I too buy and cook less than healthy choices, but I try not to make it a constant. If you scan my food entries here on this blog you'll see that I am willing to use processed ingredients including sugar and fats and high levels of salt. I never use low cal or low fat products, I go for the full fat gusto!
Lately though, I have been trying hard to avoid facing my choices in a honest appraisal of their unhealthy influence. My secret pleasure...? SALT!
Russ recently had some blood work done and the result showed his cholesterol and glucose levels were high. Now it is not just my salt cravings; it's time to get serious once again.
I do understand that there are many aspects of our lives contributing to my/our food choices. There is the cost, the ease of preparation, the taste (perpetuated by the food industry) and both physical and emotional factors.
It all begins with primary 'food' – this is not really food but the things in life that 'feed' and 'nourish' us in other ways – our relationships, my work, Russ' days adjusting to a far more sedentary life with Parkinson's, our spiritual satisfaction and our interests. All this influences our food choices. When these aspects are off, we find ourselves seeking satisfaction from food. As I have upped the anti in my salt consumption, I have chosen not to face the fact that I am exercising less and making excuses more.
Getting Russ' blood test results has forced me to face my salt craving. Cravings are actually a good thing! I believe they are a quiet, subtle message of my body telling me that something is out of balance.I have known that for months, but chosen to avoid the discussion with myself. It's time...!
I am aware that the most common foods we crave are sugar, fat, and salt. Scientists in food labs actually are tenacious about putting 'just enough' of those ingredients in our processed food to keep us wanting more, but not too much to put us off. Then the manufacturers pay grocery stores so that their products are placed in areas where you're most likely to see them, like the checkout and any eye-level shelves. Next time you are in the grocery store, look at the seemingly endless aisle of chips. Even at out 'natural' grocery store, the chip aisle is bigger than the fresh vegetable aisle. Now what does that say for our culture?
My salt cravings are on trial. The courtroom of my mind is building a case to focus on 'real' food.
AFTER THOUGHT
I decided to see if my assumption of shelf space was correct when I went to Nature's Oasis today. It is!
How about your store? Is there a massive chip aisle? Do you spend a lot of time perusing options?