"I Can Only Buy Water and Paper Towels"

I just got home from leading a NutriTour Grocery Shopping Trip. It's one of my favorite things to do. I enjoy watching people shocked by the misconceptions of the marketing found on packaged foods. It's also a time when I get the gratification of knowing that 9 more people and families will be eating foods that actually fuel, heal, and renew as opposed to hype, fatten, and deteriorate. During the tour, I teach the group how to read labels, look for dangerous or fattening ingredients, dangerous additives, toxic preservatives, and find foods that will actually contribute to their health. Part of the tour is spent talking about what you shouldn't buy, but most of it focuses on what you should buy. Healthier alternatives to items the group is already eating. It's also somewhat disheartening for the participants to realize that they cannot trust the packaging and must read the label to truly know what they are eating. After canvasing the store, they realize that most of the shelves are full of chemicals, fat, and preservatives. There are plenty of great foods, but you have to really know where and what to buy in order to find them. It's a little overwhelming. Today one woman told me, "I feel like the only thing I can trust to buy is plain water and paper towels!" I laughed with her at the truth of her statement. I encouraged her to transform her grocery cart a little at a time over the coming weeks. She'll find her foods and will be so much better for it. I'm always so proud of my NutriTour grads!

It was a really good weekend with a fun ending. If you're reading this, go look in your pantry. Got any labels with these ingredients? High Fructose Corn Syrup, Partially Hydrogenated Oils, MSG, colors or numbers? If you do, throw them away and sign up for the next NutriTour!