complaint about grocery stores

So i just moved to the mid-west from California and am having a very difficult time adjusting to what is available in the grocery stores here. I met my weight loss goal in CA and i found just the right foods for me that were low in calorie, healthy and tasty and became very loyal to those brands. Not to mention the wonderful selection of fresh and delicious produce which can be found anywhere. Now it seems like the only stores i can find are giant wal-mart size superstores and small low selection organic grocers. There's no in between and its been very frustrating. I have to go to one store to get buckwheat noodles and another to get lowfat yogurt! I know I'm just going to have to get use to what I have available in the mid-west but i'm very sad about the downgrade in vegetable quality and selection. I have also noticed that in general the food here is just LESS HEALTHY ( few restaurants which provide smart meal choices and more overly artificial packaged junk on the shelves. I'm worried I'm going to gain my weight back because I'm going to have to adjust to the food here. Any suggestion? I love it here but I wish the mid-west would catch up with california on its food consciousness. I happen to live in a very agriculturally productive region where a diversity of veg/fruits are grown but at this point the only place to get that is at the farmer's market- which would be fine if i wasn't already having to go to 2 different stores to get my staples. Thanks for letting me vent

Where did you move to? I can totally understand what you mean...I moved to Texas recently from L.A. and I miss my Trader Joe's!

Where are you in NC? There are a few Trader Joe's there...

http://traderjoes.findlocation.com/results.aspx?page=default&search_param=N6&city=charlotte&state=nc

Try living in the South- NC/SC. Where all the food seems to be comfort food!!! lol

I like Kroger's, but I think their produce could be better.

Yes, I agree. I like Kroger for their natural products and Meijer for their produce. See why I have to shop at different stores also?? :laugh:

Maybe you could purchase some non-perishable foods online. Amazon sells a lot of food online in bulk packages for decent prices.

Thanks for your moral support- I guess we just need a critical mass in our "middle of nowhere" regions. Actually, i'm in the capital of michigan (Lansing) pretty big town with several colleges but still very limited choices. Sounds like some of you have it a bit worse though. I suppose as one person put it, it comes down to creativity!

Hi,
I'm from California and spent 6 months in Mt Pleasant a couple of years ago. It's about an hour north of Lansing--probably too far for you. But I thought I'd mention that there is a great little co-op in Mt Pleasant with healthy foods. I can't remember the name of it though. Maybe there is something similar in Lansing?

Because I am Canadian, I can't really relate to your midwest grocer problem. However, I am on a fair sized island in the middle of the North Atlantic (NL) and getting fresh produce of any kind here is like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Our grocers try desperately to get organic, fresh, etc. here but, and here's the crux of it, how can it be fresh or organic if it comes from SC or other regions of Canada? The majority of our grocery and food stuff is shipped and sometimes (because of high winds) sits on the mainland waiting for the all clear to bring these items across the straight. Often, by the time we get the produce it is well on it's way to being methane gas (if you get my drift). Fresh fruit and veggies can be grown here but the season is so short and what is grown is extremely limited to root veggies, cabbage and berries so I find myself buying frozen, not exactly my choice but definitely better than boxed, dehydrated over sweetened garbage. My beef with grocery stores is the cost of eating healthy versus junk food. I find it is far more expensive to eat and be healthy than it is to buy junk food and be overweight.

For example I am on a vitamin enhanced diet. I take 6 different supplements a day that cost me almost $220.00/CDN a month. Now, add that to a hefty grocery bill of about $150.00/CDN a week and you can see my complaint. That grocery bill is for just food, not for anything like foils or wraps or cleaning products just food.

I guess what I am trying to say to Katy009 is .... You think you got it bad...*lol* Good luck in your search for healthy foods. I keep hunting daily and my search has turned up few choices but I make the best of summer and autumn.

Here's a suggestion Katy, are there any roadside vendors around your area or farmers who sell directly? Sometimes you may have to spend a bit more to get the best, but if I were in your shoes, that is exactly what I would do. I know it takes time to find these places but hey, you lost all that weight, got your diet under control, isn't it worth saving that time you worked so hard to achieve your goals to seek out those stands? Just a thought.

It's all about foraging at farmer's markets, roadside stands, and local farms. Walking into most supermarkets (with the exception of the AWESOME Wegmans and possibly Shady Maple in Blue Bell, PA) p*sses me off anymore, considering I avoid the entire center of the store and only shop on the "safe" sides of meat, seafood, produce, dairy/eggs.

I hated to do it, but I ponied up the $35 to join Sam's Club. They're really good on fruits & veggies. I stopped in last night and got:

4 lbs pistachios
3 lbs bananas
8 lbs RD apples
3 lbs plums
6 romaine lettuce hearts
3 lbs strawberries
6 fresh 12" sub rolls
and 1 big, gorgeous, delicious seedless watermelon.

I paid $45. And I brought it all home on me motorcycle. :noway:

Ya' got a Sam's nearby? I'm in Marietta OH, which is about nowhere, and we've got one right across the river in Vienna WV.

I am from the midwest originally, but lived in California for 5 years. I recently moved back to the midwest. I find the opposite of your problem to be true in my case.

I love that the stores are clean, large and brightly lit. In fact, when I would go home to Iowa I actually TOOK PICTURES of the grocery store because it was so big, clean, and glorious. :blushing: I love that you can actually fit 2 carts down the isle at one time! In Los Angeles, I would get so frustrated with having to move my cart out of someone's way that I would race through the store and not take the time to look through the options.

Also, I found that in LA my regular grocery store offered full fat or fat free....not a lot of low-fat items. When it came to salad dressings or other items they either had tiny bottles or giant bottles, and no size in between.

The produce in my local market is great. We actually found a section devoted to local farmers just this past tuesday, so I picked up a homegrown tomato, cucumber, and zucchini and had them with dinner last night. I also have no problems finding low fat yogurt, greek yogurt, all natural yogurt, etc. Maybe you can check out another store in your area.....

I guess what I am trying to say to Katy009 is .... You think you got it bad...*lol* Good luck in your search for healthy foods. I keep hunting daily and my search has turned up few choices but I make the best of summer and autumn.

Here's a suggestion Katy, are there any roadside vendors around your area or farmers who sell directly? Sometimes you may have to spend a bit more to get the best, but if I were in your shoes, that is exactly what I would do. I know it takes time to find these places but hey, you lost all that weight, got your diet under control, isn't it worth saving that time you worked so hard to achieve your goals to seek out those stands? Just a thought.

I think you have me mixed up with the poster or someone else who responded. I do not have it bad.....on the contrary, I have it quite good. Nothing but fresh fruit and veges at my fingertips and barely any pre-packaged or fast foods here. Unless you misunderstood my response.

You are right Katy009 I meant the original poster...sorry for the confusion.

I guess what I am trying to say to Katy009 is .... You think you got it bad...*lol* Good luck in your search for healthy foods. I keep hunting daily and my search has turned up few choices but I make the best of summer and autumn.

Here's a suggestion Katy, are there any roadside vendors around your area or farmers who sell directly? Sometimes you may have to spend a bit more to get the best, but if I were in your shoes, that is exactly what I would do. I know it takes time to find these places but hey, you lost all that weight, got your diet under control, isn't it worth saving that time you worked so hard to achieve your goals to seek out those stands? Just a thought.

I think you have me mixed up with the poster or someone else who responded. I do not have it bad.....on the contrary, I have it quite good. Nothing but fresh fruit and veges at my fingertips and barely any pre-packaged or fast foods here. Unless you misunderstood my response.