Supermarket Blues

Usually, I write enthusiastically and I attempt to inspire and encourage you all to jump on the healthy lifestyle bandwagon. I apologize in advance that this blog entry is more of a blues-song-type entry. It’s going to be a free-write of complaints, but knowing myself, I may just be able to turn it around in the end.

I hate grocery shopping; I really do! If I had my druthers, I’d live on a farm and grow my own food and would barter with nearby farmers for various organic goodies. But, we can’t all live that way; it’s quite unrealistic. And the urbanite in me would miss the city!

Why do I hate grocery shopping though? Because I’m CONSTANTLY reminded of how our food is so chemical-based, so industrialized. I’m sorry, but the thought of eating food that’s packaged in an assembly line grosses me out. I want food that is as natural as can be; that’s given to us from Mother Earth. Food is supposed to nourish us, not poison us!

I cook almost all of my meals and I do get the majority of my food from the farmer’s market, but like you, I’m busy and I need some easy options. The other night my husband mentioned this cannellini bean, collard green, and rice recipe I used to make with Trader Joes Goddess Dressing. Well, we no longer live in driving distance to a Trader Joe’s. I can’t tell you exactly what’s in Trader Joe’s goddess dressing, but I’m a manic label reader so when I used to get it, it had to have been of decent quality.

My search for a healthy goddess dressing, or ANY dressing for that matter was so horribly disappointing! Soybean oil as the first ingredient---c’mon, if we want non-homemade dressing, we have to poison ourselves with genetically modified soy? And if it did not have soybean oil, it had canola oil, which is such a scam. Canola isn’t even a plant; this oil comes from the rape seed and the company who created it (Mazola) created it in Canada, so they called the oil a more appealing name, canola oil! What happened to good ol’ heart-healthy olive oil? To my dismay, I had to make this dish without goddess dressing, but it still tasted delicious with dulse and herbes de Provence sprinkled in it for flavor!

That was such a disappointing trip to the super market. And don’t even get me going about breads. High-fructose corn syrup? Enriched wheat flour? How much more processed can they get? I stick to the bakery for now, but I’m inspired to go back to my bread-making days! And all the pre-packaged hummus out there is made with canola oil! C’mon! I remember when they used to make it with olive oil! But canola (ummm…I mean rape seed) is genetically modified, government subsidized and cheaper, so they use that instead! So, needless to say, I have befriended my food processor and make my own hummus again!

It’s hard, isn’t it? When you prioritize your health, you have to devote a lot of time to it! BUT if we consumers keep demanding QUALITY, maybe we will see the tide turn! Maybe we can start a revolution!!! Please join me in these efforts! And if you know of a non-homemade quality goddess dressing or hummus, comment here and let us all know! And all you Californians and residents of super-eco-conscientious communities, I envy you! I even miss my NYC days and the abundance of natural health resources!