How To Shop Healthfully, Even At The Piggly Wiggly 1

I grew up in a little town in Southeast Alabama. We had “wiregrass”, an annual Peanut Festival parade (at which I rode a unicycle), and the big ‘ol Piggly Wiggly up the street. Very Alabama.

After having gotten out of town and circled the world a couple of times, I find it funny when I hear non-Alabamian folks’ reaction to this store. For them, it’s emblematic of a crappy grocery store serving crappy foods, and little better than a 7-ll. I have to say, this is just a misunderstanding.

Okay, maybe it’s no Whole Foods, but then again even Whole Foods is no Whole Foods since its recent Amazonification.

But think about it, if you can shop healthfully at a Piggly Wiggly, you can shop well anywhere. So this week, I’m going to talk about how to shop well, even at a regular grocery store. And maybe in the end, you’ll think better of this little slice of Southern Living.

First of all, the idea that you have to shop around the periphery is just wrong. A) the laminated pork products in nitrate packed casings is there, along with the deli “cheese food”. Yes, you can dodge into the aisles for food for canned tomatoes for your pasta, tuna for quick easy lunches, or beans for chili, salads, or really anything.

So I guess step one to make your grocery trip Piggy Wiggly Proof, is to shed the idea that you can ONLY shop on the periphery. That’s an outdated idea that just needs to be put out of its (and our!) misery.

More to come tomorrow.