Chef Paul: Grocery Shopping
March 25 2011
People hate grocery shopping with me. Why? Because I’m s-l-o-w. The reason I’m so slow is that I like to take my time 
and read the labels on everything I buy. For the very few food items we actually buy at the grocery store, I like to make sure I know what I’m getting. My very simple rule is: If I cannot pronounce the name of the ingredient, I do not buy the item.
I do of course read the nutrition facts labels to see the amount of sodium and sugar that is in the item. I exercise a lot so fat is lower down on my list of things I need to be wary of. It always amazes me what “ingredients” are in processed “foods”. There can be no way that chicken nuggets with a list of over 30…yes 30… ingredients can be good for you. Come on! What do you need to make a chicken nugget? I’ll tell you:
- Chicken
- Bread crumbs
- Egg and flour to dredge the chicken pieces in so that the bread crumbs will stick
- Some seasonings like salt, pepper, maybe some herbs or other spices.
THAT’S IT!!! Maybe 6 ingredients…not 30!
We cannot assume that because it’s for sale in the grocery store, and that our “food agencies” have approved it, that it is any good for us. It’s these so called “convenience foods” that are conveniently turning North Americans into overweight, diabetic, energyless sloths that crave more sugar and more sodium.
These days everyone seems more concerned about food costs than about their health. But can you really disassociate the two? Sure, the immediate costs of a poor diet are not as obvious, but when you factor in the health care costs; cost of medications; and of lost wages should you develop diabetes because of a poor diet, then it becomes clear where your priorities should lie.
It may seem less expensive getting the $4.99 burger special at the fast food joint- but will it really cost you less in the long run?
