I took this picture with my cell phone while I was shopping at my friendly grocery store. It’s just a regular grocery store aisle – not the junk food aisle, but rather it’s across from the cereals.
Honestly, what a bunch of junk.
My husband and I were talking about this yesterday. Was the food at grocery stores always so junky? I haven’t added it up, but it seems to me that a good portion of the food sold in grocery stores isn’t necessary or good for us.
Case in point:
- Cookies
- Cake mixes
- Brownie mixes
- Most chips
- Full-fat ice creams
- Canned food full of sodium
- Boxed meals
- Sodas
- Juices
- Fruit chews for kids
- Pop-Tarts and other “breakfast treats”
I understand the need for convenience, after all, we are all busy. But I get frustrated when I walk up and down the aisles and reallylook at what’s on the shelf. I, like most of you, always heard the recommendation to shop the “outside aisles” of the grocery store and avoid the endcaps. I never used to shop on the perimeter of the store because I loved all the “convenience” aka junky foods. I bought Oreo cereal for goodness sakes!
I don’t know why it struck me so intently this trip. I stopped after I took this picture and looked in my basket. My basket was full of enough food to feed the nine of us for a week without putting any junk into it. (I’m NOT perfect – we do eat junk on occasion, but even the little bit of junk we eat is unnecessary.)
When I think about how simple it is to make a salad, grill a piece of chicken and serve some no-sodium green beans for dinner, I wonder how we as a society got so far away from simple, healthy foods. Was it when it huge factories and automation made it easy to mass produce food or was it due to our increasingly busy lifestyles? In any case, it doesn’t take a lot more time to make an easy meal than it does to bake a tv dinner in the oven or prepare a Hamburger Helper type meal.
Am I the only one who notices this? What do you think about when you think about how much food in the grocery store is full of sodium, fat, sugar and void of nutrition? Diane
By the way – thanks for all your encouragement on my change in posting schedule. It gave me a chance to get around to your blogs yesterday!
I think it was always this junky but we (me?
) didnt realize it.
there is indeed MORE of it…more convenience foods but back in lesser day there stores were smaller so the ratio was the same
To me the sadder snippet is how its no longer food. not in the crappy processed sense (THATS FOR SURE!) but how its all voidfiller IMO.
we’ve empowered it so….
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food
vs
non-food
And even in the outside aisles, one has to be so careful these days. I think stopping to look in one’s shopping cart, but before checkout with the ‘food/non-food’ eye, is really smart.
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Great post Diane…I think that is the answer with your question!
What do you think about when you think about how much food in the grocery store is full of sodium, fat, sugar and void of nutrition?
Most of the time, in the past, I just didn’t THINK about it. Just get in and out. Food was NOT something I thought much about at all!
Jules – Big Girl Bombshell´s last fabulous musings ..On the Right Track
Most of us don’t think about how much food the grocery stores carry that is full of fat,sugar,salt. Most of us just get in and get what we want and get out without reading the labels and meal planning.
I try to avoid the traps by meal planning and reading labels and sticking to a list.
It’s a result of subsidized farming and cheap inputs. HFCS being one of them. When these items are readily available and cheap, the variety of offerings is expanded to use these cheap ingredients. What started out decades ago as a way to get hungry children a decent meal (ie enough calories) during school lunch has morphed into an industrial comples that feeds nation of obese people living on cheap, junk, nutritionally-void manufactured “food”.
Obviously I have a soap box here.
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Another observation that often strikes me is how easy it is to get around the perimeter aisles of the store while the interior aisles are often crowded with shoppers and children.
Yes, I think there is more. Not necessarily more items of junk food. It’s just that every manufacturer has jumped on board with their COPY of each item.
Missed your post yesterday, but hope this new arrangement work for you.
I think as we buy more crap, they’ll put more on shelves. I think the difference between now and 10 years ago is that convenience food is in every aisle–not just the chip aisle. It’s snack-size everything and make-in-minutes dinners. And some of that junk is masquerading as “all natural” because that’s what sells now.
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It IS really really bad! Have you read In Defense of Food? Micheal Pollan touches on this subject. It really started happening more and more with the Reagan administration. Reagan was the one to really make a push for convenience foods in the 80s. Of course it all goes back to Wonder Bread and margarine.
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Pic reminded me of that kitchen of stuff in the Jamie Oliver show… UGH!
I shop a couple different places like Trader Joe’s & a couple of health stores around here so it helps…. fits in with my post today & Dr. J is guest posting!
Jody – Fit at 52´s last fabulous musings ..The Great American Obesity Machine
It’s amazing now that I’m much more aware of what I’m buying that I skip entire isle’s at the grocery store. I think 75% of the store is JUNK. I always find it interesting to look at others carts and find it interesting that 10 people in line can have totally different carts full of food, with not one similar item, and how many of the carts are full of pop, frozen pizza, chips, sugar cereal, I often think, if I had to take that persons cart home I wouldn’t eat one thing in it.
Diane I enjoy your post.
The grocery store can feel like a dangerous place sometimes. There are so many possible missteps lining the shelves, things that shouldn’t end up in the cart. I just try to stick closely to my healthy grocery list and pretend that all those other things aren’t even there.
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I’ve noticed this as well and find I do most of my shopping on the outsides only…when I need Tuna or pasta I go in, but besides that I never do….
I was watching TBB yesterday, an old program where they go to Washington DC and try make changes by telling their story. I think such a good idea but cant see anything actually happening.
I think it’s gotten worse since I got a kid, back then there was less choice in junk food. But I also see a turn around in our grocery stores, sure there still is a lot of junk but there is also great choiced in already chopped and washed vegetables for example which makes cooking easier.
But I agree, making a salad, grill some chicken and cook some potatoes, pasta or rice doesn’t cost much time.
I agree there’s so much non-food or junky food-like products in the grocery stores – but if you look into other peoples’ carts you’ll see that people buy it. What particularly troubles me is the junky prepared “diet” food. I truly believe that if you’re inclined to gain weight or have gained weight and want or need to lose it, you’d be best off learning to cook healthy foods including vegetables and salads. It doesn’t have to be complicated food. Frozen diet meals are a poor substitute for healthy home-cooked meals. After I had my first child (I gained 75 pounds during the pregnancy) I bought a couple of diet meals. And after eating the first one, I was still starving (I was nursing a hungry 10 pound baby). My husband said, “honey, you can buy a pound of frozen fish filets and a large bag of frozen spinach for what two of those frozen meals cost, and make a more realistic serving for a nursing mom” so that’s what I did. And I lost the weight over a few months (evidently much of it was water weight) and never bought another frozen dinner – except when we tore out the kitchen during a remodeling project. I don’t know why cooking is so intimidating for some people, I think they just need to buy a simple cookbook and give it a try. Most of the dinners I make take 20 or 30 minutes tops.
Yes, there is a LOT of nonfood in the grocery store. And what’s even sadder is that many of the nonfoods claim to be healthy by claiming that they are a great source of fiber, certain vitamins, etc. But in reality, they are highly processed and have little nutritional value.
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I never noticed it was that junky because that was all the stuff I bought. I thought cooking was too hard and I didn’t have time or the money to do so.
Now I hate grocery shopping and get in and out quickly. That stuff makes me sick in more ways than one.
Obviously we all notice it, but we are the ones looking. If one is not looking, one will not see it.
I also think this is a testament to the addictive nature of the foods; the intent in processing and distributing, combined with the users physical desire for more. It is not different than the Chinese opium trade so many years ago, or cigarettes today — give people a consumable addictive product, and you will get very wealthy.
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When I think about the junk food in the grocery story, I think it all comes down to money and getting people addicted to salt, fat etc. so that they’ll come back for more and come back often.
That stuff tastes good until your taste buds know better…
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I don’t go down most of the grocery store aisles anymore. Most of my money is spent in produce — fresh fruits and veggies, and then meat, poultry, and seafood. Yet, grocery stores are putting up junk food displays even in those departments. I just keep my imaginary blinders on.
I have lived here in Europe 21 years and every time I go home to visit family I am always amazed at how every year the products in US grocery stores get more and more junky, more complicated (for example all the weird flavors and novelty packaging that are introduced), and marketing and advertising become more sophisticated and misleading. It’s no wonder that people don’t know what to eat anymore!
It’s not as bad here, but we are fast catching up to the US – unfortunately.
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Yes I had this same revelation the other day when I went grocery shopping. The guy in line behind me had all prepackaged junk, hamburger helper, mac and cheese, sugary cereals, cookies, crackers, chips and so on. He looked at what I had, all fruit, veggies, fresh meat, eggs, whole grain breads and such. He made the comment to me, well I didn’t do very well with my selections! He was right.
I read recently that all of the convenience items came about when women entered the work force more and had less time to cook the way they use to. They were looking for short cuts and manufactures cranked them out.
Oh yes, super junky. Most of the aisles have nothing but crap in them, and the perimeter has all the whole foods. I don’t usually browse the grocery store, since I have my CSA right now, and only usually need to grab milk, yogurt and fruit when I go to the store. Then in the winter I do online grocery delivery. That really helps in planning what to eat and only getting what I need to make healthy meals.
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We as consumers have definitely changed, but that does not mean that foods have gotten more junky. I’ve seen “convenience” foods that are more like lazy foods. Pancake batter in a can? Frozen cooked rice?
LOL…on the other hand, I’m sure that our parent’s generation shook their heads at cookies in a tube.
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I think it’s somewhat of an economic thing, as in more food can be sold for “value added”. For example, I can tell if a farmers market is going bad by how many booths they have selling hot food, prepared food, packaged food, vs. piles of greens, veggies, fruits, etc. The already prepared stuff is more profitable, makes the tourists happy, is convenient, but not helpful for locals who want to cook.
But like you, I’m startled by the amount of processed food products in the stores, and I’m mostly in natural food stores, too.
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I have noticed this the past weekend when I went grocery shopping. I know it’s only been 2/3 weeks of eating better but now I notice how unhealthy the stores actually are. Filled with convenient food. Sad actually.
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It is sad to see so much processed, non-food on the shelves of grocery stores. It is no wonder that so many people are morbidly obese. I remember buying all of those things and being embarrassed by what was in my cart. It took me a long time to break the habit of eating that way.
I feel like it’s more junky too! I’ve never seen so much variety of junk!! haha I try to stay to my outer aisles but when i venture in for triscuits and a bag of cookies it’s insane!
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Your picture is such a snap-shot of reality in American, and it’s really pretty depressing. What gets me most, is when I see faces (of children) along with a cart-full of that stuff. Those “juice” drinks in your photo, for example. What is in those? Corn syrup and artificial color/flavor? I’ll see a mom cart past me with little ones along for the ride, and a box of those drinks, and it just makes me sad for the kids….
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I think there was always some junk, but now there is much more, less healthy items, and the junk is spread all over the store, even next to the fresh fruit and veggies!
If we want it to change we must stop buying it.
I believe grocery stores of today are filled with very little real food and tons of “frankenfood”. You don’t really notice it till you become conscious in your desire to be healthier.
And no worries about your new posting schedule ! I will still continue to follow you. My own blogging time has taken a big loss these days . Let’s face it – we should blog about our life and not live to blog ! Children grow up so fast that you should always endeavor not to miss a thing. The time with them is gone before we know it.
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We have had a string of Whole Foods, Market Street, and the likes pop up around us. I am loving the options these guys offer.
As far as the average grocery store, I thinks it’s only going to get worse.
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Not only is it junky, I have realized what a waste of MONEY it is! Talk about not budget-friendly, especially for the bang for the nutritional buck. I still like a good oreo with milk on occasion, but in general it is stuff to eat super sparingly, for the bottom line AND my bottom!
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I have noticed this too. It seems like there are hardly any good choices at the store once you leave the fresh food areas.
I have noticed this as well, but must admit I still buy the cereals and poptarts on occasion. Though we eat much more fresh these days.
I think if people practiced portion control this wouldn’t be such a problem. My thoughts are not a common opinion in the health circles, but I think the portions have grown just as fast as the need for convenience has. It’s a bad combination.
You know, I’ve thought about how weird it is that the Publix here has a “natural” foods section. Shouldn’t all foods be natural? But if you threw away all the junk in the grocery store, you’d be left with so little!
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