Moving to America - any food tips?
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Maybe I am getting to basic here but this is a link to what our food labels look like: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nutrition-facts/NU00293
Not sure if the NZ equivalent is, but if you have labelling that works its percentages/recommendations differently, it may be good to familiarize yourself now. :-)
Also, not sure if you have Subway or Panera Bread there, but both are great sandwich franchises where you can keep things pretty healthy.
Good luck!0 -
There's a lot of fresh seafood if you live anywhere by the water, and markets, if it is more inland than be prepared for a lot of fast foods, walmarts, winndixies, and publix- Publix has the best food choices but runs a little more expensive...I live in cocoa beach FL. and I'm a native Floridian lol, just becareful there are A LOT of processed foods here especially in cheese and meats!!!0
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What part of florida are you moving too?0
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I lived there for a while, I would suggest NOT shopping at Costco, personally I found it safer to hit the organic places. It's not as expensive as New Zealand on the whole anyway even when you shop there. Buy cheese only in Delis cos it's disgusting there in most places (sorry americans NZ is a dairy country we are dairy snobs). I second cooking everything at home from scratch, cos there are additives in things that say they have none. The Farmer's Markets are fun if they have any where you will be. Meatwise, just go organic. I am not sure what that other guy was saying about bottled water but I found it rediculously cheap over there in comparison to here, but I reckon just get one of those purifying jugs that filter the water as you pour. The World Market has some things that you might miss there, so you don't have to go without completely. Yeah so whole foods, clean eating, lotsa water, you'll be right!
PS Makeup is super duper cheap there! Have fun!0 -
hahaha stink. NZ is way better eh. their bread is full of sugar. GM is the norm. meat fillers made out of offal + antibiotics + other chemicals don't need to be labeled by the FDA.
florida is famous for oranges tho! good luck!
Actually she wasnt being snarky or saying NZ was better. Just asking a question.
Anyway OP I lived in Ohio for a year from Australia and on a lowish budget. It is fairly easy to eat "healthily" in the US and still do it from normal grocery stores, you dont have to go to the specialist whole food stores which I found a bit too expensive. The bread is slightly sweeter but you get used to it. I liked Panera (?spelling) bread which is a big bakery chain. Remember they have different names for some veggies and it helps to learn them before you go to avoid confusion in the stores. I found that Americans in general have a preference for sweeter flavours - not a criticism just an observed difference - but give it a go and you might find you get used to it.
wait..... what?
Apologies might have misinterpreted your response as having a go at the OP for asking, obviously I was wrong. "Misconstrued tone on the internet" problem0 -
There are some awesome tips there! Thanks heaps guys! I'm going to Orlando, and I have been told that there is a lot fast food there. Awesome to have some things to look out for!0
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Don't be a python's meal, I heard there are a lot of pythons in florida.0
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Hello! I have lived in Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon, Denmark, the UK, Italy, and I know how hard it is to find healthy foods, especially down south in the USA.
Here are the 3 things you can do to eat healthy in the DEEP SOUTH:
1. See where the closest "Whole Foods" market is. This place has almost EVERYTHING, and even if it is not close to you, you can go there 1 - 2 times a month and stock up. I don't know where you are going to live, but I have found 4 of them online in Florida for you - their website lists their stores at: https://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/list/state?page=5
Whole Foods Markets in Florida:
1020 Alton Road
Miami Beach Florida 33139
United States
Phone:
305.938.2800
Store Hours:
8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Seven days a week.
______________________________________
1451 1st Street
Sarasota Florida 34236
United States
Phone:
941.955.8500
Store Hours:
8am to 9pm Monday to Saturday, 9am to 9pm Sunday
_____________________________________________
2635 State Road 7
Wellington Florida 33414-9372
United States
Phone:
561.904.4000
Store Hours:
8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, 9am to 9pm Sunday
________________________________________________
Whole Foods Market
1989 Aloma Ave
Winter Park Florida 32792
United States
Phone:
407.673.8788
Store Hours:
8am to 10pm seven days a week
Map & Directions
More info about this store
2. See if your town or surrounding towns has a privately owned "health food store." Most towns of any size have one, and depending on the owners and size, it might have quite a lot of healthy food.
3. Be picky and read all the labels at all the regular food stores (Winn Dixie, Food World, etc.) and you will soon find a repertoire of passable items you can eat.
Hope this helps - message me if you have any questions.0 -
American bread is sweet and sugary, so if you like your Vogels or even TipTop then you're going to have to get it at organic stores. Food is cheaper in the USA but also has a lot more junk in it, so you will pay similar costs to food in NZ if you look for and stick to organic stores. I've heard from Americans that NZ supermarkets are like big organic stores anyway!0
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Buy cheese only in Delis cos it's disgusting there in most places (sorry americans NZ is a dairy country we are dairy snobs).
Yes, after living in Oregon where we had the Tillamook cheese factory, and in the UK where we have all the lovely stiltons and strong cheddars and things, I can't really stomach the average American cheese section in a grocery store, where it is considered exotic if they have a "mild" cheddar or even *gasp!* some blue cheese.
I don't know if they have it in the whole foods markets in FL, but the one in Oregon had a specialty cheese section where we could get anything from British stilton to Spanish manchego. Also it's worth looking, if you are in a big city, there are sometimes specialty cheese shops, particularly if there is a large international community in town.0 -
Don't eat anything with high glucose corn syrup in it0
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Ah, I recall watching King Corn the documentary about how high fructose corn syrup was gradually introduced into virtually all processed foods in the states, including supposed staples like bread.
Might be worth a look for the OP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY3wBsncI2c0 -
Ah, I recall watching King Corn the documentary about how high fructose corn syrup was gradually introduced into virtually all processed foods in the states, including supposed staples like bread.
Might be worth a look for the OP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY3wBsncI2c
Thanks for that! Opened up a whole lot of other interesting videos whilst this one was loading too! Will definitely watch. Thanks0 -
Cut the portions in half when you eat out. American portion sizes are insane.0
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It's true. They try to hide corn fillers and high fructose corn syrup in tons of processed foods because we are a huge producer of corn. That's probably why things taste sweeter. Watch out for that. Read the labels.0
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Stay away from any food that can be handed to you in your car!0
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