Lost in the Supermarket
This weekend Amanda and I decided to try some good-for-you recipes she'd gotten from Food Network and Fit TV.
She went to the gym, I went to the grocery store. Or, more accurately, four grocery stores.
It turns out eating right isn't easy - or cheap.
At the mega Harris-Teeter at Friendly Center I found myself wandering the aisles with my notebook in one hand, my cart in the other and a bewildered look on my face. I was confronted with a number of questions I'd never before considered:
Was I really paying $6 for 2 ounces of instant espresso to go into low fat brownies?
Why was I paying more for a bag of grapes than a gallon of gas? I can't even run my car on grapes (I tried -- it was a mess and a whole other story...)
How is it a small bag of spinach costs more than a double whopper but isn't half as delicious?
I had the feeling I was going to end up losing a lot of weight from my wallet over the next ten weeks...
Also, when you know nothing about nutrition even things you thought were good for you can end up sabotaging you. Luckily, I had along a copy of Eat This, Not That -- a book from the editor of Men's Health magazine that teaches you some everyday food swaps in restaurants and grocery stores that can save you hundreds of calories per item -- and teach you to work in more fruits, vegetables, good fats and cholesterol into your meals every day.
Supposedly healthy things I managed to avoid:
1) Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon - Has the same number of calories and fat per slice as "Oscar Mayer America's Favorite Bacon" -- but a hundred more miligrams of sodium.
2) Gardenburgers - More calories and fat than a Boca Burger and a third of the protein.
3) Amy's Organic Garlic Mushroom Pasta Sauce - The Muir Glen version has fewer than half the calories, zero grams of fat (as opposed to this brand's 7), and half as much sodium. Nine grams of sugar per serving was also a deal breaker for Amy's.
I got out of the store for under a hundred bucks -- but just barely. The food was great -- but shopping for it felt like an extra workout.
Maybe that's how people lose weight this way...
Comments (9)
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Try Deep Roots Market. Smaller store, less bewilderment, better produce. And you can save some dough if you become an owner of the co-op. http://deeprootsmarket.com/index.html
Posted on February 11, 2008 9:30 PM
Ok, first my wife is a registered dietitian licensed in NC. You need to rethink your favorite foods. Here's a redo of chicken finger and fries. You don't have to be a chef or even handy in the kitchen. Grocery list: 1 lb of chicken breast tenders (boneless, skinless). 1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. 1 jar reduced fat mayo (get the lite instead of fat free). 1 box of Panko bread crumbs. Extra virigin olive oil. A russett potato or 2. One of those pepper grinders and a sea salt grinder. A package of Reynold's release foil. ( I'm guessing you have a baking sheet at home.) Now back home mix together a fourth cup mayo with a half teaspoon of the chipotle with adobo. Add the chicken tenders and coat well. Let that sit for about 15 to 30 mins in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 375.Cut your potato into wedges lengthwise. Coat with a tablespoon of oil and grind on salt and pepper to taste. Spread a piece of the foil (no-stick side up) on your baking sheet. Spread the potato wedges out in a single layer. Bake for 20 mins. While they bake pour some of the Panko crumps in a bowl and dip the chicken in to cover with crumbs. After the potatoes cook for 20 mins turn them once and add the chicken on the same baking sheet. Bake until the chicken and potatoes are golden brown, about another 20 mins. Wash it down with a Sam Adams Light and you're gonna think you're eating out. If you want you can sprinkle fresh grated parmesan cheese on the potatoes (stay away from the green can). Grab a bottle of S. Pellegrino and some limes if the brewski isn't your thing.
Posted on February 11, 2008 10:14 PM
Thanks for the tip, Walt.
We're definitely going to try that.
And Sam Adams Light is one of the only light beers I can stand.
Posted on February 11, 2008 10:37 PM
Here are a few tips for saving money on healthy food:
1. Read the sales flyers every week. You can check them online before you even go to the store and make a list ahead of time. Of course, often you need things that aren't on sale, but if you plan ahead you can keep stocked up on stuff you know you'll eat and rarely pay full price for it.
2. Don't always shop at Harris Teeter. I know that some people have a "thing" about going in Food Lion for some reason, but since Chris and I started shopping there more than we shop at HT, we've cut our grocery bills in half. HT's sale prices are usually about equal to FL's everyday prices. They have less specialty stuff, sure, but go there for the basics.
3. Clip coupons. You work for a newspaper, I know you can get some.
Also, since you're reading labels, don't forget to look at the sodium content. Sometimes low-fat "diet" foods are loaded with sodium to pump up their flavor, and that can quickly ruin a "heart-healthy" diet.
Posted on February 12, 2008 10:08 AM
Wanted to mention that grocery stores start their new sales on Wednesdays, in case you weren't aware. And I failed to notice on the first read that you're already checking sodium content on labels, so never mind that tip from me...
Posted on February 12, 2008 10:14 AM
I don't really have a problem with Food Lion -- it was one of the grocery stores I hit this weekend.
I do find the variety's not great there -- but for basic stuff it does seem to cut down the price.
Coupons though -- I never do clip those. That would help.
Posted on February 12, 2008 10:15 AM
watch out for the marketing scams, sometimes it is labeled low cal, low far or diet, but if you check labels on other brands or even store brands, ofter they are lower in both as well as cheaper.
For me the key to a diet is to always be prepared to find yourself hungry and across the street from taco bell, so I try to keep an apple or some cut carrots or a bag of low fat pop corn in my car. It can keep you from having to repent later,
Posted on February 12, 2008 9:07 PM
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