The Low Carb Diabetic site has a discussion on shopping for food; first i began to leave a comment but the length began to get out of hand, so i "cut" it and decided to post here instead of cluttering up their area for feedback. :-)
The diversity across America is interesting -- some small towns can offer only one supermarket to use, while there seems to be an infinity in bigger places ... then get into depressed neighborhoods and they thin out again. Where my MIL used to live (a Kansas county-seat town of 3500 reduced to one grocer), we searched in vain once for any type of greens besides spinach and lettuce! We currently live in an older Missouri (next state east) city, where there are only three major grocery chains but many ethnic markets of varying size and inclusiveness -- an embarrassment of riches! The ONLY thing that's tricky to obtain are really fresh duck eggs ... and we have a lead on those. We have Aldi here too -- i wonder if it's affiliated with the UK shops? Ours have nice bargains if you're after what they offer, the basics like ground beef, potatoes, onions lettuce....
We have a renowned and outstanding farmers' market which has been on the same site since 1779, and many more, newer ones around town too -- FMs are very popular everywhere! But Soulard Market is special -- i could write about them, alone! From truly local farm produce and allied businesses (like the Amish family who make fabulous goat cheeses), to vendors who rip open grocery-store bags of field greens and display them in cute little baskets; from an amazing spice shop and a butcher who carries an astonishing choice of animal parts, to a warehouse-overstock-like booth with gigantic cans of peaches and green beans.... But if you go on Saturday mid-morning, be ready to wade through crowd that look almost like MardiGras in N'Orleans! Sunday and Monday they're closed, and other weekdays there are significantly fewer vendors.
In some of the older neighborhoods there are little corner stores which have obviously been little corner stores since they were first built. :-) On the sides of some of the buildings are the ghosts of many-decades-old painting, describing the goods and services to be found once, inside. Unfortunately, there's little variety in them nowadays, and little fresh stuff -- mostly beverages and snacks -- but enough milk, eggs, bread etc to eke through till the neighborhood shoppers make their periodic trip to a bigger, better store. As in the Salt Lake City "Avenues" where we lived for a few years, many of these corner structures no longer contain businesses but have been converted to domiciles. Pity! But MANY such neighborhoods in St. Louis still have their corner grocers ... and pizza joints, dog groomers, coffee houses, bars, resale shops, lawyers' offices, CPAs, daycare centers, and so on -- does my heart good! Some of those old corner shops also house some great restaurants. :-D Go, St. Louis!!!
We visit particular shops depending on what our grocery list includes. Some places have better produce, and some better meat. Some have a better selection of tonic water (a staple in our house), or a better price Global Foods has things we've never heard of before -- if a recipe calls for something exotic that's the place to go, and also for things like lamb liver or goat heart. :-) There's a smaller shop belonging to the same family, and it's even closer, but it doesn't smell as clean -- that has a bearing on where I WANT TO SHOP, for sure! We recently discovered a Latin-American food market not very far away, and need to start using them more frequently; their butcher department smells GREAT and they've got good prices on some more unusual cuts. Oh, the osso-bucco i made from their beef shank slices ... oh, the big dollop of marrow at the heart of each one!
We EVEN go to Whole Paycheck -- i mean Whole FOODS -- occasionally. Great seafood and meats, and their people manning the area are so nice and helpful, much nicer than the ones i've sometimes found in the other departments! I think that may mean something....
OK. I know we are different, but I believe we, that is me and you and your readers, are singing from the same hymn sheet. Whole fresh food is way to stay healthy, the less man is involved the better. Good food does not have to be expensive, if you are prepared to put in some work and learn to cook. Ground/minced beef and vegetables is a good main meal for anyone. Eggs with a big salad is healthy and won’t break the bank. The key here is keep well away from processed factory produced food.
ReplyDeleteKind regards Eddie
amen, Eddie! and it's not necessary to spend all day in the kitchen, either -- wonderful home-cooked real food -- HEAVEN! :-)
DeleteIt is delight when one has access to inexpensive, wholesome foods. I have heard so much good things about Trader Joes, it saddens me there isn't one where I live. I alternate between independent groceries and big box chain stores.
ReplyDeleteI like "browsing" at Whole Paycheque. Once in a blue moon they will have some sales on some LC staples. What some people will pay for a box of organic cookies, however, is really stunning.....
no kidding! but give WF credit, they frequently have things before other stores do (coconut products come to mind) ... or that other stores never get around to stocking.
Deleteas a consolation, not all Trader Joe's are created equal. the one near us is a big disappointment, though Wooo's sounds superior. :-)
Browsing the central aisles at Whole a Foods, I am really impressed at the creativity of companies to health-fy snack foods. I once spotted a bag of cookies made from quinoa, cocoa, agave nectar and sunflower seeds. Very "clean", but retails at a whopping 7.99! ( it was a very light bag. Maybe only about one cup of cookies) yikes!
DeleteI live in a small town in Southwest Georgia and were lucky to have a Super Wal-Mart. So I'm limited to basics for the most part. People from the south think differently about food. It's hard to explain. They love fried chicken and potato salad so much there willing to die for it. It's not uncommon to see people who weigh 450 pounds eating cookies and cakes, and anything with gravy on it. I use to think that way too though. I thought that I was fat, there was nothing I could do about it, so why not eat all the delicious food and enjoy yourself. This area of the country is overwhelmed with diabetes and cancer. Salad bars are a rare sight.
ReplyDelete[shudder] I got burned out on salad bars back in the '70s....
Deletethe secret with WalMart is to read labels, and NEVER buy the hamburger -- buy the chuck roasts and grind them yourself! we lived in gulf-coast TX for over a decade; the South is a real mixed bag! friendly people AND suspicious, hostile, insular people, great little family restaurants and Ryan's Steakhouse (gag); sometimes you can even get iced tea that isn't swimming in HFCS. ;-)
Walmark has good things to offer - best priced Kerrygold butter, Alaskan Cod , coconut oil, organic or not, and I can continue. They listen to what people request.
DeleteI looked into that grass fed butter and I'm not sold. I don't want to seem cheap but, it's triple or more the price. And I buy a double pack of sticks for about $5.50. That last me about two weeks or less. The grass fed is way to expensive for me. I eat a lot of butter y'all.
DeleteOut of all nutritional foods discussed in blogs I am totally sold on pastured butter and eggs. One can't be after reading the Weston price foundation piece on vitamin K2. I would try to buy it even if I would be very tight on money.
DeleteThe grass fed butter just tastes better. *Way* better. However, I mostly use pastured lard ($2.99 a pound) for cooking and leave the tasty butter to put on vegetables and LC bread.
DeleteWe have the local equivalent of Whole Foods - Native Sun with only two locations, but prices are much better, and Trader Joe will be open at the end of the year.
ReplyDelete@Rick, I live not far from you - in the North-East Florida, and how local people eat is amazing - deep fried breaded food is the ultimate treat. There are even breaded deep fried pickles. However I think that very sweet cold tea and lemonade with an insane amount of sugar contribute substantially to the possibility to achieve a 450 lb weight without even eating fast or industrial food.
:-) fortunately, it's possible to deep-fry things in a healthy way -- with tallow or coconut oil and LC flours/crumbs. I have to admit I really like fried green tomatoes AND pickles!
DeleteI hope your TJ's turns out to be better than ours -- I was really disappointed with it, after hearing so many people rave ... and seeing the huge crowds that shop there!
Tess, I got too lazy in a kitchen while LCarbing, opting more and more for most simple foods. I used to be extremely creative with cooking, my husband started complaining now, even though he used to remark that I was spending too much time fussing around food. I still don't agonize about what to prepare of what is my fridge and pantry.
DeleteI liked deep-fried pickles when tried, but it was unusually sweet. Actually, I never met anything deep-fried which didn't taste well. In one of local "red necks" stores they sell in the department of prepared food deep fried breaded gizzards (chicken livers and stomachs), and people buy it without any hesitation, even though regular American person avoids eating a liver .
It's hard to spend that much time cooking anymore. Grill a steak and fix a salad, 25 minutes. Wife's happy, so am I. Last night I made her favorite. Spent $10. Cabbage, pork ribs, tumeric, ginger, sinigang mix. Takes about three hours on low. Would work in the slow cooker, but I don't own one. Your basic Filipino sour soup. Takes a while but you just have to stir it every thirty minutes. Makes enough for six servings.
DeleteSweetened tea--gak! You never used to find that west of Kansas.
DeleteBut the cabbage and pork ribs sound wonderful.
Update: The wife has rebelled against low carb food! I now have to keep cookies, pineapple juice, ice cream, bananas and toaster strudel in stock. I'm not worried though. My willpower is strong. I've got my eyes on the prize. It could be worse, at least I don't have to make mashed potatoes and gravy. That might be more than I could stand, oh and macaroni and cheese. She doesn't eat that stuff, thank goodness. I did have one cup of pineapple juice with two quarts of water. Thanks for listening guys. I couldn't do it without you.
Deleteyou have our support and encouragement! i'm sorry she bailed out, but ... ya gotta do what ya gotta do....
DeleteYou will be fine. My husband and son are not LCarbers, and I have no problem with it. It is like in a fast-food place - they have milkshakes, pies, bans , soda, but you can choose bunless burger and salad. Diet can't be inforced from outside on the people,
ReplyDeleteI eat the chicken bacon ranch salad at McDonald's just about every day for lunch. While my wife has a double quarter pounder with cheese. Most of the time it's easy. But it would be easier if she was eating the same. Some things in life you just have to except. She sometimes does evil things though. Yesterday she ordered a Snickers pie at Book a Million (for lunch) and she eats all of it except two fairly large bites. I only ordered my usual, a triple espresso, which I pour about a cup of half and half, which I consider a treat. She proceeds to beg me to help her finish it. I initially refused but she persisted. Since I hadn't had any food that day so far I gave in. It really was just two bites but she definitely gets a thrill in sabotaging my efforts. I know this sounds crazy, but she woman do prefer men to be pudgy. Since I've lost sixty pounds so far she really does think that it's enough and that I should cool it on the diet, which she sees as crazy restricting. I actually like it though. When I eat anything sweet or anything starchy it puts me in a coma. She really does love me though. I am thankful for that. She's stuck by me through a lot of hard times. She probably thinks it would secretly make me happy to eat that stuff, but in reality I resent her for doing that (obviously). I know what your going to say "you should be honest and tell her how you really feel", I certainly have that right, but I prefer to vent to you guys instead. I feel like total honesty in marriage sometimes can be a bad idea. She has all these ideas that she thinks are going to make me happy. I know for sure I can't change her mind. That and some people refuse to throw away even the smallest bit of food, no matter how junkie it is. It's just the way she was raised. (Smiley face)
ReplyDeleteI think for people who don't have blood sugar problems and had not personally experienced the horrid BG rollarcoaster, the idea of not finishing just "two bites" of a Snickers bar might seem absurd and completely ridiculous. Having gone through the ordeal myself, I can empathsize. The "no" gets easier with time, fortunately.
DeleteUnfortunately, there is no "everything in moderation" when you have a broken metabolism. I follow a very rigid light-and-dark pattern schedule because without regular sleep, my mind just falls apart. To a person who has never experienced SAD or mood disorders, when I talk about how I am literally immobilized with fatigue and crying spells just because I didn't go to sleep on time/went for a week without sun, the idea that light can have such powerful impacts would seem absolutely crazy. But as with anything, go with your N=1. There may be wisdom in crowds, but sometimes what is the most "common" is not what is "normal".
DeleteThere are millions of testimonials on the web about significant others and friends are busy sabotaging diet and weight loss of the spouse/friend. I could say it is a norm of some sort. One of possible motives is insecurity, like people feel almost jealous , another - diet is like an ideology and/or religious believe, a popular human divider.
DeleteWhen someone sees a person achieving success, it can make them feel resentful. They have to either get off their butt and do something or drag the person down--and it's not easy to get off your butt and do something. Women are especially bad about doing this. Our little support group is unusual.
Delete...and appending to Lori's comment, i think it's WONDERFUL. you all are such supportive and insightful people! :-D it's a privilege to have you around!
DeleteThanks guys, that really does make me feel better. It does seem absurd to a normal person that two bites of anything would throw you out of balance. I hadn't thought of that. It's nice to have that perspective.
ReplyDeleteliving with a "significant other" who isn't in the same situation is tricky -- one has so many things to balance, and this one aspect of contention can create problems. :-( feel free to vent here -- nobody will "tell on you" or make you feel bad about not speaking up! we've got your back, Rick!
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