with me on the grocery trips. I have even started to use reusable produce bags. Not only does this cut down on waste, but many stores offer .05 cents off per bag. That’s not a lot, but it’s better than nothing! This is definitely a win-win type Fruitfulista situation (less waste and make a little money!).

While it may be a mine field in the grocery shopping arena, there are things you can do to eat healthfully as well as save money when getting your food.