T-bone or Mickey D’s?

Considerations of “healthy” including shopping the full grocery store

Here’s an example that I often use when discussing food shaming and the hierarchy our society assigns to food. In many social circles, enjoying a glass or more of expensive red wine with a filet mignon at a fine dining establishment is thought of as a “high-brow experience,” while eating a burger and soda from a chain restaurant is ‘low-class behavior and unhealthy.’ A bottomless brunch serving up all the mimosas a person could want–well, that’s having fun… yet people who keep orange juice in the fridge are counseled to not purchase OJ on a regular basis.

How did we get here, you ask? How is it both socially and culturally acceptable to engage in particular interactions with food for some while others are damned and shamed? Why has the dominant society assigned a moral hierarchy to food? I would argue that it comes mainly from the recommendations that come forth from our governing bodies and “experts” regarding nutrition and food. I would also add that these recommendations are from an Anglo-European and Anglo- American perspective.

These implicitly biased recommendations are taken in by the general public, who come from diverse backgrounds, and said moral hierarchy around food is passed on, resulting in food shaming. Last week’s blog post goes deeper into this discussion. Socioeconomics is a significant variable as there is value associated with wealth–having a steak is prized while a fast food burger is not–and not because it’s a more nutritious choice.

I want to carry this conversation of food hierarchy into the context of the grocery store, so we can debunk an age-old myth about how to properly shop. Have you ever heard of the phrase “shop the perimeter” when talking about tips for grocery shopping? This is standard advice given to consumers in order to try to get them to make “healthier” choices at the store. And yet, this “gold standard” of “healthy” food is not accessible or culturally relevant, or even appealing to every single person in this country. When we shop only along the perimeter of the grocery store, we’re missing out on so much great food. Instead of focusing on what we should be eliminating from our patterns of eating, let’s focus on what we can add by embracing the entire grocery store.

There are so many amazing, nutrient-filled, shelf-stable, affordable foods within the inner parts of the grocery store. For example, we miss out on frozen and canned produce when we avoid the center of the grocery store. There is no evidence that fresh produce is nutritionally superior to canned or frozen produce, so there is no reason you should feel like you can’t add either to your grocery list. The same goes for protein choices – if we’re only shopping from the deli counter, we’re missing out on an amazing variety of plant-based proteins, like canned beans, peas, lentils, nut butter, nuts, and frozen animal proteins. Just because a food isn’t considered “fresh” or “not processed” doesn’t mean it can’t be incorporated into your pattern of eating. If those shelf-stable, financially-viable options work for you, I want you to know there is absolutely no shame in purchasing them. And the biggest kicker about this advice: shopping the perimeter means missing out on a huge food group: whole grains! Grains like bread, rice, quinoa, fortified cereal, and more are not typically located on the outside aisles of the grocery store and we know that these play a role in many people’s eating patterns.

The outside of the grocery store also tends to be much more expensive than the inner shelves, which may not be accessible to everyone. As grocery store prices continue to rise, purchasing fresh produce, deli meat, dairy, and eggs on the regular is becoming more and more difficult for the general public to afford. If retreating to the inner shelves of the store allows you to make some swaps that make a difference on your grocery bill, I encourage you to do that! Maybe right now the only option for groceries is a convenience or a dollar store, and “shop the perimeter” doesn’t even apply to your stores – that’s totally fine too. You can absolutely build a pattern of eating that includes a variety of options by making choices based on what is available and appealing to you.

I hope this information allows you to reflect on how we all have internalized society’s food hierarchy and that it is possible to break away from it and shop and eat in the way that is most beneficial to you, financially, culturally, and proximately.