I hate the grocery store! It enraged me last night when I went with my daughter for a couple of
things. Aisle after aisle of refined, processed, nutrient free and trigger foods. Row after row of
cookies, cakes, soda. If the soda is sugar free and caffeine free and zero calories, what is it?
Why should I pay money for it? Why do I want to drink it?
Shop on the perimeter of the store, I tell my clients. The healthy food is there. Have you seen
what’s at the end of each aisle? (It’s called an “End Cap”) That is where they put the things that
are on sale. Something that has to be good! Remember the Pop-Tarts from your childhood? At
the end of the aisle was the S’more Pop-Tarts. So, we are drawn into the middle of the aisle to
search for the “healthy ones.” On the lower shelf I find the blueberry ones with no frosting.
Look at the first five ingredients. Where are my blueberries? The other three shelves have
Cinnamon sugar, Jolly Rancher and God only knows what else. Now we are lost in the middle of
the aisle full of memories, triggers, and bad feelings.
Even the items that look good…. This package of seasonings for my stir-fry? I won’t have to
chop the onion and garlic and do the seasonings. Four out of the first five ingredients are a
sugar. Do you put sugar and honey on your chicken when you stir-fry it?? I sure don’t.
OK, so I go to find what I wanted to find; a sweetener that I can recommend to my clients. So I
started with Splenda. Ingredients: dextrose, maltodextrin, sucralose. That won’t do. Dextrose
and maltodextrin are on the sugars list. It says a “free food- up to four packets”. What about
Splenda Zero? It is even a liquid. Water, sucralose, malic acid, sodium benzoate and potassium
sorbate. Better. What’s malic acid?
“Malic acid is an organic compound that is naturally found in fruits such as apples. It is often
taken as a supplement, especially for the treatment of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue
syndrome. Malic acid is known for its ability to increase energy and tolerance to exercise. Since
malic acid is naturally occurring and is found in many fruits that we eat safely every day, it is
generally regarded as safe”, says LiveStrong.com. OK. NEXT
What about “Stevia in the Raw?” Ingredients: dextrose, stevia leaf extract. HMMMM
How about Stevia Sweetener? The label says it is calorie free and contains stevia extract.
Ingredients: Erythritol, dextrose with maltodextrin, rebiana, natural flavors. So, no real stevia,
an extract from the stevia plant. Hmmmmm
Do you notice that you want more and more of these products? Do you notice extra cravings,
diarrhea, and other symptoms?
“there have been reports of allergic reactions to stevia. Food allergy symptoms may vary.
Contact your doctor if you develop hives, an itchy rash, mouth or throat, abdominal pain,
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or difficulty breathing after using Truvia or stevia. Truvia contains a
sugar alcohol called erythritol. This sugar alcohol is usually added to low-calorie sweeteners to
act as a bulking agent. Sugar alcohols are considered low-calorie sugar substitutes because they
are not fully absorbed. In the colon, however, these sugars are fermented by bacteria and may
cause gas and bloating. Additionally, when consumed in excessive amounts, sugar alcohols may
have a laxative effect, causing diarrhea”. Again LiveStrong.com said it as clearly as I could.
Please pay attention to the labels on all the foods you eat. Notice what your responses are. If
you find yourself eating more of the sugar free gums, mints, and other products, or mixing
products to get a specific taste, just take them out.
The sugar alcohols trigger many of my clients. Especially if the client is also alcoholic, they are
triggered easily. And my veterinarian says I must not wrap the dog’s pills in peanut butter with
xylitol in it; that can cause liver failure in dogs.
I understand how hard it is to shop – and I ranted and raved for over half an hour on the way
home… This is why I tell you to plan your meals every day! Go to the grocery once a week (It is
tough enough!) Go with the list you made when you planned your meals. Buy ONLY what is on
the list. Try to ignore the End Caps, the middle aisles, the people walking around giving out
samples. I will have more practical suggestions over the course of this blog but that is the End
of Theresa’s rant for the day.
Oh, but watch your knees when it comes to the “Customer in Training” carts. I am surprised
that as a society, we have maintained such a dangerous place – but alas, one must eat and
certain people want to earn money.
Please, please send me a comment below!
Blessings to you,
Theresa
Thank you for writing how I feel in the grocery store! I have started using the click list at Kroger to pick up my groceries in order to avoid inside. This helps me because I make my list at home and only buy what I need. It has really been a game changer for me.
Did you find a suitable sweetener? This article prompted me to look at my Whole Foods stevia packs and it contains a form is sugar as well as silica!! Yikes! I knew deep down it was too sweet.
Anxious for your reply. Thank you!
Not at this store. I do sell pure stevia in my office, but it is expensive. Let’s keep looking till we find a good one!
Good one! Valuable information on malic acid and stevia.
Thank you.
I couldn’t agree with you more, Theresa. It’s such a vicious circle: it’s easy to say that if consumers stopped buying this cavalcade of junk, grocery stores would have to stop selling it. However, until food packaging carries warnings from the surgeon general about being hazardous to one’s health (like cigarettes finally had to implement!) people continue to buy and eat things we wouldn’t feed our dogs and cats – they get REAL food!
nd it gets worse when other people judge us or blame us (“Have you no WILLPOWER?) for not doing what we cannot do or for not doing what won’t work for us. Most Americans just do not realize this truth and what it means for them.
I have been wondering about Monk Fruit? Not the packaged kind with other fillers, but the kind that is 100% ground monk fruit. I ordered some from the Julian Bakery website, but I haven’t really had time to test it yet. I was wondering if you have an opinion about it from your work with clients. It is very popular with the Keto Diet community.
I have not had a lot of experience with clients using it yet. But on the Julian \Bakery website, the two items on either side of the product you are asking about, contain items I usually do not recommend. This one looks like whole real fruit only. It might be ok, OR your body might react to it as though it were sugar. Because it is a kind of sugar. If you decide to try it, please let us know how well it works for you.