The Center Aisles

Nutritionists and journalists (such as Michael Pollan) regularly remind consumers to avoid the middle aisles of the supermarket. The theory, and one that I wholly support, is that raw, unprocessed, non-packaged items like fruits & veggies, meat, dairy, etc are found on the perimeter of the store. Center aisles usually contain shelf stable packaged goods that may or may not be healthy. Soda, chips, cookies, and frozen dinners are all found in the center of the store.

Still, healthy and minimally processed options can be found even in those dreaded middle rows. In search of a quick, late-night snack, Ben went out to our neighborhood grocery store, Safeway. Tucked amongst high-fat microwave popcorn, over-sugared granola bars, HFCS-based candies, and sodium-laden roasted nuts, we found raw almonds, dried figs, old-fashioned kernels of corn for popping, and locally made, high-quality Ghirardelli chocolate. In all honesty, we probably ate more of these items than we should have, but it's better than the alternative!