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If you’re like me, grocery shopping is a chore — something that has to be done, not something you want to do. My go-to guide for grocery shopping is a book called “Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide” by the editor of Men’s Health magazine, David Zinczenko.
This is the third in a series of “Eat This Not That” books. It’s a great tool to use when you’re trying to make healthy food choices while grocery shopping without spending a ton of time reading every food label.
The first chapter talks about the basics of the supermarket. Rule No. 1 when going to the supermarket is to work the edges. Generally the healthiest foods are found along the wall, the dairy, produce, meats and seafood are found there.
Another rule is to look high and low. Did you know that since the ’80s, supermarkets have been charging a “slotting fee” to food companies to have their products shown at the best possible place on the shelves, which would be eye level for most or kid’s eye level for candy and cereal, and the healthier items tend to be towards the top and bottom.
Also in this chapter it lists 11 secrets the food industry doesn’t want you to know. One of these secrets is that legally some of your food can contain certain amounts of maggots, rodent hairs or insect fragments. For example canned tomatoes can contain up to five fly eggs or two maggots per 500 grams, kind of an appetite killer!
Also listed are the 20 worst packaged foods in America. It first says what the worst is then says what to eat instead. If you’re a candy eater, the worst candy listed is a Twix and what to eat instead is the 100 grand, with less calories, sugars and fat.
Especially helpful is the produce aisle chapter. It tells you all about the produce and what its peak season is, how to store it and what the payoff of eating this item is. It tells you what the top 10 herbs and spices are and a salad bar survival guide. It breaks down all the things found at the salad bar and how they impact your salad.
If you’re wondering if it’s worth paying extra to buy organic, it lets you know what foods are worth it and what is not.
Did you know that just one glass of milk a day can decrease your chance of colorectal cancer by 15 percent and dairy products may reduce the risk of insulin resistance syndrome, which is a precursor to diabetes? All this information can be found in the refrigerator chapter.
The section in the book that I use most often are the pages that give you brand name products that you will find in the supermarket and which are better choices to eat — the “eat this not that” section. You’d be surprised to find out that some things that you think are healthy actually aren’t, and it tells you the equivalent of what would be a better, healthier option.
One of the chapters toward the end of the book is all about drinks. Diet soda might not actually be good to drink if you’re on a diet and not all tea and fortified drinks are good for you and if you’re a beer or wine drinker you can see the better options for those. As in previous chapters, it lists the worst beverages you can get in the supermarket.
The other titles of this series include “Eat This Not That, the No-Diet Weight loss Solution” and the “Eat This Not That for Kids,” which, whether you have kids or not, this is a great book to check out. These books do the work for you and help you make better food choices for your family.
Shelly Parshall is a La Crosse County Library System staff member at the Bangor branch.
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