Dread grocery shopping? You’re not alone.
American’s restaurant spending just surpassed their spending at the grocery store according to this article in Bloomberg Business. The article suggests this is a generational trend from millennials. Unfortunately, eating out still comes with it’s pitfalls such as the increased risk of developing high-blood pressure as discussed in the Medical News Today article – Eating out ‘raises risk for high blood pressure’.
Truth be told, I actually really enjoy grocery shopping! It’s one of my happy places – I have even been caught dancing in front of the produce aisle. I am aware that this is weird.
Food for thought:
Recently as I was wandering around the grocery store I realized that it’s not easy to eat healthy by grocery shopping instead of going out to restaurants. The wonderful world of convenience foods has worked its way into every corner of our lives, which may be one reason why we are just going out to eat instead of messing up our own kitchens.
The good news is there are still lots of healthy choices it’s just a matter of learning to play my favorite game, which I like to call good versus better. Simply pull 2 options off the shelf – for example 2 marinara sauces. Look at the label for sodium, sugar and number of ingredients to determine which has less. There is so much information to look at and often it depends what your goals are to know what to monitor. I suggest working with a dietitian for more personalized recommendations.
This is a simple salad that can be made ahead because it gets tastier when left to develop it’s flavors overnight!
As a dietitian I’m supposed to LOVE kale…
Honestly, unless it’s in a smoothie or turned into chips I was not interested; that is until I discovered this salad, which was inspired by the salad bar at Weaver Street Market.
I welcome you to add to it and make it even better! 
What do you know about chiropractics?
Probably, like most things in this world you know what you’ve heard or experienced. I had very little exposure or knowledge to chiropractics in my education and early career. I was always under the impression that it is for people with chronic back pain. Last autumn a friend of mine referred me to her chiropractor for a free consult and it wasn’t bad, but also not life-changing.
Recently I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with and getting adjusted by Dr. Cate, a skilled, knowledgeable and approachable chiropractor in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Earlier this year she explained she certainly pays attention to the spine; however her practice focuses on the whole body. I had never consider going to the chiropractor for my chronic knee issues, but was very curious to hear more about her practice. Recently Dr. Cate did a thorough full body exam (which I enjoyed because it was almost like a massage!). I especially appreciated her hands on approach instead of relying on “fancy machines” to diagnose and try to impress me.
Food for thought:
I share this experience because sometimes we don’t consider all of our options when it comes to what ails us. The human body is very resilient and often we just push through the pain, because it’s “not that bad” or we tell ourselves it will go away eventually.
If something is holding you back from doing regular exercise or even activities of daily care, I definitely encourage that you go to a provider (or 2-3) until you find somebody that can adjust your perspective and maybe even start to fix your problems.
Sometimes you have to do it wrong to learn how to do it right.
As an upcoming small business owner I find myself doing all sorts of new things. From researching information technology to becoming my own marketing and sales expert, there are all sorts of learning opportunities every week.
I joke that they did not even teach me how to spell in school (duh, that’s what spell-check is for!), let alone all this other business. As you can imagine while trying all these new things I’m not going to get it right the first time and last week I learned I really don’t like to do things wrong. This may explain why I didn’t make it past level 1 of swim lessons, but that’s another story.
Human nature includes a fear of failure.
Perhaps you’ve been wanting to try paddle-boarding? Or maybe you have always wanted to cook tofu. Possibly you’ve been thinking about trying yoga? Personally, I’ve been experimenting to cook my own Indian food, which is also learning experience!
Food for thought:
This week:
(1) Choose one new activity or food you’ve been thinking about trying
(2) Tell a friend or email me – Lucy@wellbalancednutrition.com
(3) Put it on the calendar and/or to-do list
(4) Feel proud and inspired when you have successfully accomplished it!
If you need inspiration, I recommend checking out the local farmers market on Saturday morning for something fresh, local and delicious to make for Sunday’s family dinner.
Of course, your new activity could be to go check out the farmers market on Saturday morning!
