For my second week shopping, I took into account some things I learned the previous week. And still having a decent amount of rice – and I went for better bread while re-stocking beans, eggs. I also sprung for vegetables to mix in to meals: peppers, onions, canned tomatoes.

This week I traveled to Wegman’s, which (somewhat) recently opened in Chestnut Hill. They have a huge frozen section – which ironically, I avoided completely. That being said, I’m not sure I will go back to Wegman’s. The store’s strengths are meats and frozen which are two categories I’m not buying much.

The Haul

• Vermont Bread Co. Soft Whole Wheat Bread – 1 loaf – $3.49
• Wegman’s Butter – $1.99
• Wegman’s Organic Large Eggs – 1 dozen – $3.99
• Wegman’s Garbanzo Beans – 2 cans – $0.69/each
• Wegman’s Organic Diced Tomatoes – 1 can – $1.39
• Old El Paso Vegetarian Refried Beans – 2 cans – $1.49/each
• Jif Creamy Peanut Butter – 40oz. jar – $6.49
• Tyson Chicken Liver – 2 20oz. containers – $2.09/each
• Peppers, Mixed – 1.67 lb. – $3.99/lb.
• White Onion – 1 at 1.17lb. – $1.99/lb.

Total: $34.88 (99.6% of $35 spent)

Food, Inc.

A day or two after my shop, I watched Food, Inc., a documentary about how “agribusiness produces food that is unhealthy, in a way that is environmentally harmful and abusive of both animals and employees.”

I read Fast Food Nation about 10 years ago, so while Food, Inc. was not completely shocking - it was a staunch reminder of what really goes on in the food business. It definitely made me think a lot more about my choices and what it really means to “eat well”.

Here’s some of my initial thoughts on my purchases:

Chicken Livers

I bought these because I have found it hard to get sufficient iron as a runner on this type of diet. I am definitely happy with the concept, but after seeing Food, Inc. would like to move away from anything that has to do with Tyson. I am not going to describe some of the practices, but they are cruel to both human beings and to animals. If you have not seen the movie, give it a watch.

Peppers

Expensive. Nutritious – but not many calories. I hate to say it – a bit of a mistake for the price.

Vermont Bread Co. Whole Wheat Bread

I wanted to improve the quality of my bread – and found at Wegman’s is the brand I used to buy in Vermont.

Seems like good stuff – no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial ingredients or preservatives – plus we get to support Vermont, the greatest place on Earth.

Jif Peanut Butter

Feel a little stupid buying Jif despite it being technically the most economical choice I had. In the future, buying only peanut butter that has the ingredients Peanuts and Salt. This stuff has added sugar as well as molasses, fully hydrogenated vegetable oils, mono and diglycerides (whatever they are).

Other Thoughts

In some ways, this is an improvement over the previous week. I cut out the frozen prepared foods. No Clif Bars!

I still feel like there is a ways to go before nailing something better down. More fruits and vegetables, really. Less stuff from companies who treat the people and animals like Hell.

One idea I have for the future is to not go for everything in one shop. Multiple grocery stores, farmer’s markets, etc. if need be. I will also start composing some additional rules to how I should be shopping “well”. Stay tuned!