How often have you seen that meme that states something along the lines of, only supermarkets have a health food aisle (the implication being that the rest of the food in the supermarket is not healthy, only that aisle)?

Today I was walking around the supermarket because I needed to pick up a few items for the weekend. It was with a wry smile on my face, I came across the “health food” aisle and noticed all the boxed, prepackaged items. Most of the items were convenience foods, mainly snacks. Hmmm.. is that the definition of health? Plus, they were incredibly expensive! No wonder people get confused about what to eat, what is healthy and what isn’t!

My recommendation is to keep it simple. Eat whole foods. What are “whole foods?”. Those that have had as little human intervention to become that food. Vegetables and fruits that grow seasonally, with little refinement or processing. Proteins that are good quality animal protein, fats that have little intervention like butter for instance. Grains that are unrefined. In other words, nothing much added in or taken away. Food as nature intended.

Going back to the MEME, it always came across quite judgmental to me so it’s message never resonated much with me. For starters, no one should be made to feel bad for the obligatory shopping trips. If you are time deficient, shopping in a supermarket (which, by the way, has a heap of fruit/veg in there) is a workable option. Personally, I prefer farmer’s markets and local independent shops but I can’t always get there all the time. So let’s stop guilting people in their choices in the name of “being healthy”. There are plenty of wholefood choices in a supermarket (the fruit and veg section is usually pretty big!), and there are plenty of processed foods in a health food aisle too.

Have a lovely weekend, where ever you choose to shop! No guilt required!