It's amazing going through the supermarket...
 

It's amazing going through the supermarket and reading the sale flyers in the newspapers. All the hundreds, perhaps thousands of items we don't buy. Aisle after aisle after aisle we don't walk down anymore. And it's mostly factory food, boxed this, canned that, bagged starch, wrapped sugar, bottled corn syrup drinks, and so on.

I know it's all profit motivated, but at times it seems like a conspiracy to get us all overweight ;)

I know we all experience this, and generally avoid those aisles, but we were looking for a product in a new store and the sheer numbers of non-edible-for-us foods just awed us.

Bob

It is overwhelming. The guidance to shop around the perimeter of most grocery stores is usually correct.

I lived abroad for five years and when I came back and went to a typical American supermarket for the first time in a long time, I was so overwhelmed. Mostly, I find myself on the perimeter these days and I prefer smaller-scale stores with little choice like Trader Joe's and Aldi. I am amazed at the stuff I see in people's carts when I end up at a big store, though. A lot of times I think the junk is mostly being bought for events and not necessarily for people's homes. That's the one thing I wish I could change about our food culture - always food at events and at work. That is where most people get on the wrong path each day.

I've been shocked by how many carbs are in things. I know carbs are just 1 of the 3 macros and they're not automatically evil, but it is a bit crazy how unbalanced it seems, now that I'm looking for them. Going to the grocery store has been a bit overwhelming these past few weeks :eek:

Ive been shopping the perimeter for so long that when I need something else it takes a while to find it, lol. I just don't know what is where anymore in the center aisles.

I do snoop to see what others buy-- mostly junk food. Makes me feel sad because I know we, as a nation, are not on the right track yet. On a rare occasion I get a thrill to see all the right foods on the belt.

I'll never forget the first time I went supermarket shopping after deciding to try low carb.

When I was a child, my franchise of choice was the Transformers. I got my first toy when I was 6 and began collecting them for a number of years. I fell in love with the original cartoon series and read a few of the comics. Some kids were into GI Joe, others X-Men and so on, but Transformers was my thing.

It was in 1986 when the Transformers cartoon movie came out that I hit peak fanboy. The characters had become closer to me than many of my few RL friends. But there's an extended battle sequence during the early stages of the movie, where several of those characters that meant so much to me were actually killed. For a kid's cartoon, it was actually pretty violent looking back, and certainly traumatic at the time, being one of the very few occasions in my life that watching a movie had brought me to tears.

What it meant for me by the end of it was that the few original characters who had survived would mean so much more to me, and I was so grateful that those precious few had made it through.

And that's pretty much how I felt that day at the supermarket. It was like I was re-living my very own version of the Battle of Autobot City, where so many things that I used to eat were now off limits to me on the basis of the carb count on the label. A whole new round of characters were killed off that day: no more flavoured milk, no more ice cream, no more pizzas, no more pies, no more 2 minute noodles. The death of bread was like the death of Optimus Prime. But I was so grateful for the precious few survivors of my old diet, like chicken, tuna, sausages, and perhaps the most important of all: cheese.

It was definitely a rough ol' time emotionally, just like the movie had been. But by the movie's end, I would come to have made a few new friends, just as I would come to make a whole new group of friends with my WOE going forward. And I've never really looked back since.

I've been thinking the same thing. And I have turned into quite a snob. I see so many foods that are just so bad for you and I want to scream and people and say don't you know what you are eating?

I also shop the perimeter, and when I need something interior, I have a hard time finding it.

And I too want to enlighten the obese people I see with carts full of cereal, chips, bakery goods, and so on, but I know it's not my place to do so.

I value long term health more than short term gratification, and that's my choice.

But the sheer number of choices for those who prefer instant gratification really boggles my mind. I'm just happy my wife and I decided to eat healthfully.

Bob

I shop the perimeter to avoid the junk and what also bothers me are the dozens of fragrances in the laundry, cleaning supplies and soap aisles. I hold my breath or pull my turtleneck up over my nose & mouth to quickly find the tiny minority of items that are fragrance free.

The laundry detergent aisle isn't as bad as it used to be, due to the fact that the packaging is now mostly plastic where years ago it was cardboard. Of course that's not good for the environment.

We buy unscented laundry detergent, and hang dry everything. Rugged clothes go outside and delicates indoors. That way the clothes dry without using energy, they smell better naturally, get sanitized by the sun's rays, and are more absorbent.

The only time our dryer goes on is when we have too many rainy days in a row.

Bob

my pork rinds are found in the jungle - as is the almond flour and olives, etc. i'm usually on the perimeter though - clockwise lol.

:)

I love scented laundry detergent to use, but I also hate going down that isle-waaay to many scents going on at once (it's also the isle with all of the air fresheners/plug-in scents). I also do a quick run in, grab my Tide, and run out :lol:

My grocery shopping routine has been turned upside-down recently :daze: Not one but TWO local groceries where I've shopped for years have decided to reorganize and rearrange everything :help:. In both cases, they've also decided to eliminate entire product lines, including household items and toiletries that I routinely buy.

Okay, so fresh produce, meat, eggs and dairy are still found around the perimeter(s) although those too have been rearranged. Bulk packs of candy and trail mix where onions and squash used to live. And where ARE the fresh lemons and limes hiding?? Not to mention the condiments (hot sauce, mustard!) are in a different aisle altogether.

Last week's shopping trip - normally "find everything quickly, in and out" - was an exasperating expedition, bumping into other regulars like myself wandering around in a daze unable to find a d*mn thing! :daze:

On the plus side, I was able to score chicken thighs, pork belly and stewing beef all marked down 40% off for quick sale. My freezer, at least, is happy.

My DW does most of the shopping, but when I do it is on a meat run. I walk in, go to left and up past the vegetables, usually grabbing a few things, turn right and walk slowly past the beer, then continue to the beef, lamb and pork, then down the chips aisle because it leads directly to the register.

Sardines, tuna, canned chicken. Those are the only things I buy that aren't in the perimeter.