True to my word, and practicing what I preach, I took in a grocery store tour.
I took the first opportunity I had to take in a store tour. And due to my unfortunate recent separation from my job, I had the time to take in the 10 a.m. tour.
As you probably have guessed, I took a tour with the same dietitian I featured last December. I hadn't actually taken a tour with her before, so I thought this would be a good place to renew my efforts.
I had a fear that I would be the only one for the early starting tour. After all, not many could make a 10 a.m. tour. Fortunately, at the last minute, Shirley, a middle aged African American woman, joined us at the last minute.
Now you might think that I know a lot, and was just there as a refresher. But I was open-minded to learn something, and was so glad I did, because even if you know a lot, you always can learn more.
Michelle, our tour guide, started with fruit and vegetables. But the discussion didn't start with food, but medical terminology. Well, numbers that you get from blood work. Michelle started talking about cholesterol.
Having had a physical recently, and having my numbers, I figured I was set. Michelle emphasized the difference between HDL and LDL. I knew I had just scored a personal best 44 in HDL, knowing that 40 was the benchmark my doctors had tried to get me to cross. Then, Michelle noted that 50 was now the benchmark for HDL. I went from feeling success to seeing failure.
I had worked hard to lift my HDL. But now it wasn't "good enough." Then again, getting your HDL as high as you can is most important. Michelle did suggest something to improve HDL: exercise. That was good to know.
Michelle also talked about triglycerides, something I still don't know much about. And I couldn't remember what my triglycerides were.
Shirley had her own concerns, but also was concerned for her husband as well. She said her husband had suffered a heart attack in 2000, or at least, she thinks he did. Shirley also noted that her husband suffers from diabetes.
Michelle taught about about how the colors of the fruits and vegetables correlate with its nutrients.
And we discussed spaghetti squash, and how it comes out like spaghetti. I still think putting marinara sauce on squash has nothing to do with spaghetti.
We went through the various aisles. Talking about seafood and other lean sources of protein. Michelle also mentioned fat free feta cheese as a tasty but relatively healthy treat.
After Michelle mentioned feta, Shirley said her husband gets migraines from white cheeses. Later, when we discussed milk, Shirley said he used to drink whole milk before eventually working down to 1%, but still not ready for skim.
I could relate to her husband. When I first started doing better, I drank whole milk and didn't think I could ever drop down. It took a while in gradual steps, but I now drink skim milk.
We talked high fiber wraps. Michelle told us to look at the labels and specifically look for soluble fiber. The soluble fiber makes us feel more full and helps regulate blood sugar.
We were also taught to read labels to avoid saturated fat while going for poly- and mono- unsaturated fat. Michelle showed us spray canisters with oils as an attempt to save on fat.
Walking up and down the aisles, and getting to ask a lot of questions, helps put the whole grocery shopping experience in perspective. Michelle was great about pointing to various items on the shelves, helping open our eyes to ideas we either might not have thought about or hadn't considered in some time.
The dietitian has to make sacrifices, trying different products to help shoppers figure out what might work for them. Michelle noted that she gets a 15% discount but only on store-brand products.
The time taken wasn't that long, and was a source of inspiration in future shopping trips. A little personal attention can go a long way toward eating better, even when you think you know everything.
Comments