Talkin with the grocery man
I just got back from my weekly grocery run. I rather enjoy these shopping runs, partly because cooking is my domestic skill and partly for the samples and interactions that occur. Today the samples included a cane-sugar-sweetened soda, some “healthy snacks” and some convenience foods.
Let’s overlook actual science as we sample, shall we? This may hurt! So... the man promoting the soda informed me that since it was sweetened with “organic cane sugar” it was “healthier for you than water.” Because organic. The snacks included some bars that the woman promoting assured me were “complete nutritional support” despite being more than 40% sugar and containing 200% of the recommended daily allowance of salt, because they contained whole grains (and 1g of fibre per bar. I think that they had 1 whole oat grain per package.) Among the convenience foods was a new, “smart alternative” chicken burger under the “heart healthy” label... containing twice the fat and almost double the salt of the “traditional” one. Then as I got closer to the end, someone was promoting — wait for it — coconut oil capsules. One a day capsules that contain coconut oil, at a cost of five times a bottle of oil. Because people might not like the taste of coconut oil. There are more, but these will do for now.
Let’s discuss this a moment, shall we? What does “healthy eating” mean to you? Listening to a number of people, I get the impression that healthy eating means having foods that you don’t enjoy presented in a way that removes the element of pleasure from meals. They talk about “indulgences”, “cheat days”, “guilty pleasures” and other such mumbo-jumbo when discussing food they like. They ramble on about the harmful effects of foods, and try to persuade themselves and you that this is a good thing. Then they tout the benefits of expensive supplements made from ingredients in the average pantry, saying that eating the food is not as good as the pill form. (These, incidentally, are the same people who babble endlessly about “Big Pharma” and the evils of medicine). Consider how much you’d save by choosing better food instead of swallowing unnecessary supplements.
In my view, healthy eating means having a diverse selection of foods, with various textures, tastes and colours. I’m often asked, and sometimes told, “you don’t eat [stuff], right?” Recently, one of these well-meaning people said to me, “You should really avoid sugar. It’s so bad for you!” as she poured 3 packs of sugar into her coffee. The foods that I avoid are those to which I have an allergy or those which (because of my various treatments) cause me discomfort. I also skip over some which I don’t enjoy for a few reasons. (There is a list.) When I was to undergo major surgery for my cancer treatment, I told my doctors that I would need to still be able to eat chocolate and chilies after, or we would cancel the operation. They laughed and promised that I would be able to, but I’d have to give them up while I recovered. (I’m back to eating them.). I don’t consume diet or light versions of foods. My vegetarian meals contain vegetables as vegetables, not fake meat. (I have shareable recipes.). Things like garlic, turmeric, coconut oil, green tea, hot peppers and cranberry form part of my meals as food, not as pills.
Eating well doesn’t mean avoiding things that you enjoy. Nor does it mean that you should be spending exorbitantly on heavily marketed “healthy” options. It definitely doesn’t mean buying into the hype and getting things that do little or nothing for your health and enjoyment. I will still have my trips to the supermarket, and I’ll still try the samples. I can’t promise not to give the promoter ‘the look’ if they make outlandish claims, though. And I’ll still try new stuff sometimes; I recommend that you do too!
Let’s overlook actual science as we sample, shall we? This may hurt! So... the man promoting the soda informed me that since it was sweetened with “organic cane sugar” it was “healthier for you than water.” Because organic. The snacks included some bars that the woman promoting assured me were “complete nutritional support” despite being more than 40% sugar and containing 200% of the recommended daily allowance of salt, because they contained whole grains (and 1g of fibre per bar. I think that they had 1 whole oat grain per package.) Among the convenience foods was a new, “smart alternative” chicken burger under the “heart healthy” label... containing twice the fat and almost double the salt of the “traditional” one. Then as I got closer to the end, someone was promoting — wait for it — coconut oil capsules. One a day capsules that contain coconut oil, at a cost of five times a bottle of oil. Because people might not like the taste of coconut oil. There are more, but these will do for now.
Let’s discuss this a moment, shall we? What does “healthy eating” mean to you? Listening to a number of people, I get the impression that healthy eating means having foods that you don’t enjoy presented in a way that removes the element of pleasure from meals. They talk about “indulgences”, “cheat days”, “guilty pleasures” and other such mumbo-jumbo when discussing food they like. They ramble on about the harmful effects of foods, and try to persuade themselves and you that this is a good thing. Then they tout the benefits of expensive supplements made from ingredients in the average pantry, saying that eating the food is not as good as the pill form. (These, incidentally, are the same people who babble endlessly about “Big Pharma” and the evils of medicine). Consider how much you’d save by choosing better food instead of swallowing unnecessary supplements.
In my view, healthy eating means having a diverse selection of foods, with various textures, tastes and colours. I’m often asked, and sometimes told, “you don’t eat [stuff]
Eating well doesn’t mean avoiding things that you enjoy. Nor does it mean that you should be spending exorbitantly on heavily marketed “healthy” options. It definitely doesn’t mean buying into the hype and getting things that do little or nothing for your health and enjoyment. I will still have my trips to the supermarket, and I’ll still try the samples. I can’t promise not to give the promoter ‘the look’ if they make outlandish claims, though. And I’ll still try new stuff sometimes; I recommend that you do too!
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