I walked into a local grocery establishment last night in search of two things…kale and organic lemons. I have been disappointed in this grocery establishment for quite a while now but every time I really need something, I think to myself “well maybe it has changed and it is better now”. No such luck.
I walked in the front door and right into their shrinking produce section. It is pretty much the only section I go to in a grocery store since I do my best to eat as much live food as possible, mainly consisting of fruits and vegetables, and when
I say vegetables, I mean HEAVY, DARK GREEN vegetables. It sounds absolutely silly, I know, but it seems they have shrunk down the produce section to make more room for the “Value” section which includes loads of canned and boxed junk that you can get for a really cheap price and take home to feed to your family. There is something seriously wrong with this equation.
In a country plagued with illness, sickness and disease, there should be a expanding produce section, not a shrinking produce section. The subset of the produce section “the organic produce” section is also shrinking in proportion to the overall diminish-ment of the section. It is sad and it upsets me. As I wander though this section, and the entire store for that matter, I find myself shaking my head in disappointment. It is unbelievable that a community like Fenton, that seems to be growing and prospering, cannot get better food than this.
Have you ever heard that “you should only shop the perimeter of the grocery store”? Do you know why? The perimeter is the area where fresh food is located…hence the need for refrigeration and such. Check in with yourself and see how many aisles you go down on a regular basis? Pasta, rice and beans are located in the aisles that make up the middle of the store however not much else going on in that area that has much nutritional value, but it all has one INCREDIBLE shelf-life and much larger profit margins for the stores. You can be sure that this area is filled with artificial colors, artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives and some of the “food” stuff isn’t even food at all!!!
It is really scary…it scares the crap out of me!
So my original reason for entering the grocery was in search of kale since it is one of the most nutrient-dense greens and I really wanted a green smoothie for dinner. I would prefer organic but I would have gone with any kale that was fresh, because I have accepted the fact that living in Fenton is a limitation at times and organic is unfortunately luck of the draw. I walk up to the shelf where it is supposed to be and it is empty. I can feel my physiology shift to massive disappointment instantaneously. Then I had a thought, “Maybe, just maybe, earlier in the day this shelf was overstocked with so much beautiful kale that everyone that walked by just had to stop and grab some to take it home with them to make green smoothies for dinner for their families. I just got there too late in the day to get some”.
Yeah, that’s it.