Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments.
(Spotted by Robbie at Costco.)
(Spotted by Amanda Y at Target.)
(Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)
(Spotted by Robbie at Buc-ee’s.)
(Spotted by Sarah R at Safeway.)
(Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)
If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.
Can this grain free marketing stop? There’s nothing harmful about eating grains. Obviously if you have celiac disease, you can’t eat gluten, but the diet culture buzzword of “grain free” is so silly.
I totally agree, Elizabeth! For people without celiac disease, this grain-free stuff is unhealthy, lower in fiber and nutrients, and tastes awful. Plus, it’s usually more expensive because of the grain-free nonsense.
I think the obsession with something being “healthy” isn’t necessary either, though. If you eat a varied diet, you are likely eating the right things and obsessing over whether everything you consume is healthy or “the right thing to eat” is really disordered. I’ve had an eating disorder for 17 years, so language like that really bothers me at this point. Obviously you can eat things that are nourishing, but spending all your time consumed by how healthy something is leads you down a very dark path.
I think you hit the nail on the head there… companies found out they can charge more money for this stuff and also appeal to a lot of folks who think it’s somehow healthier and so it’s a total win for their bottom line
For sure. I’m so sick of it though. Food shouldn’t have guilt attached to it — period. We don’t need food companies to put health halos on everything to make us feel like we’re doing the “right” thing all the time. People should eat what they enjoy and cutting out entire food groups/nutrients is not necessary, unless you have a documented health issue with something.
Thank you for saying this. I’ve also suffered from an eating disorder and the current focus on cutting out complete food groups (like grains or dairy) is very dangerous. I agree that a varied diet is the smart and sane way to ensure that you get all of the nutrients you need. The marketing for these products only triggers, promotes and supports a dangerous attitude about food. I wish you well in your journey to recovery.
Thanks! I wish you well too. I agree with everything you said. Diet culture is so pervasive lately, especially with the holidays and the New Year coming up. It’s hard to escape, and I’m always afraid that diet culture sycophants will snap back at me when I point out how problematic it is. But I know how damaging it can be to your mental and physical health after 17 years of an eating disorder.
Thanks! Please keep pointing out the danger to those diet culture sycophants and people are influenced by them. Hopefully, your message will get through and help vulnerable people before it’s too late. Even commenting here was great before you never know who you may have already helped!
Yeah, nothing changes if we don’t point out the problematic nature of it. Even if you do want to make lifestyle changes, messaging that is full of shame and guilt has been proven not to be helpful. I think disordered eating is a lot more prevalent than we really know in our country, as a result of the inflammatory marketing we see on a daily basis. Shaming people for eating anything or their bodies is so wrong on so many levels, and I see it on a daily basis.