I’m pulling out an old post of mine and re-posting because…I can. I’m eager to hear more thoughts on the matter, too. I’m ALWAYS chatting up the aisles at Whole Foods…(ex. “I tried that probiotic hummus, but…well…let’s just say I prefer my probiotics outside my hummus” I could go on.)
I’m under the weather but I still want to blog, so why not recycle one post that never received many page visits? Here ya go:
ABC’s What Would You Do? had me stirred up all week.
They hired actors to portray an overweight mother and daughter filling their cart with junk food; and another to portray a member of the “calorie police” – who publicly berates the mother for her choices. Click here for more.
I don’t need to state the obvious. Clearly it’s inappropriate.
But it had me thinking.
The show – in typical fashion – flipped the scenario. They switched up the actors: brought in a black mother and daughter and changed the “calorie police” from a woman to a man.
But I wanted to see them bring in a healthy-looking family with a cart full of junk into play.
Do people think the same negative thoughts about a healthy-looking, thin person with a cart full of unhealthy food? Sadly, I think not.
Or what about someone like me? Who may not look quite so healthy but is clearly not obese? Would anyone think about my trans-fat consumption?
Actually, picture a girl 15 lbs thinner than I am, struggling behind the weight of a grocery cart filled with lettuce, mustard and diet soda. That girl was me, five years ago and days away from being hospitalized. *shudder*
Though I was often approached by concerned citizens (bless their hearts) it was never at the grocery store, ironically.
My point is…I appreciate America’s new interest in healthy eating, but the message is too focused on Obesity.
Everybody needs to eat clean, healthy, real food. Every Body.
This is what actually made it into my cart that day:
These sadly did not.
Though they were clearly meant for a some Crayola Loving Florida Girl like me.
Neither did this little lady.
Because I am a responsible adult.
Who can clearly not afford $8 bars of soap.
Especially not on days she buys coconut water.
I go to the store a lot. This was just random bits –by no means representative of everything I eat. You can learn a lot about a person in the checkout line of the grocery, and it’s fun to snoop sometimes. Beats reading the tabloids.
But let’s get real. We need to love one another, not judge one another.
And we all need to eat healthy food.
Hollah at me:
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Do you snoop-dogg it at the grocery store? I do.
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Do you think America gives a “free pass” to people to eat junk as long as they’re not fat?
I rarely do, mainly because I shop at health food stores and the people in there are actually healthy. I cringe when I go into walmart though. I wish we could have better choices for that price! Its not their fault, I blame the FDA.. sheesh!
I so snoop on people’s shopping at the store. I have no shame. I’m snooping at your purchses now, and they look very similar to mine.
This post reminds me I need to go to the grocery store. And that its dinner time!
That’s so hilarious!
That was back in my “cottage cheese” days I notice now.
I cringe just thinking about the vast quantities I ate of that stuff….my body must have really wanted it. My belly, however, did not.
How funny, I just posted about my trip to Whole Foods today. Like minds, sister, like minds.
Okay so I am going to be brutally honest. If I saw someone thinner than you with that stuff in your cart (cheese curls and Twinkies), I would think you were going to binge and purge. Because I’d think there was no way that you could actually eat that stuff and be so thin. And if I saw you with your cart full of lettuce and mustard, I would probably start crying right there on the spot.
A little bit of junk food? No problem. But a cart full? Whether you’re too thin or too heavy, I’d think you were out of control, and I’d be very sad to see it. Either way, I’d never say anything.
I’m very curious about the people who you say approached you when you were sick. What did they say? How did you take it? How do you feel about people doing that?
That definetely looks like a BP fest going on….I can usually tell, too. The person’s whole demeanor is “rushed” and they usually have an open bag of something and a large amount of soda or milk.
Sigh. So sad.
When people approached me it was usually “I have been there” or sometimes they would try and be my friend “pity friends” as I came to think of it. Neighbors wanting me to come over for dinner, telling me about an Oprah show they saw…etc.
One woman stopped me and was particularly rude “Do YOU think you look good this way? I am a Dr and people die thanks to you.”
I had my fair share of “Cat Calls” too which were always ugly. One time the gym manager called the paramedics for an intervention…very public and embarrassing.
I usually smiled and thanked them and let them know I was aware there was a problem because I was “working on it” meaning…I was eating. On my own terms, though.
I got approached by concerned people too. Ugh, the worst was my uncle though. He’d point at old photos of me and whispet all creepily “you were beautiful there”….Um, yeah I know he was just trying to help, but…..weird.
I don’t really snoop in other people’s carts. I’m usually just trying to hurry up and get outta there and I’m thinking about how much all the crap I gots gonna cost! Lol! Unless they have something wierd in their carts, like 20 boxes of Hamburger Helper….
A little weird when people do that.. as if to say “You’re not pretty now” but they mean the best.
I won’t lie, sometimes I’m a cart snooper. I just chalk it up to wanting to educate everyone about healthy eating habits. While I never say anything (because I’m a nice girl), I sure want to sometimes!!!
We gain a lot of knowledge from other people’s carts, too! Like…Oh wow! Rutabaga. I should get one.
I agree that the focus shouldnt be on obesity. Regardless of weight EVERYone should be active and eat healthy food. It’s easy to judge an obese person snacking on a bag of potato chips, but skinny people get away with it!
I have serious issues with grocery stores. I don’t cart snoop and I hate to know that other people are judging our cart. My mom shops for the entire family so if she gets a bunch of nasty frozen pizzas and sodas and crap, I hate to think that that cart represents ME. Because I don’t eat most of the things they buy for the whole family.
Right, it’s like we hate the PLAYER not the game. We blame the people who fall victim to the garbage rather than the food marketers.
I’d love to see a Pizza Hut or McDonald’s commercial with obese people.
This post reminded me of one time that I got approached by a complete stranger outside the supermarket and asked about my problems with food… now that sounds really creepy and intrusive but at the time I actually found it quite sweet and caring.
It did wake me up to the fact that other people HAD probably noticed me walking round the supermarket for hours (well, maybe not hours – it was quite a small store!), looking at the labels on packets and eventually leaving with some diet Irn-Bru (I’m guessing you’ll have to google that one!!).
The girl (about my age) had previously been anorexic and recognised my habits and wanted to engage with me about them. I don’t think I would ever be that brave!! It was about 9 years ago now so I can’t remeber exactly what she said but I think she was quite friendly because I invited her back to my flat for a cup of tea (yes, I was that despeate for some company – picking up random strangers in the street!!). I’m pretty sure that I assured her that I was fine and had everything under control (???), so her well-meaning intervention didn’t really have any impact other than make me a bit more self-conscious of my weird shopping habits!
I’m still very self-conscius when I buy food (especially as I now struggle with bingeing and bulimia) and always feel like my shopping basket is being judged (when in reality it is probably mostly only people who have ‘issues’ with food who even care what other people are buying).
This has turned into quite a ramble and I don’t think I had a ‘point’ to make…. just sharing my experience because I seem to have a compulsion to share all the embarrassing stories in my life!
Lots of love to you Missy, I hope that you’re not feeling under the weather for too long
x x x
I’m sorry …you captured even more of my heart with the “spot of tea” bit.
I recall also going on binges late at night, I’d binge on pasta, lowfat frozen yogurt…many innocuous things that would seem innocent but I knew they were all forbidden. I had to develop a “this is normal swagger.
I am so happy it had been almost 6 years since my grocery binge episodes.
Just let me know when you’re going to pop round for tea and I’ll put the kettle on…
x x x
Dear Missy!
I just caught up with the last couple of your posts…I’m sorry I’m so late in reading, but I want to give you a big fat hug!! You’ve certainly been through a lot of trials. It hurts for as long as you live on this earth for a family member to be taken so tragically from you, but I pray right now that you feel God’s warm embrace, and learn to experience an eternal, deep sense of peace in your heart and soul.
As for the grocery cart thing…when I was really emaciated and shopping low-cal diet stuff, I always felt pressured to put one or two “unhealthy” items in my cart…just to “prove” that I’m not crazy, which I kind of was…haha, weird huh?
Tons of (hugs)
Thanks so much for your prayers Sophia!
Urk, I used to wander around supermarkets for hours and eventually come out with soup and herbal tea. Thrilling stuff, eh? The till workers at my local Morrisons must have thought I was…well, anorexic. Not all that hard to tell!
I can honestly say that I don’t look in other people’s trolleys. I don’t think I used to when I was ill either, I was too busy obsessing over whether my soup had ten too many calories per packet or something equally exciting. It’s strange because I love people watching, but my voyeuristic tendencies never stretched to shopping. Hmm. Anyway, I also think I tend not to judge people for what they eat in public, but that is purely because of my own personal experience. I don’t go around diagnosing people with EDs randomly based on their food choices, but neither do I automatically accept that they are normal and just making bad choices. I remember running around shopping centres on manic binges as a teenager and I have good friends with BED. I do tend to jump to the ED conclusion over extremely underweight people sometimes – I want to run over and give them my email or blog address so I can talk to them, but I know very well that won’t make the blindest bit of difference. I eat junk food in public quite a lot (my diet is perfectly balanced between healthy stuff and not-so-healthy in my opinion
), I wonder what people think of me? I hope I am setting a good example by having a massive chocolate muffin with my salad 
everything in moderation!
I replied to your comment on my blog too – but I won’t repeat it here because I’ll take up your whole comment section otherwise
Maybe you should one of these days…just a post it with your email and a message that says “I’ve been there” someone did that to me at a gym once.
I can’t wait to see your comment about Body Dysmorphia.
When I was at my unhealthiest skinny weight, friends and strangers alike would tell me (either in person or via my Flickr photos or something like that) to just go eat a cheeseburger.
Great advice, right?
Because what if said cheeseburger would have triggered me and ended up in the loss of even more weight? They didn’t see the craziness that was my life, so their comments were completely unhelpful.
Maybe something more helpful would have been like this: “I’m worried about you. You seem like you might be sick. How can I help?”
Obviously, the active anorexic probably won’t see much wrong with their lives, but I think people who actually want to help (versus sling about useless “advice” like “just go eat a gallon of ice cream,” etc.) would urge their anorexic loved one on until she landed in a therapist’s office, where real change could happen.
Great post!
I hated the eating cheeseburger comments.
Almost as much as…”I’ll give you some of my fat…hahaha…”
I’ll be the first to admit I’m a snooper, mostly I get mad when I see an obese mom pushing a cart filled with complete crap for her teeny little kids–it’s like she’s setting them up for a life of obesity and food issues. I’m not gonna lie, when I was at my thinnest, I would walk around the store picking up foods, putting them back, second guessing myself, look at what normal people ate, and buy that stuff, thinking it’d stop the stares. Grocery check out people would stare at my thin legs and gawk at my cart. Some would even say they were jealous of my skeletal frame, that I could eat bad stuff and still be “hollywood thin.” My teachers, friends and family were always so concerned and I feel so bad for being in such denial around them.
I really look forward to grocery shopping, maybe because I can observe others while hopefully setting a healthy example with my cart? I’m just glad I now choose to eat healthy, organic foods, stuff that helps me maintain my weight and my sanity.
Love to ya and have a great weekend!
Grocery Shopping is such a pleasure now that we are EATING not just dieting.
I agree with you and feel like society often shuns people and ignores them when they are thin and eating unhealthy food. When larger people eat unhealthy food, then they are criticized no doubt. Everyone can improve something in their diet.
Exxxxxactamundo.
i had an odd condiment moment the other day — i moved pretty recently and still don’t have some of the staples on hand.
i went to the supermarket to get soap, milk and water, when i realized that i needed ketchup and mustard. i also grabbed a jar of salsa. when i looked in my cart, i thought, “yikes this looks like an eating disordered buffet”.
i ended up buying ice cream (which i wanted) and cold cuts and bread too, happily, because at first glance, Yikes, indeed.
i do think that thin, healthy-looking people can eat anything they want, without judgment. my boss orders steak and eggs and hash browns two hours before she gets a giant lunch. but she’s 6’1 and in great shape. she also drinks like a fish, but can hold it. everyone thinks it’s hilarious.
if my boss were heavy, it would be a whole different story, i’m sure
Yeah that now we are ablt to recognize the Eating Disorder Buffet, which is hilarious. Sometimes I cringe when all my cart has is veggies, but you have to stock up in between the big hauls!!
It’s true about your boss…people don’t worry about fit people, just fat ones.
I don’t really snoop at the grocery store–I usually try to get my food and get out without seeing someone from church and having to engage in a 10 minute conversation about their son’s football team or how much their daughter loves youth group.
I know–I’m a total scrooge!
My cart is usually 80% “healthy” and 20% “questionable.” I don’t really judge parents for what they’re feeding their kids as long as they are getting SOME nutritious fruits/veggies/lean proteins in there and their kid’s diet doesn’t consist entirely of chicken nuggets like this kid’s diet… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR7_1biWObs
Oh my goodness…that video!
I like the 80/20 ration. That seems really healthy to me.
My favorite part is the very end when they say they “adapt fruits and veggies to meet our family’s needs” as they dunk them in the chocolate fountain. My childhood self would have LOVED living in that household
In terms of 80/20, yeah–it works really well for me and D. I mean, I consider EVERY food to be nutritious (i.e it gives me the calories I need to have energy for my day and life in my body but there are some things that are more nutrient rich than others, and those are the things I want to base my diet around because they make me feel the best and do the best things for my body. My more “questionable” purchases don’t do very much for my body besides give me calories and fill me up, but they sure are good
That kid reminds me of my nephew.
I don’t look in peoples carts, but when there’s someone in line in front of me putting their items up, I tend to look, mostly because it’s staring right at me XP I don’t really care what people buy. Sometimes I just wonder though like “Why is she buying those diet frozen dinners and then two things of ice cream and chips?” Usually I just deduce it to “oh right, balance” or “maybe they have kids or something or they’re buying it for someone else.” Basically, you never know. So I try not to judge- admitedly though when I see really fat people buying all junk food, I just think “Uh, well, I can see why they’re so big now” Otherwise, I try not to care what other people put in their baskets. It could be for them, their family, whatever. I don’t need to worry about other people, they can make their own choices. Maybe they aren’t as aware as they should be, but it isn’t my place either to tell them what to do.
I agree one hundred percent. I do most of my sight seeing at checkout….sometimes it’s just innocuos, like when I see a young man with flowers wine and like chicken and broccoli and stuff you can “tell” he’s going to make dinner for someone.
Thanks for being honest about the bit about the fat folk…I do it too. I have to admit.
I do take note of what others have in their baskets, but mainly because I feel self conscious about what I am buying.
When it comes to the free-pass idea; I think that definitely does come into play. However, I know that eating disorders come in all different shapes, sizes and issues. I deal with anorexia; my mom and brother deal with compulsive overeating and I recognize very well that it is a matter of what is behind it, not what is in the cart.
Amen.
YOU NEED TO RESTORE MORE WEIGHT. I’m sorry, but I’m seriously concerned about your health. there is no WAY your vitals are healthy, much less your BMI (but that’s another debate). PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get help. You have a distorted mind and don’t see the frail, skeletal body you have. I don’t mean this hurtfully but I think you are doing your body a lot of harm by staying at this weight.
That was a repost from a while ago…I am at a much higher weight now.
Sorry to alarm you…if you judged my health by the pics above but I do appreciate your time to make a comment.
I am listening but I am certainly higher in weight than I was then.
I agree with Patty. I keep seeing you post that the pictures you put up are older ones and you are at a higher weight now. I’m having a hard time believing it myself. Why not put up new ones at your new, healthier weight instead of these ones where you appear scarily thin?
I watch your blog because you’re actually a great, engaging writer! You say you’ve gained about 15 lbs.Sorry for using numbers in advance, but I need to be blunt. You can’t weigh much more than 90 at the state you are in.
Missy, you HAVE to go see a doctor, therapist, somebody who can help you to realize that your body cannot be functioning at it’s fullest potential at your current weight. Are you not scared of developing osteoporosis or suffering from a heart attack? Anorexia is such a taxing disease to live with, and in this day and age, it is possible to avoid these complications, to get help. Why not seek professional advice?
Thank you for your advice.
I have gotten help in the past.
I feel great right now (but the weight gain is HARD).
Wow, this post and its comments scared me a bit, even though for quite some time I’ve been feeling pretty self-conscious when I go to the grocery store only for the purpose of buying junk/binge food. Sometimes I try to cover it up with buying something not binge related but often I buy only the junk food and don’t care or hope that if people notice the contents of my basket, they are going to think that I’m buying things to share with others…
It may be strange, but before I read about people being self-conscious about what they buy in a grocery store, I would have never thought about it. I rarely examine what other people buy and if I do, it is only at check-out. Sometimes I wonder how people could buy certain things, but I never think about it for too long.
As several people here said, I’m usually fully focused on what I’m going to buy, get it and get out. This is true for both my normal (healthy) grocery shopping and binge grocery shopping. From a lot of bad experience I know that if I don’t have a list of things to buy or at least an approximate limit on how much junk I can buy, I buy way too much unnecessary items that just trigger (or prolong) my binging episodes.
I get your struggles. But please don’t be too alarmed…most of this is just an afterthought.
One thing I believe is that if people really thought about “you” as much as we may think the world would be a better place…sadly we are mostly just thinking about ourselves.
Please just eat to be healthy…I will check out your blog, as I am eager to now you better and maybe we can support one another out of food obsession.
It’s hard to realize that even a seemingly innocent item can trigger a binge…It’s not always about not buying twinkies. Sometimes we just have to admit that we can’t have ….like healthy cereal or grapes in the house.
I think your list is a good idea.
I admit to cart snooping — there’s not much else to do when you’re stuck in a long line at the checkout! Besides, it’s sort of amusing to see what other people buy sometimes… though I would never, ever, ever say anything to anyone else about it. People should really just mind their own business. Someone behind me in line at the supermarket once said something like, “You eat very healthy!” This, even though I was also buying a zillion boxes of Gushers and Fruit by the Foot for my brother. Healthy, indeed. It was just… awkward. I mean, how do you respond to something like that?!
Actually, I can imagine what would happen if an underweight person would fill up a cart with crap… someone would probably say something like, “How do you manage to eat that and stay so skinny?!”
What I’d like to know is when it became okay to comment on other people’s appearance like that. Or was it always okay, and I was just oblivious?!
<3 <3
Yuuup, I snoop!! I’m always like “did you like that cereal?! What does it taste like?!” Hahaha
I agree, people need to stop misjudging!
yay for talking up random strangers…we have a lot in common!
I saw that wwyd and the hubs was like ohhh this isn’t going to end well in our house I was yelling and swearing – it didn’t people need to approach life with love and not scorn and maybe we would live in a kinder gentler less disordered world!
They were being pretty brutal….and people were just standing by.
I think that everyone has a different idea of what “Eating healthy is”. I dont think there is ANYTHING wrong with eating pop tarts, chips, candy, etc. Healthy eating is all about listening to your body and having things in moderation.
I NEVER judge peoples food choices anymore. When I was sick I use to look in peoples carts and make assumptions and judgments. Now, I concentrate on ME–not other people.
Honestly, I think people recovering from ED’s need to learn about moderation and shouldnt just eat ‘healthy food’. 1) it could lead to orthorexia 2) you never face any of your fears and 3) i really dont think you’l ever get better if all you eat is “veggies”
http://www.thebeginwithinblog.com/2011/03/sugar-addiction/
^^^you should really check out that article.
I dont think foods should be labeled “healthy” and “unhealthy”………..After all, you can become VERY unhealthy by just eating “healthy”……….
I see where you are coming from….at this moment I disagree.
I don’t think you need to eat anything you don’t want to in order to be recovered, but heck. What do I know?
I will have to go check out that article.
Ironically enough the treatment center I went to was what prompted my no sugar no flour policy.
I don’t judge either, but I do notice. It’s inteesting —probably because I think about fod to much.
lol If I got to eat what I wanted in recovery I would have just stuck to broccoli for the rest of my life. Everything else seemed scary. I have to disagree.
I guess it just depends WHY your eating the foods you are eating. Is it because your scared of other foods and you think they are “bad, fattening, etc”.? I think those arent good reasons for not branching out and trying other things.
Yeah i’ve heard some horror stories about dietitians and treatment centers. I wouldnt trust every doctor in the world. No sugar and no flour is absolutely ridiculous for anyone especially someone recovering from anorexia….
I remember when you posted this originally and I thought it was a really good conversation topic.
I agree with Dana. In recovery I don’t think there should be any foods labeled as “healthy” or “unhealthy.” I think that’s one of the reasons I like that my meal plan is based on exchanges, white rice or brown rice both count as a starch…one is not valued as “better” than the other. Although I def. still struggle with eating things like white flower, I feel like when I’m willing to push my meal plan allows for me to do it and I want this freedom.
I don’t want recovery to simply be weight restoration for me. I want to escape my food fears. So this means trying new things, whether ed says they’re “healthy” or not and deciding if I like them! If I want to eat a twinkie than I should be able to eat a twinkie! If I want a big bowl of Cookie Crisp for breakfast than I should be able to have it! I don’t mean to say it is healthy to BINGE on these items (or any items at all!) but I think it’s healthy both mentally and physically to eat what we crave : ).
It used to be such a fear of mine that if I allowed myself to eat something that ed said was “bad” I would never want to eat a veggie or fruit again…all I’d ever want to eat was that one item. But so far that has been entirely false! I can honestly say I’d rather eat an apple with pb than a cookie most days for my afternoon snack! Not because the cookie is a “bad” choice, but because the apple and pb satisfy my craving for something sweet and creamy!
Out of curiosity…if you ever craved something that had flour or sugar in it, would you be willing to allow yourself to have some, Missy?? Do you feel like avoiding foods with these ingredients becomes restrictive??
I love you, girl! Your posts always get me thinkin’!!
xxx
I like all the thought-provoking comments on here.
Personally, if I allow myself to eat whatever I want (I CAN easily get over my fear somehow), I will never stop eating crap! I get out of control in either direction so I have to set some guidelines for myself to follow. Maybe because I’m not anorexic but bulimic? If I really want a tasty food that is unhealthy for my body, I don’t see any reason I should eat it anyway just because it tastes good – I would end up doing it all the time. Nothing wrong with treats on occasion but I know for myself I don’t need to be eating poptarts and candy just to prove I’m not afraid of it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with avoiding unhealthy foods as long as they aren’t avoided out of FEAR. In the end I think it’s a personal decision.
As my old therapist/dietician said, complete abstinence (from anything…) is almost always the best way. If you don’t need it, just stay away! I don’t need certain things and eating them just because I want to could lead to binging/purging. I trust him more than anyone and so far everything he has told me is true and works….
I definatley think that America gives thin people a pass to eat whatever they want. But everyone, whether underweight or overweight, should eat healthily in moderation. I am happy that you are eating whole, good foods, not just mustard and lettuce.
This post brought up some emotions for me, memories of my own grocery trips where my mom had to coddle me to buy something other than corn flake cereal and diet soda.
Now I’m proud to say that my grocery cart features a balance of some yummy treats and healthy staple.
I agree with lindsay that I mostly shop at healthfood stores, so most people there already look healthy. Although, it I do go to the supermarket, I get disquisted by fat people with carts full of junk food…call me judging but that’s just disquisting! It’s sad that people aren’t educated enough to know that a lot of the crap they buy is horrible for them…
as an overweight person, i am really surprised and saddened by a lot of the comments and posts, particularly the one right above me ^.
i don’t think i need to defend my own journey here and i think chalking up people’s eating habits to “ignorance” is ignorant in itself.
i was an emotional overeater. yes, i knew ice cream was bad for me. yeah, i felt seriously fucking ashamed every time i went to the grocery store to buy whatever i felt like eating – mostly because i always had the idea that someone was standing around judging what was in my basket. i felt horrible about myself.
as a healthier person now, i feel good about what i put in the cart and ring up. i see other people’s food choices – i see overweight families with a lot of processed foods and it makes me sad. it makes me sad because it’s a lot different to see a child eating what parents buy versus one overweight woman buying a pint of ice cream and cookies.
the fact that there is judgment comes from the very thing you feel bad about yourself (not you personally, in general). usually that’s how it works; the things you react to in other people are things you have in yourself. yes of course health is so very important – but maybe the best way to make change is to just work on ourselves, first.
I agrtee 100%…”disgusted” is a very strong sentiment. But alas, it’s just a comment. The comments were very interesting. I don’t really “judge” so to speak..think the person is bad or filthy or whatever.
The main point of my post was my curiosity why no one seems to think so much about skinny people eating crap.
It’s not even ice cream, which is most of the time natural ingredients…but just crap.
Most of the people jumped right into thinking about overweight people!
thanks. i apologize for firing off a defensive comment – not usually my style. if i saw someone who looked underweight buying a lot of processed foods, i wouldn’t think twice about it. yes there is definitely a double standard of what types of bodies are acceptable in the US.
but “crap” food seems a little objective. would you think someone buying a bottle of heinz ketchup and turkey hot dogs and whole wheat buns was unhealthy per se? even though the ketchup has corn syrup, the buns have tons of unnatural ingredients and the hot dogs are mechanically processed turkey?
is that cart better or worse than a cart filled with doritos, soda, and a box of cookies? i’m just saying that how people regard “healthy” is not necessarily black and white, it’s much more of a spectrum, which makes questions like yours bring up lots of interesting points. but i appreciate the forum to be heard – thank you.
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this post Missy. While I think that there is a hyper focus on obesity in this day and age, I realize that this is a prevalent problem in the united states. That being said, more focus needs to be highlighted on eating disorders AND on simply eating right. Perhaps people could get into mindful eating? I definitely look in other people’s carts when I’m shopping. It hurts me to see the thinest of thin people pushing carts of lettuce and laboring in the process. Yes, that could have been me too, but luckily my mom got to push the cart! If we focused on producing healthy foods and less junk foods as a country, we could solve many problems. That and promoting mindful eating
Your posts are always so insightful, I really enjoy reading them.
I am not too much of a food snooper at grocery stores. I am more like an observer–hmm that’s interesting, I wonder if she has eating issues, etc. But then, I do not think much of it to be honest. I guess I’m thinking more about whatever I may be purchasing or not.
However, I do get people who snoop into my cart, and I’ve had a few “oh, you must be so healthy” comments which sort of aggravates me at times. I do find it rather funny when I am buying a lot of veggies though. I tell the person or the cashier that they are for my dogs (which is true), and then I get the comments, “dogs eat vegetables?” The other funny thing is that some of these poor cashiers have no clue what the vegetable is or the PLUs at all. Often times, I’ve had to say, that is bok choy, that is dandelion greens, that is Romaine lettuce, etc.