Poser Health Food Shopper
Last evening I went to Whole Foods to buy my groceries. In the past, a similar trip only yielded turbinado sugar for hot tea and maybe a few muffins or cookies from the baked goods aisle. I never, well, almost never shopped from the regular grocery aisles. People shopping there were different than me. They dressed differently. They sometimes smelled differently. They looked like they were committed to a healthy lifestyle, not just a better tasting morning tea. I looked at them with a bit of wonder, always carefully avoiding eye contact so they wouldn’t guess I was not one of them.
Yesterday I got an actual shopping cart as opposed to my typical little arm basket, and went down every aisle. I milled around in the produce long enough to feel comfortable. The bulk aisle, my usual haunt, produced grains, raw pumpkin seeds and legumes in my cart. Shopping gluten-free is one thing but when you take out dairy and sugars it can feel punishing. So as I mentioned in an earlier post, I am reading every label, scrutinizing every ingredient down to the very last xanthan gum listing.
I have three friends working in the store I visited. Two of them were there last night. I needed that! I felt anxious about going in the first place and seeing their smiling faces and even getting a hug, made me feel at home in a place which previously made me twitch a bit.
Perhaps I sound a bit dramatic about shopping for health food? I think it’s more to do with not knowing what I am doing. Maybe a bit of a control issue? I can put a good traditional meal together with the best of them but in this new world of dairy-free and no wheat, I am still learning. What is “tamarind concentrate?” I bought it last night along with garam masala. Those items never crossed my radar screen before.
Learning new things and making deliberate choices feels good…a bit scary but scary can be good. So what if I don’t smell like patchouli yet or wear cool, organic looking clothing.
And those folks are mostly thin and glowing. I feel fat and faded.
But change is coming.
Pursuing health,
Caroline
Yesterday I got an actual shopping cart as opposed to my typical little arm basket, and went down every aisle. I milled around in the produce long enough to feel comfortable. The bulk aisle, my usual haunt, produced grains, raw pumpkin seeds and legumes in my cart. Shopping gluten-free is one thing but when you take out dairy and sugars it can feel punishing. So as I mentioned in an earlier post, I am reading every label, scrutinizing every ingredient down to the very last xanthan gum listing.
I have three friends working in the store I visited. Two of them were there last night. I needed that! I felt anxious about going in the first place and seeing their smiling faces and even getting a hug, made me feel at home in a place which previously made me twitch a bit.
Perhaps I sound a bit dramatic about shopping for health food? I think it’s more to do with not knowing what I am doing. Maybe a bit of a control issue? I can put a good traditional meal together with the best of them but in this new world of dairy-free and no wheat, I am still learning. What is “tamarind concentrate?” I bought it last night along with garam masala. Those items never crossed my radar screen before.
Learning new things and making deliberate choices feels good…a bit scary but scary can be good. So what if I don’t smell like patchouli yet or wear cool, organic looking clothing.
And those folks are mostly thin and glowing. I feel fat and faded.
But change is coming.
Pursuing health,
Caroline
Labels: garam masala, poser, Whole Foods
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 7:38 PM.
You can skip to the end and leave a response.
2 Comments:
You can do it! Since one of our girls is now wheat, sugar and dairy free, it has presented a whole new challenge to cooking and baking for her when she's home. It's getting easier and we're all finding new favorites. She has found some recipes at www.candidadiet.com
Tracy
I am so proud of your attitude as you face this new adventure. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I don't even know what xanthan gum is. Perhaps I should education myself more.
Post a Comment