Grocery Shopping with Elle
I am happy to share with you a story written by my husband, Craig. Through his words, you will begin to understand why it is such a privilege for me to be married to this man. Not to mention the fact that I am lucky to have found someone who is such an outstanding cook. As you will soon come to find out, I cannot cook much more than a Tony’s Frozen Pizza or Weaver Chicken Nuggets. And you already know that I have horrible eating habits. Needless to say, there are more reasons than I can count for why I am grateful to be going through life with Craig. Not the least of which is his commitment to feeding our family healthy and delicious food. After reading his post, I trust that you will agree:
Grocery Shopping with Elle
by Craig Welch
I wonder how many families around the world shop for their food once a week? That’s the ritual for our family and I think for just about everyone else I know. This is likely an American phenomenon created by credit cards, suburban planning and our work-life “balance”. I think that most of the world buys their food daily, or at least many times per week from neighborhood grocery stores, butchers, fruit and vegetable stands and bakeries. In other places, I imagine that the food is fresh, in season, has little or no need for preservatives and can be carried home in one bag. Like it or not, my family practices the American style of shopping. I try to stop at Carl’s Meat Market to stock up on the Bell & Evan’s natural chicken tenders and at Golden Harvest because their fruits and veggies are better quality and I like to support the local guy. Mostly, our shopping is a $250.00 trip per week military industrial exercise requiring lists, bags full of bags, an SUV, a credit card and if all goes well, at least one of our four children.
This week it was Elle’s turn. These trips present an opportunity to talk with each child a little about where our food comes from – well lit refrigerated cases wrapped in plastic? How to make good consumer choices – Spider-man gummies for $7.24 per pound or Golden Delicious apples at $1.29 per pound? Ultimately, they are learning how to make healthy choices to best fuel our bodies.
Having Elle along makes me realize not only how hard it is to make healthy choices about food, but also how hard it is to figure out what items in the store are really food at all. It’s one thing to try to make good choices from our fridge or pantry, but entirely another thing to make choices from a 75,000 sq.ft. box store full of colorful bags, boxes and bottles of chemistry posing as food. Even in our mostly utilitarian local Market Basket, the splash of color, bright lights and piped in music could be mistaken for a carnival.
As Elle and I start out, we remind ourselves of the rule about “shopping the perimeter of the store”. If we stay true to this rule, we’d be in OK shape – walking from dairy to meat to fruits and veggies and then to the bakery. This is the 1/4 of the store where the actual food is, but I’ve still not found a way to avoid diving into the middle aisles.
So we start on the perimeter with the glistening refrigerated cases of dairy products. Dairy is a good choice for Elle with lots of calcium, good fat and protein and not a lot of carbs to worry about. We don’t need much here because we are fortunate enough to have a Milkman. Yes, a Milkman! Just like the old days, we have a little white truck that drops off milk, eggs and a few other must haves to get us through to the end of the week. I try to get all of our milk from the milkman because it’s the only place I can get local milk direct from a NH farm. More on that later. One thing we always stock up on are Stonyfield Super Smoothies not just because they are great, but also for those times when Elle goes low in the middle of the night. She’s become pretty good at drinking while sleeping, and when you poke a straw through the little foil cover under the cap, it’s almost spill proof.
Then we’re at the deli. The whole idea of cured meat has never made us fans of the deli, but through Type 1 eyes, we’ve found a new appreciation in the giant cases of “free” food – carb free that is. Elle likes having a couple of slices of pepperoni in her lunch or some baked ham, shaved thin. Not that it makes much of a difference with carbs but I’ve never realized how hard it is to get something as simple as baked ham.
“Could I get a half a pound of baked ham please?”
“Honey Baked Ham?”
“No just Baked Ham please”
“How about some Virginia Honey Baked.”
“Any plain Virginia Baked?”
“Nope, just Honey Baked”
“OK … I guess”
Then it’s on to the middle aisles and this is where the label reading begins. The cereal aisle is a modern wonder of the world. An 80-foot long, 7 foot high wall of processed goodness. Shouldn’t breakfast cereal be one of those things, like bread and yogurt, that shouldn’t be too hard to get right? Elle doesn’t eat a lot of cereal for breakfast, but it’s nice to have one kind on hand that she likes so we start picking through some choices and studying our breakfast. Wow! Is this stuff even food? It must be food because most of them have positive nutrition claims on the front of the box. Whole Grain Trix? Coco Puffs are apparently a good source of Calcium and other Vitamins. According to the front of these boxes, these cereals are full of fiber and other good things.
What am I missing? This is what I find on the nutrition information posted on the cereal boxes – sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated whatever and enough chemicals and preservatives to keep each bite bright and crispy until the next Ice Age. The boxes look more like toys than food. We finally settle on some of your good old-fashioned Cheerios and some oatmeal.
On it goes through the middle aisles – choosing, reading, unchoosing, learning and talking as we go. Is a 26g granola bar good enough to be 1/2 of lunch? What’s high maltose corn syrup? What’s BHT and why is it used to preserve freshness, and more importantly, why are they calling it BHT instead of it’s real name? It must have a real name right? We end up at the very end of the middle aisles and feel like we’ve made some good choices and some good compromises.
The rest of the shopping is easy – picking up as many fruits and veggies as we can eat in a week without spoiling. We start in the organic section because we’ve made the commitment to buy organic whenever we can and suck up the extra $25 – $50 per week. As I’m bagging up my broccoli, I’m wondering why we don’t put it in a box with a cartoon character on it like the cereal. Hmmm. Maybe I’ll work on that?
Grocery shopping is like anything else where making good choices requires making the time and having the resources to make choices. With all of the choices we have, trying to do all of this in 45 minutes is nuts. It’s very hard to find the time and make the time to talk about food, to plan meals, to bring the kids, to shop slowly, and to read the ingredients.
While this is hard for us, it must be nearly impossible for millions of families with more challenging circumstances. This process would feel dramatically different if I didn’t have a choice but to bring all of my four kids together, if my time were stretched thin because I was juggling two or more jobs, or if I had a budget so tight that cost per calorie was the deciding factor. The fact is, healthy food can be really expensive. That is, if you don’t count the hundreds of thousands of dollars in health care costs that your kids and our country will incur later to manage their Type II diabetes. The cost of good food is a major factor at the root of our Type II diabetes epidemic.
I’m thankful that Elle is 10, and so has the ability to reason. She’s old enough to understand that we’re really trying to make good choices to keep our family healthy. When it does turn into a fight, I remind myself that this is not a fight between me and my child – it is a fight between us and the food industry. It’s not a fair fight when you think about all of the marketing power, science, and technology they have on their side. This is why we need to stick together and be armed with as much information as we can find and share.
Tags: craig, shopping, stefany, stefanyshaheen
Stefany,
You and your children are lucky to have Craig and his wealth of knowledge about nutrition. The fact that he cooks, grocery shops with a kid and tries to educate them about nutrition is a triple bonus.
It is so hard to stay out of those middle isles because it is so much cheaper than staying on the perimeter. Even harder when you are on a very tight budget and food prices keep climbing.
If things continue the way they are I can see the Type II epedemic becoming a common childhood illness. This is so sad to think about knowing that it is a totally preventable disease. I would give anything to have had the chance to prevent Kailyn from getting Type I. Instead, I am doing all I can to make sure she can live those 15 years (and hopefully beyond)that the average Type 1 Diabetic is expected to lose.
You are too kind Kristen. Thank you. We’ve spent the whole last year talking about how we can afford health care and not hardly anytime talking about how we can make health care more affordable. We could start by focusing a little more what we are feeding our children. Diabetes is the most costly disease there is to the US healthcare system, and it does not seem that hard to trace the causes directly back to the middle aisles.
Craig and Stefany, you are an inspiration to all parents with children of Type 1 Diabetes. You address such a vital and “secretive” issue regarding diabetes management.
We live in a society where its cheaper, quicker and more readily available to eat bad. In a society where obesity is rampant and health “nuts” are seen as pesty, I think you are giving good validation to the day to day frustrations all Type 1 Diabetic and even regular families face on a daily basis.
As a mom to two kids, one being Type 1 Diabetic, I am constantly avoiding those “middle aisles” and fast food restaurants. Slowly there are markets giving more attention to the cost of eating healthy, but there is such a long way to go.
I remember a day when my son, Austin age 8 and I were shopping together and discussing protein and carbohydrate counts. I had a women look at us like we were crazy!
Please keep up the fabulous work!
Oh…and sharing your finds would be great!
Gabrielle
(Mom to Austin dx’d 4/05 and Elsie 8 months)
I am a middle-age adult that was unexpectedly diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes. I also have a background in medicine and much experience with nutrition. I took a rather unusual approach to diabetes: since my diagnosis 5 years ago, I have successfully maintained a very healthy diet and kept my A1C at approx 6 or below and take a small dose of Lantus in the morning. My point is this. Today it is relatively easy to follow a healthy diet for diabetics while eating tasty, varied meals. The problem is sharing this knowledge and getting more cooperation. Shopping with Elle showed the challenges MOST of the public encounters when going grocery shopping. If consumers had some assistance regarding food recommendations, recipes, meal planning and prepared foods that were both tasty and healthy, it would make life better and easier for diabetics (and those at risk for diabetes). I have attempted to reach out to different organizations and corporations (including supermarket chains) but unfortunately, are not finding much openness. Does anyone have suggestions?
Craig & Stefany,
Thanks for sharing your experiences of raising your children, specifically Elle, your daughter with type 1 diabetes. All of us parents with type 1 kids can relate. It saddens me that it is much more expensive to eat healthy than it is to eat poorly. We try when at all possible to prepare and eat foods from their natural state (no additives or preservatives), but in this crazy, busy lifestyle that most of us live, that is not always possible. We promote healthy food choices to both of our kids and lots of exercise, but still feel very challenged to keep our daughter Hannah’s blood sugar in a normal range on a consistent basis. Just when we think we’ve got it figured out, type 1 rears it’s ugly head with crazy highs followed by crazy lows. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all the planning and thought that goes into feeding Hannah and all that she has to learn to be responsible for at 9 years of age. Usually, she makes good choices, but today was not one of those days (Valentine’s party at school and daycare). I have to remind myself that she is still a kid and not be too hard on her.
Thanks again for sharing and being a voice for all the children and adults living with type 1 diabetes. Your efforts are appreciated!
I can relate to Beth. I got a call the other day that my son’s blood sugar was at 411 – school refused to put him on the school bus; frantically I left work and went to get him. Trying to make sense of why – we learned it was the day the school gave out Valentines candy. Though he didn’t admit to eating it and not covering it – it’s the only explanation we could come up with. I have to remind myself that he’s 12 and just want to be a kid and do what the other kids are doing. I also struggle with not being too hard on him and need to find a better way to deal with my anxiety around it.
thank you again for your thoughtful posts. As we assist our daughter to live fully with type 1 diabetes, it helps to share the journey. I wonder if you have had a chance to see Food Inc.? It is follows up your discussion regarding grocery shopping very well. It will be aired on PBS April 21st. Here is the trailer for it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqzjC-ENrl8
thanks again….
Grace
Love the movie Food, Inc. It is on my list of favorites!
Great learning experience for Ellie and the entire family. Now, repeat this grocery trip with having to avoid all gluten content as well. Talk about time consuming, ubber expensive and confusing. Has Ellie been tested for Celiac Disease? 10% of all Type I’s have Celiac Disease and it should not be overlooked.
My son’s had Type 1 since the age of 3, and he’s now 16 and just got his driver’s license. Fortunately, he’s in excellent health (athletic) and knows carb counting inside out. Sometimes at school he forgets to bolus, which messes up his numbers. And he still doesn’t always make healthy choices, but I’ve never said no to a food…I’ve just been firm on when he could have it and how much he could have. That seems to have worked fairly well as he doesn’t seem to have food deprivation issues and is pretty good about eating what I cook for him.
As far as fast foods, we stick to Subway or other sandwich-type shops, Chipotle, Chick-fil-a, Zen, and the like. I discovered how easy fish is to broil and how great a steamer is for veggies. I buy less bread and cereal than I used to, and when I do buy cereal, I pay extra attention to the sugar. I try to buy high fiber (one gram of fiber cancels out a gram of carb, typically) and have taught him to do the same. I look for products like Dreamfields pasta (awesome). Luckily my boys have come to love home cooked meals more than eating out. I’ve gotten pretty good with a crockpot, too, which helps.
Since I’m a single working mom, he’s had to take more responsibility for his own care. I’d suggest the same to those of you with younger children. Try to get them to be more self sufficient (self care, tracking supplies, etc.) as soon as you feel they can handle it. We didn’t (did everything for him – reminded him, checked him, etc.) and it was really a nightmare to get him to take over his own care. Now I struggle with him keeping tabs on his supplies (we just ran out of insulin again and he had to go get his vial at his dad’s place), and to get him to check regularly. He has a love/hate relationship with his pump, but it’s given him freedom these past five years that he never knew during the first eight. It made him feel somewhat normal again.
If I could, I would take this disease for him in a heartbeat. The thought of him out driving scares me silly and then thinking about him leaving for college in two years gives me an absolute heart attack, but we’re taking the steps to get him to take over all of his care and to be better in tune with checking and what he’s eating. He’s even taking a Food and Nutrition class this semester and it seems to have helped a little. Plus, I am buying little to no junk for home, much to the chagrin of my older son. I buy organic when possible and almost always choose the healthiest options for food. Costco is a godsend too!
I’d like to encourage everyone to keep supporting diabetes research – it’s come so far since my son was dx’ed. He used to have to have a venous draw to get an A1c when he was 3 and 4, and it was a killer to pin him down so the nurse could stick him while he screamed. Thank the Lord things have gotten better. I was thrilled when he got his GGMS, but he says it hurts so much to put in that he no longer will wear it – it’s that painful. Hopefully research will step in again and give us that one-piece pump/CGMS that these kids and others need.
Hang in there, everyone, and thanks so much for posting this info. I learned so much online in those early years – things that our doctors didn’t even know – and it kept us sane. Education is the key to living a longer, healthier life. I’ll be riding in the Tour de Cure this weekend to support diabetes research, and I’ll keep praying for a cure!
You are lucky indeed to have such a family.Because you are living in a preventive world where joy and care is found,whereby other people live in a curative one with all the expenses time lost,drugs
Hi Stefany! I was just browsing through the CRHS alumni site and saw you had this blog. I thought I’d stop by to see whats going on in your lives. Neither of my kids have Diabetes but my mother in law has type 2. I know there are differences between type one and two but its not been easy for her either to make those tough but necessary choices. Then you also have to “argue with a child” I agree it’s with the food industry not the child. They are just a slave to the industry thus we become one too if we don’t watch out!
My son Jason 9 yrs old has been dealing with GRED (acid reflux) for most of his life but we have only been aware of it 2 years of his life. We too need to watch portions but also amounts of fat and spice and acidity of foods.along with soda. He has amazingly taken the ropes him self at young age of 8 saying “I don’t want to take the pill any more mom, what can I do?” He and I went to his GI doctor in Woburn, MA (we are in Northern Essex county) and he told us that Jason CAN get off it as long as he watches very carefully what he eats. so he has been now portioning his food and monitoring his fat intake. yes occationaly I have to be Mother and step in and deal with the “mom I will be ok” thus soon later the belly aches begin, and we administer a tsp of Mylanta. Stick to the hard work both of you two! You are doing a great job with the kids..
Great to hear from you, Jean. It is amazing what parenthood requires of us all.
Glad to know that you are well and appreciate your willingness to reach out.
Enjoy your family time together this summer!