Options are good. There's no denying that we love having them-chocolate or vanilla, sunny side up or scrambled, rare or well done. When it comes to food, we like to call the shots.
But nowadays we have so many choices, a trip down the grocery aisle can be dizzying. Sure, we can pick out the flavors we like best, but sometimes it's difficult to decipher the healthy options from the high fat choices that are masquerading as healthy.
While there are some prepared foods with high nutritional standards and quality ingredients, the simplest shopping tip I use is to stick with foods that my great grandmother would have recognized.
With Gram as my guide, my basket is full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meats, nuts, eggs, cheese and even a little bit of butter. All of these, in the right quantities are key to keeping the family healthy and strong. On top of all that, they taste better than the imitation, overly-processed options. Best of all, I don't have to read any ingredient labels. No hydrogenated shortening, no high fructose syrup, no added flavoring or coloring. Just vitamins, minerals, oils, phytochemicals, and true flavor.
Take California Ripe Olives for instance. Sure they come pre-cured in a can (raise your hand if you have time to do your own canning these days), but they use the very same recipe and technique that a German housewife came up with in the late 1800s and haven't changed a thing since. That's real food.
So next time you hit the supermarket, don't let all of those choices get you down. Instead let great-grandma be your guide. Because the more choices we have, the easier it is to recognize that sometimes simplifying is the best choice of all.
