Grocery Store Stress - You're NOT Alone

Hey Nutrafam! It's been awhile, and I had an interesting run in at my local grocery store the other day that I wanted to share with you. Before I get to that, though, I want to talk a little bit about grocery shopping in general, and my previous struggles with it. (I promise I'll get to the good stuff after, though!) 

If you're like me, it's the worst chore. Seriously, I'd rather clean toilets!

• It was hard, physically.

• Before I lost over 100 lbs, I'd have told you that I hated grocery shopping because of the cost.  That wasn't true, though.   The truth is: I hated it because it was just really, really, hard to do physically- that's not an easy one to admit to people though.  There's a lot of cardio involved in grocery shopping if you're morbidly obese and grossly out of shape. Walking around the grocery store used to leave my lower back in excruciating pain.  Not to mention the lifting, carrying, and other bodily requirements that you may take for granted if you've never struggled with your weight. 

• It was expensive.

• When you buy a lot of processed foods and sugar-based items, you're not feeding your body the protein and fiber it needs to be properly fueled.  Because of this, my meals weren't keeping me full. (Can you relate?) I was buying junk food on the side in addition to my regular grocery trips, fast food at work because I never cooked or meal prepped, and of course... vending machine purchases. When I added up the money I was spending, it just seemed SO expensive to get groceries.
  
  

• I didn't know WHAT to buy. 

• I knew I needed to be healthier.  My family were worried about me, my friends were worried about me, and... honestly, I was worried about me.   But... there's SO much conflicting information out there.  Is rice good or bad? Is fruit good or bad? Low fat? Organic? I had no idea what to buy.  I would get overwhelmed and stick to my tried and true options: bagels, bread, Kraft Dinner, Mr. Noodles, and maybe the odd microwaveable dinner.  
  
  

• I was embarrassed of what I was putting in my cart, and my body.

• Being at the grocery store in a small town means you're guaranteed to run into at least one person that you know.  It's almost impossible not to! Nowadays, it's fun.  Back then, though, it was humiliating.  I would always feel as if people were looking at my weight and then at my cart and internally shaking their heads. They'd see my junk food and my pile of quick, processed meals and I would cringe wondering what they must be thinking.

This is harder than you think. I'm sure some of you out there are rolling your eyes as your children hound you for another snack thinking about how awesome it would be to only have one mouth to feed and find food for every meal (haha!).  But the truth is, it's incredibly demotivating when you're the only one eating the food you make.  You cut corners, accept a lower standard of quality, and just generally tend to stick to the quick and easy versions of foods. 

Instead of preparing a delicious meal, most nights I would just make a bagel or some toast.  But naturally, after a few hours, I would be hunting for more.  Cue the potato chips or another carb-heavy snack I chose for the night. 

Does this sound familiar? 

You make a grocery list and decide you'll start to incorporate more healthy foods.  Let's say your meal plan includes stir fry. You make a plan to head to the grocery store and grab the items for that, and a few other pre-planned meals.  Once you get to the veggie section in the grocery store though, you can't find some of the items you found in the recipe online. 

Sigh.

So you just continue on with your grocery list and grab the other items, hoping you'll find inspiration along the way. You make it to the frozen food section and notice a 'healthy' meal that you cook in the microwave.  It has a blue label and it's packed with veggies so you're sure it's healthy, right? Except then you check the nutritional information and you find a whopping 25g of sugar.  

Now you're standing at the opposite end of the grocery store annoyed that your BACK UP healthy option you chose for yourself turned out to be insanely bad for you. You're frustrated, and maybe even feeling a little bit stupid. (Why can everyone else seem to figure out healthy eating, but you can't?) You put it back, and look around wondering if you should bother heading back to the fresh veggies and trying to find pseudo stir fry ingredients.  As you're walking away, you see the two dollar bag of pre-cut french fries right beside you, so you grab that instead. 

I was never a fan of cooking. I hated it, to be honest.

I'm not sure if I hated it because I only ever made terrible things for me, or if I hated it because of the effort it required.  Either way, I was not a fan.  It wasn't until I started my healthy journey that I began to expand my culinary habits and start teaching myself new things.  I remember buying my house five years ago and installing a brand new stove/oven.  

I think it was six weeks before I even took the plastic off the oven itself.  

It's hard to change your eating habits, and it's even harder with all of the confusing information out there in the world.  You're pulled and twisted ten different ways when you want to lose weight, and it's (pun fully intended) a recipe for disaster.

But it doesn't HAVE to be! Nutracelle DOES help. I'm living proof.

Did you know that we have a brand new recipe center now?  Not only can you find ALL of our amazing Protein Treats recipes, but you can also upload your own! I have my own profile and I've already uploaded almost 20 recipes that I've made with my Nutracelle! I JUST uploaded a new recipe for Salted Caramel Mini Cheesecakes.  SO delicious!

Join me on NutraMealz, here! (Don't forget to 'follow' Nutracelle, myself, Jordan, and Melanie!)

Plus, bonus, you'll earn extra NutraPoints for creating an account! To learn more about our NutraPoints program, check out our page here.

• I make a new recipe almost weekly, and my roommate and I (Jordan! Our Customer Service Extraordinaire) are always trying new healthy foods and incorporating our Nutralean.
• I've learned that cooking doesn't have to be a chore, and the pride that comes from creating something delicious AND nutritious cannot be bought.
• I LOVE knowing that I put the work into my own food, and I love knowing that the effort is for me. I am worth that. 

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that something funny happened to me at the grocery store. 

It wasn't funny in the ha-ha sense, but more so funny in the ironic sense. 

I was at the checkout and buying ingredients for a few healthy meals Jordan and I had planned out, when a sweet lady I've known for years (I'm going to call her Ms. M) stood in line behind me.  Among her items was a delicious-looking cake.

When the cashier went to finish my order, she hesitated. She couldn't figure out initially if the cake was mine or not (Ms.M and I hadn't put the divider up... we may have been yapping).  I instantly felt a beam of pride that she hesitated.  Years ago, it would have been a guarantee that the cake was mine. However, the contrast between my healthy items and Ms.M's cake stopped her.

Ms.M immediately chuckled and said, "Oh yes the cake is mine!" We all had a good laugh. 

Did You Know?

Nutracelle is the ONLY nut-free, gluten-free protein powder made in a nut-free, gluten-free factory.  Nutracelle products contain NO artificial sweeteners, flavors, or colouring.  Sweetened with stevia, Nutracelle is keto-friendly, low-carb-friendly, paleo-friendly, and the perfect product for even the pickiest of eaters.  

Made with 100% Canadian whey protein and packed with prebiotic fiber from the acacia tree... Nutracelle will keep you feeling full for hours! Shake, bake, and blend your way to a happier, healthier life with the foods you love. 

To learn more about Nutracelle and our story, check out our page here.

To try Nutracelle, browse our products here.

To learn more about my story, read My 100 Pound Weight-Loss Journey here.