December 19, 2023 • 47 mins
It’s our Season One Finale and we’re going out with a budget-friendly banger! We’re going to figure out how to grocery shop like heroes, and we’re not talking about the sandwich.
With the help of consumer and food trends expert and “Supermarket Guru” Phil Lempert, Molly and Matt learn how to reign in impulse buying, find the best deals and discounts, and change their shopping habits to avoid food waste.
Also, learn why you should buy frozen fish in the freezer section instead of the “fresh” stuff at the seafood counter and re-examine those water misters in the produce section.
Sources Cited:
- The Environmental Working Group - “EWG’s 2023 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™”
- Mayo Clinic - “Organic Foods: Are they Safer? More Nutritious?
- Consumer Reports - “Cage-Free vs. Free Range –and Other Egg Carton Labels–Explained”
Additional References:
- NPR - “California Becomes the First State to Ban 4 Food Additives Linked to Disease”
- Yuka App
- How Good App
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Attention, all grown up stuff shoppers. The store is now open.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Do you remember the very first time you went grocery
shopping by yourself without the guidance of a more experienced
adult My first solo supermarket trip. It was to a
grocery store chain called Meyer in the middle of Ohio.
I was a freshman in college, living in the dorms
and relying mostly on the cafeteria for food, so I
needed a very small amount of things to just squirrel
(00:26):
away as snacks or breakfast in my mini frage or
closet for when I didn't have the time to stop
at the cafeteria. It should have been a fairly straightforward experience,
except for the fact that I was completely overwhelmed, and
I just remember thinking, how do people know which brands
to buy? Or what all these various labels mean? And
according to Nielsen IQ and the Food Industry Association, the
(00:48):
single store carries an average of more than thirty one
thousand products. It's a paradox of choice, which is also
the name of a book by Barry Schwartz about the
anxiety that all of this choice consumers. I hear you, Barry,
Decision fatigue is real. So how can we better understand
(01:10):
and dissect the grocery shopping experience while arming ourselves with
the knowledge needed to make the best decisions for our health,
our wallet, and potentially the planet. How can we beat
the supermarket slump and become champions of our carts? Also,
if someone can explain the difference between cage free and
free range eggs to me, that would be super helpful.
(01:32):
Start taking notes. Because this is grown up Stuff. Welcome
everyone to this season finale of Grown Up Stuff, How
to Adult, the podcast where we glow up and grow
up a little more each episode as we learn about
things like nutritional labels and why you should buy frozen
(01:54):
fish instead. I am your host and self identified impulse buyer, Molly,
and I am joined in person by my jolly and
learned co host Matt Still Oh, Matt, Happy holidays to you.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Holidays. Tis the season of gift giving, and I came
over to your apartment and I gave you a gift.
We Christmas married Christmas because you got me a gift
and I had to. I can't be given a gift.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
It was also your birthday gift because you are a
Christmas December baby, so it was a birthday gift? Can
you believe that this is the last episode of our
first season, our seison finale? As the French would.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Say, oh say many fee.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Tis the season when many of us will spend a
lot of time at grocery stores and supermarkets, either buying
ingredients for parties we're hosting, or at the very least,
grabbing box treats and bottled beverages to bring as hosting
gifts to the holiday parties that we're going to be attending. Matt,
let me ask something, do you enjoy grocery shopping? And
(02:59):
then follow up how often do you go? And do
you make a list each time? And do you check
it twice?
Speaker 1 (03:05):
It's been a learning process. It's a lifelong learning and
I have come to love the grocery shopping. I think
I evolved from going when I was hungry and grabbing
any cookies and cakes and pies that I would stumble
across on my way through the grocery store, to working
all the time and not going grocery shopping and convincing
myself I was like, well, when I tried a meal prep,
(03:25):
I never actually end up eating any of it, and
I waste all this food and then I end up
buying takeout anyway, so I might as well just cut
my losses only order take out and save money that
way also wrong. Had to learn this the hard way,
And the important thing that I've finally learned is that
you have to have a plan. You have to think
about what you want to eat ahead of time. Think
(03:46):
about the schedule for the week that you are buying for.
Are you going out with friends? Are you doing something
on Wednesday? I never know, really good point, so I
put together a couple of meals and then I'll plan
out dinners and so I go, what do I need
for this? When I need for that? And so on
they that Wednesday comes and I need to have my
chicken tick a misslid with brocoli and rice. I have
all the things that I need.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
For that, which that is what you made last night.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
You were telling me that's exactly what I made last
idea was absolutely fantastic. So yes, it has been a
big evolution. But yes, grocery shopping is very important and
if you have a plan, it can be very very
efficient and save you a lot of time and money.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
I have to say mine is like yours. I have
had an evolution of experience with grocery stores. But yeah,
I'm so glad that we're talking about groceries because, obviously, Matt,
that is the topic of conversation. We're going to dig
into it more and figure out what we're doing right
and wrong, and to help us make sense of it all,
we've invited the supermarket guru, Phil Lempert.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
For more than twenty five years, Phil has been an
expert and analyst on consumer behavior, marketing trends, new products,
and the changing retail landscape. He's been the food Trends
editor for NBC's Today's Show since nineteen ninety one, and
today he hosts a radio show known as The Lempert
Report and a podcast called Lost in the Supermarket, where
he discusses food news, consumer side trend these, product reviews,
(05:01):
and more.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Phil, Welcome to grown up stuff. Thank you so much
for being here. We are so excited to dig in
to all things grocery store navigating.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Well, thank you, Mollie. You know it's apropos because I
haven't grown up yet. Neither have please, So I want
to say that in the soupermarket, I might be an adult,
but other than that, not even close.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Oh you're in good company, My friend, you're in good company.
I want to start off with in this day and
age of the Instacart, the Fresh Direct, the Amazon, you know, grocery.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
The not having to leave your house, is it at.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Least occasionally important to still go to a grocery store
in person.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Absolutely, And to be honest with you, when we look
at the history of grocery stores, it's really been the
center of communities. And yes, during the pandemic, a lot
of people went to instacart and to shift and to
some of the other delivery services for a certain percentage
of the population. It's important. There are people who can't
(06:05):
leave their home physically, so yeah, it's great for that,
but when we look at the numbers, it has dropped
considerably since the pandemic. You're paying a delivery fee or
an annual membership, you are tipping, you can't use coupons.
The number one complaint of shoppers on instacart is the
quality of produce. The number two is meet you know,
(06:27):
we want to pick those things. So it's important that
supermarkets thrive. It's important that they really redefine themselves to
meet our needs as shoppers today. And that's a hybrid
model that we can talk about. But we love our
supermarkets and we love our food, so don't take that
(06:48):
away from us.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
For many of our listeners, the grocery store environment can
be kind of overwhelming. There's a lot of options, there's
a lot of items. What sort of strategies are mindsets
do you recommend to arm ourselves with to make it
feel more manageable in the grocery store.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
So the first thing you want to do, and I'm
talking about two things. One is saving money because that's
something that all of us are concerned about, and number
two is getting the foods that you want. So the
first thing you want to do is you want to
create your shopping list based on your last week's cash
register receipt. So if you look at your cash register receipt,
(07:25):
it lists every product that you bought by name, So
that's where you start. You take that shopping list and
you take inventory of your cupboards, of your freezer, of
your refrigerator. And the reason it's important to take inventory
is a lot of people forget what they've gotten their cupboard,
So take inventory number one. That way, you cross off
(07:48):
physically those items that you've got on your shopping list.
Then what you do is you look at what other
items you might want to have. You add that to
your shopping list. Then what you do is you there
are three horizontal lines, blank lines at the bottom of
your shopping list. We'll get to that in a second.
So now you're going to the store. What you don't
(08:09):
want to do is you don't want to walk into
the produce department. The stores are designed for you to
walk into the produce department. That's because that's aroma therapy,
all those great colors, all those great aromas that puts
you in a great mood. And when you're in a
great mood in the store, guess what you're going to
spend more. You're going to spend more time in the store.
(08:31):
You're going to buy more impulse items. So you go
into that unemotional part of the store where the boxes
and the cans and you know, the jars are there,
those brand names that you can't stand. Well, that's where
you start your shopping experience. Then from there go into produce,
then from there go into refrigerated, then from there go
(08:53):
into frozen. Part of it also has to do with
frankly good food safety techniques. You don't want to for
dairy and leave it in your cart for forty five
minutes before you leave, and then it sits in your
car for maybe fifteen or twenty minutes or thirty minutes,
depending on where you live in the country. Now understand
(09:13):
that as you're going through the aisles, the store has
designed them to get you to buy more. So the
end of the aisle, that big display that you see
doesn't mean it's on sale. It means it's a big display.
So what you always want to do. In fact, studies
show that only about forty percent of the time are
those products actually on sale. You want to look at
(09:36):
the sign with the price. If it's on sale, it'll
say save a dollar, save fifty cents whatever. If it
doesn't say that, guess what, it's not on sale. So
then we get to those three horizontal lines. We all
want to feel good. You know, the rule of thumb
when you go shopping is never go shopping when you're hungry, cranky,
(09:56):
in a good mood, or in a bad mood, because
you're going to spend more. So important exactly so those
three horizontal lines are designed to reward yourself. Oh, I
like rewards, So you might want some chocolate you might want,
you know, some ice cream. Whatever it is, indulge, enjoy,
but limit it to three items. That way, you're actually
(10:19):
gonna have a great shopping experience. You're gonna get what
you want, and you're not going to overspend.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
It's a carrot at the end of the stick.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
And again, shop around. If you like seafood, and I
happen to love seafood, I never buy it in the
fresh seafood department. And if you look carefully at those signs,
it'll say previously frozen next to the salmon. All shrimp
in this country, unless you're catching it yourself or you
live in New Orleans, is frozen. It says previously frozen
(10:48):
on it go to the frozen food case. And here's why.
In the frozen food case that fish not only is
it forty percent cheaper, but also it's been frozen once
on the boat. So if you're buying fresh fish in
the fresh fish department, what happens is it comes off
the boat, it goes to a distributor who defrosts it.
(11:09):
They put it on ice. It goes to the soup market,
where again it's put on ice. It has previously frozen
on the tag. It doesn't have the same texture, but
it's pretty. We love pretty. Go to the frozen food case.
Forget the pretty, save the money and get better taste
and better nutrients.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
One thing that my wife and I have started doing,
which has actually been really really huge, is like we
have like a weekly planner. So we're at the grocery
store and we're looking at our planner and going, oh wait,
on Wednesday, we're having dinner with our friends. So actually
we don't even need to plan a meal for Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Well, Matt, you're bringing up a really important point about waste.
You know, forty percent of all of our food in
this country is wasted number one. So one of the
best ways to save money and to help the environment
is don't waste food. So what you want to do,
You're not going to a store that has those stupid misters.
You know when you walk down the aisle the little
(12:03):
spray comes out. What some of the stores have is
they actually have thunder and lights, yes, you know, to
show you y'all.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Oh yeah, uh, which I used to enjoy that experience.
But you're telling me it's bad.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
No, no, you don't. Here's why. Number one. The next
time you're in a store that has it, crook your
head and look at the nozzle. Those nozzles are never cleaned.
Oh and most part of the nation when it comes
to our water supply, is horrible high levels of calcium
and other things those chalk up on those little nozzles,
(12:37):
so you're spraying that stuff on your produce. Number two
is water doesn't inhibit good growth of produce once it's picked,
when it's in the field, absolutely, but when it's sitting
in a supermarket refrigeration case, it actually denigrates the product quicker.
(12:58):
Now that's not only from freshness but a nutrition standpoint.
And then third, if you're buying some produce that is
done by weight, you're paying for water. So if in
fact you're going into one of those stores that has it,
make sure that you shake off that water off those
leafy greens also to keep it fresher longer. And if
(13:18):
you do have that, wrap it in a paper towel
before you put it in your crisper. That way it
will absorb any of that extra moisture.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Do you have recommendations for the best days and times
of the week for us to go to the grocery store.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Sure. Number one is keep in mind that now, because
of technology, grocery stores get delivery every day of the week.
Oh okay, it's not the way it used to be
where they got a truck on Mondays and then they unloaded.
So as far as what's on the shelves, no, it
doesn't make a difference. Most stores either do their circulars
(13:54):
Wednesdays or Thursdays. Those used to be called in the
newspaper business best food Day. So that's when products go
on sale. Okay, So what you want to do is
you don't have to rely on those paper circulars anymore.
Just go online to the website and then you could
see what's on sale. And the best time to go
shopping is when it's not crowded. And the reason for
(14:17):
that is psychological. If you can relax when you're shopping,
you're not going to buy impulse items. You're not going
to rush through. You're going to read those ingredients, you're
going to compare different products, you're going to look at prices,
You're going to spend the time. You want to go
into the store not harried and hassled, because then you're
going to spend more. And it's not going to be
(14:38):
a great shopping experience. Too often, food has become a
commodity in our lives where we just buy the same
stuff we fill our bellies and we don't know savor
the tastes. So let's not rush that process. Let's enjoy
it so that we can make intelligent decisions and savor
our foods.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Phil, I'm curious to hear your take on couponing and
grocery store discounts promotions. What are the best ways that
we can save money as consumers when going to the
grocery store.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
So let me start with frequent chopper cards. Yes, that's
number one. That's going to be your big saving Go
online to the store that you like, and shop around
to different stores to see what their specials are. Coupons
used to be terrific. When you looked at the newspaper
(15:29):
on Best Food Day, or you look at the Vlasses
or News America color inserts in the newspaper, they were
chock full of food coupons. Not so much anymore. One
of the best ways to get food coupons is called
the eight hundred number on every package on the products
that you like. Call them up and yes, you might
(15:52):
have to wait two or three minutes, but just say,
you know, I really like your product. I'm wondering if
you could send me some coupons.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
I never would have thought of that.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
Yeah, beware of these scams that are out there where
you buy coupons, and there's a lot of them online.
They say, you know, buy a subscription and we'll give
you coupons. All that they're doing is they're, you know,
scanning the internet and giving you coupons that are already
out there. So you should never pay for coupons. Number one, Yes,
(16:23):
use coupons, but a lot of those coupons are going
to be on the frequent chopper cards as well as
online for that retailer.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
I love the frequent shopper cards thing. I think I
say about five bucks every time I go to my
local grocery store because I'm on theres and over a lifetime,
I mean, that's a lot of saved money. Absolutely, So
I only go to the grosy store once a week,
or I only go once every two weeks. But another
way to go about it is to go grocery shopping
more often. Do you have a recommended way for what
(16:53):
people should do? Is one better than the other?
Speaker 3 (16:56):
So if you can, and that depends on where you live,
But if you can, the best rule of thumb is
to go shopping every day. If in fact you're just
shopping for a day or two days, you're gonna be
more thoughtful about the foods that you buy. You're gonna
buy fresher foods. You're gonna buy foods again, back to
the produce that has more nutrients because it's not sitting
(17:19):
in your refrigerator for a week or two weeks. Once
food hits your refrigerator, it starts to denigrate. You know,
we think that cold is a preservative in some ways, yes,
but not when it comes to nutrients or flavor or taste.
Think about when you buy blueberries at a farmer's market
and you taste when you go, wow, you know that's
(17:40):
bursting with flavor. Buy a refrigerated soupmarket blueberry, taste it
when you get home, and then taste it a week
or two weeks later. It's flavorless. And that's reflective of
the nutrient value and antioxidant value as well. So the
more you can shop more often, the better.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
I want to read a quote from a New York
Times article, and it says For years, food companies and
restaurants generally raise prices in small steps, worried that big
increases would frighten consumers and send them looking for cheaper options.
But over the last year, as wages increase and the
cost of raw ingredients used to make treats like cookies, chips, sodas,
and the materials to package them sored, food companies and
(18:23):
restaurants started passing along these expenses to customers. So I
want to kind of talk about that and how can
we figure out how to get the most for our money.
Let's assume we have time in our schedule to do
weekly shopping trips. How can we make sure we're not
wasting food? And what's the most important way to use
(18:43):
all of our food the food up that we buy?
And do you have any like good hodgepod recipes for like?
All right, this is what I've got. What do I
make out of this kind of a thing?
Speaker 3 (18:52):
So let me start with the New York Times quote
and your point we've seen on precedented price increases from
food companies. Let's remember that grocery retailers work on a
margin of about one to one and a half percent.
So when we go into the grocery store and we
(19:12):
see high prices, we blame the grocery store. They're not
to blame. The food companies are to blame. Yes, during
the pandemic, because of the supply chain issues, a lot
was exposed where, for example, one of the reasons that
we didn't have toilet paper during the early stages of
the pandemic is those factories that made toilet paper were
(19:36):
not designed for social distancing. They were designed for people,
whether it's toilet paper or chicken processing or meat processing,
to work shoulder to shoulder, and that wasn't possible. So
that's why those lines weren't as productive. So, yes, we
had issues with labor increases. We've had raw material increases
(19:59):
because of everything from climate change to the war in
Ukraine and Russia which has stopped wheat and oils from
being sent both here to the US as well as globally.
So as a result of all that, yes, there's price increases. However,
I spend a lot of time on these calls from
(20:19):
a lot of these major CpG companies that talk about
price increases, a lot of the soda companies in particular,
who basically are saying we're going to take three, four
or five six price increases a year, not because of
raw material cost we had that bump, but because consumers
will pay those prices and that's not fair. We're also
(20:44):
seeing something called slack fill and shrinkflation, where what we're
seeing is we're seeing less products in the bag. So
what we have to do when we see these products is, frankly,
we have to look at store brands. We have to
look at alternative and send the message to these companies
that we're just not going to take these price increases.
(21:06):
We're also seeing supermarkets and supermarket buyers and CEOs go
to these brands and saying, hey, we're just not going
to accept price increases. We are here to help our shoppers.
We want to see justification for these price increases. The
supply chain has been fixed, we have oil prices down,
(21:28):
We've made major advances in efficiencies in these food companies.
Prices haven't gone down. So what we should do is
buy store brands. Store brands have a money back guarantee,
so if you don't like it, bring the unused portion back.
Look at the ingredients and the nutritional information on store brands.
(21:50):
If they're identical. What that means is probably the name
brand is making that product for the store under their label.
Read the ingredients and nutritional information carefully so you know
what you're getting. Look at alternatives, and to your point, Molly,
don't waste. There's so much stuff that you could put
in your freezer, but always take a sharpie and put
(22:13):
the date that you froze it, because after about three months,
you're gonna lose flavor, you're gonna lose nutrients. And just
store foods properly.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
And when it comes to storing foods properly, you know,
I feel like a lot of people make mistakes on
this front, So I'm curious to hear what are some
of your biggest tips to do that. Like, I think
one thing that I've really learned is that, like if
I put bread in the fridge, it actually lasts a
lot longer. It doesn't go moldy nearly as quick. Are
there things like that that people can do to make
food lasts longer.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
Absolutely, And bread is a perfect example. And especially if
you're buying either organic or whole grain breads, sprouted breads,
put those in the refrigerator. Store things properly, use zip
lock bags. Even when I put things in the refrigerator.
I'm using the frozen zip lock bags because they're thicker plastic.
(23:04):
Use plastic containers to put it in. Make sure that
when you put things in the refrigerator or freezer that
you pull as much air out of that plastic as
you can, because air will capture moisture and again further
denigrate Never put coffee in the refrigerator a freezer. That's
a big no no because when you think about how
(23:27):
coffee is produced, coffee is produced by adding water to it.
So if you're in the refrigerator a freezer, there's water there,
there's moisture, So again it's going to denigrate the flavor
of those coffee beans if you're putting it in there.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
This reminds me of an age old debate we used
to have in my family, and that is do you
store a ketchup in the fridge or in the cupboard
after it's been open. Our thought process was, well, restaurants
early their ketchup bottles out on tables all day and night,
so the cupboard is okay, right, No one ever got
sick from the cupboard stored ketchup of my childhood, But
(24:10):
then there was a visit from college friends who pointed
out the refrigerator after opening label on the bottle, and
since then we've been a label abiding ketchup in the
fridge family. Here are a few other recommendations about the
best waste. To store your food safely and to avoid waste,
check the temperature of your appliances. The FDA recommends keeping
(24:32):
your fridge at or below forty degrees fahrenheit, and your
freezer should be at zero degrees fahrenheit. Don't store your
eggs or milk or other dairy products in the door
of your refrigerator. That area tends to be a warmer
temp than the rest of the fridge. Instead, use that
door storage for the more resilient items like condiments and seltzer.
(24:53):
Real Simple magazine recommends that, if possible, you should keep
your fruits and veggies separate from one another. They all
all emit different gases, which may impact the way the
others deteriorate. Real Simple also says to leave your produce
unwashed and in its original packaging in the refrigerator. This
goes to pretty much all produced with a few exceptions
(25:14):
like mushrooms and herbs. Apples can hang out a few
days at room temperature. After that, they'll last a little
bit longer in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Never
store your tomatoes in the fridge. The cold zaps the
flavor out of them and changes the texture for the worst.
Eggplants are also better off left at room temperature and
out of direct sunlight. Store meat in the coldest spot
(25:36):
in the fridge, in the back on the bottom shelf.
And finally, according to the FDA, used by dates are
prescribed by the manufacture as recommendation for best flavor and
quality of the product. That date is not a food
safety date. Use your best judgment. If it doesn't look good,
throw it out. That being said, baby food inform me
(26:00):
are the exception as those used by dates are food
safety dates. We'll be right back with more grown up
stuff how to adult. After a quick break, and we're
back with more grown up stuff how to adults. I
(26:22):
want to talk about what is worth the extra money
to buy organic and what we should just be buying
that's more traditionally raised or grown.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
So the first question we have to ask is why
do you want to buy organic? Number one is for
those people, and this is the answer that I hear
most times when I ask the question, most people think
that organics contain no pesticides, right, That's not true. There
are over one hundred pesticides that can be used with organics.
(26:53):
So if you're buying organics to avoid all pesticides, stop
fooling yourself. When it comes to produce, and I buy
certain organic produce, my rule of thumb is if that
has a thick skin on it, any residue of pesticides
and the like are not going to get through it.
(27:13):
So I would not buy organic oranges, for example. I
do buy organic blueberries and raspberries. If you're buying organic
because you care about the environment and agriculture processes, yes,
do it. But there's certain labels that are out there
that are misleading. If you're buying cage free eggs because
(27:35):
you think that these chickens are happy, go lucky chickens
running around, you're paying a buck extra for a dozen
eggs and throwing your money out because all that the
cage free regulation is is that the chickens have one
foot to turn around. That's it. If you're looking to
do good things with your eggs, then what you want
(27:58):
to do is you want to buy free rain eggs,
and that's even more expensive. So you really have to
figure out why do I want to buy these things.
Study after study has proven that there's no nutritional difference
between organics and non organics. When I look at produce
I happen to really like and buy personally, whether it's
(28:22):
organics that are grown hydroponically, bowery farms plenty, those brands
are vertical farms that use no pesticides. It's a controlled environment.
It's organic. They are at parody with the price of organic,
and they're much better product, much fresher products, and much
(28:43):
less impact on the environment. Also, let's not forget with
climate change, we're seeing a lot more pests, a lot
more diseases in our agriculture than ever before, So we've
got to move to more controlled environments to protect the
food safety aspect of our foods, the nutrients and the
(29:04):
freshness of our foods, and making it affordable for us.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Film makes a good point if you're trying to decide
between organic and conventional, first consider why you want to
buy organic in the first place. Many doctors and food
experts have a list of produce that they refer to
as the dirty doesn't for which they recommend purchasing organically
grown versions, most of which are those thin skinned fruits
(29:32):
and vegetables Phil mentioned. The Environmental Working Group identified the
following as the latest list of susceptible produce to pesticide residue. Strawberries, spinach, kale,
collared and mustard greens, peaches, pears, nectarines, apples, grapes, bell
(29:53):
and hot peppers, cherries, blueberries, and green beans. If your
motive for organic is more about environmental impact, you may
also want to consider buying local so that there's a
lower carbon footprint to get your food to you, or
products from vertical farming which reduces water usage.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
I think the important thing is to be skeptical. Like
one other gimmick is like around Thanksgiving, you see all
these turkeys that go, oh, not treated with hormones. Well,
it's illegal to treat turkeys with hormones, so it's basically say,
like not treated with poison exactly. Yeah, duh. So I
think if people are looking into buying something because it
has a label on it, just look into that label,
look into what it means. Always be skeptical and make
(30:35):
sure you know exactly why you want to buy it.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
Matt, you're right, and it's not only turkeys, but chicken
as well. Hormones are not allowed.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
I didn't know this. This is interesting.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
Yeah, not every label is truthful. There is no federal
regulation for the words all natural, so anybody can put
all natural on a product doesn't mean anything. Yeah, so
we just have to be smart. Read the ingredients, read
the nutritional information. Turn around that package, read what's on it.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
There are lots of different claims on food labels, and
they can all feel like they're saying the same thing
but means something very different. For example, that classic Green
USDA organic label on a product with multiple ingredients, that
just means at least ninety five percent of those ingredients
are certified organic. The one hundred percent organic label is
(31:29):
reserved for products like produce, eggs, fruit meat, or other
single ingredient items. It can be used on multi ingredient
items if all the ingredients are certified organic. Made with
organic means at least seventy percent of those ingredients are
certified organic, and just the label organic ingredients, well, that
(31:53):
means that less than seventy percent of the ingredients in
that product are certified organic. It's also important to note
that all natural or natural does not indicate organic, and
the two are separate. Natural just means it's naturally occurring
like an egg. Of course, it's natural. It comes out
(32:13):
of an animal naturally. One area of labeling I've been
struggling a lot with these days is in the egg category.
I've been searching for delicious eggs with deep rich orange
yolks ever since my trip to the UK this fall,
and I've been trying to decipher which labels on the
cartons equate to a fresher tasting and healthier looking egg.
(32:35):
Here's what I've found. According to Consumer Reports, pasture raised
has no real meaning. However, if the eggs have Certified
Humane or American Humane certified labels, that means the chickens
have access to a pasture with space to do things
like pecking for seeds and bugs. Similarly, farm fresh doesn't
(32:56):
mean anything either. As Consumer Reports puts it, the farm
these eggs are coming from could be a big building
down the street where the chickens are packed into cages.
Free range means the birds are cage free and must
have access to the outdoors, but that can still mean
they're packed in pretty tightly. Both indoors and outdoors. A
(33:18):
combo of free range with that certified Humane or American
Humane certified labels means the birds of ample room to
roam outdoors. Though, and as Matt and Phil have noted
anything that claims to be hormone free, congrats, they're simply
advertising that they're following what is legally required of them
to raise meat and eggs for consumption. Both Matt and
(33:42):
I very recently spent a lot of time in the
UK and the EU. They do things a little bit
differently in their grocery stores. They don't refrigerate their eggs
or their butter. And why do we do that here?
Speaker 3 (33:56):
Well, in America, we believe that anything refrigerated is better,
you know, So it starts there. Also, back to our
earlier conversation, people shop daily in the UK and in
the EU, so their turnover is faster. When you go
into the produce department here we see huge bins of apples.
(34:21):
For example, those apples are there for display. Most apples
in the country have been picked about a year, year
and a half before they get to the supermarket. They're
in cold storage. So when we go in we see
these bright red apples or yellow apples or green apples.
You know, they're not fresh. They've been around for a while.
(34:42):
But the stores in Europe have smaller displays and they
have more turnover, so the eggs don't need to be refrigerated.
I've got a farmer's market around the corner from me
every Sunday and they're selling eggs not in refrigeration, and
they're the best tasting you know, I ever had. We've
(35:03):
got to get past this mentality of food lasting forever.
I call it the Tweakie effect. You know that what
we need is we need to have products that have
a shelf life of one hundred years on it.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
No, we don't.
Speaker 3 (35:15):
We don't need that, we don't want that. We've got
to clean up our act. And the good news is
I live in California, and California is passing laws and
regulations to avoid putting a lot of these preservatives and
colorings into our food supply. And because California is the
number one state in the nation as it relates to
(35:39):
population and economy, what you're going to see is you're
going to see these food companies change their formulas because
they're not going to have a formula for California for Skittles,
for example, and a different one for New York. They're
going to follow suit and follow the regulations that California
has and I've seen it, you know, California, Berkeley, California
(36:03):
started the ban on plastic bags, and now it's throughout
lots of the nation. So what starts here in California
goes to the rest of the country.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Thank you, California, You're welcome.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
Yeah, and I'm so glad you mentioned that California band
because yeah, this is very recent and it's kind of
also started a conversation on what other ingredients should we
be looking out for.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
I would also love to plug Yuka. Are you into
Yucca phil that aps? Yes, So that's a great app
that you can download it. You can take it to
the gros story. You can scan different products and it
will tell you on a scale from zero to one hundred,
how healthy that product is based on the ingredients in it.
And I actually found out a lot of things in
my house that have dangerous carcinogenic ingredients in them. And
(36:47):
it also does like skin products and shampoos and stuff
like that too, So that's another I would highly recommend
people download at that app you will end up changing
everything that you use in your house as a result
of it. But it's pretty amazing.
Speaker 3 (36:59):
And points the other app that you might want to
look at us how good from an environmental standpoint. That's
a great one as well. Just to be fair and
to be honest, nutrition science and science evolves. So when
we take a look at a lot of the preservatives
or additives that were approved in the nineteen fifties, we
(37:21):
didn't have the science and the technology to really look
at how harmful they could have been when they were approved.
So it's not that a lot of these things were
approved with the intent of making harm or killing us
or you know all that stuff. At the time, the
science showed that they were good. So what we need
(37:44):
the USCA and FDA to constantly be doing is re
looking at the science and evolving with us and making
sure that as new science comes up, they reevaluate certain products,
pull certain products off the shelf, and again to Matt's point,
the fresher that we can buy, the closer to nature
(38:07):
that we can buy, the less preservatives, the less additives,
the less artificial sweeteners, the less sugars, all of that
give us a healthier lifestyle, give us a better body,
give us a better mind. Mindfulness is so important as
we related to our food and the way we cook,
(38:28):
the way we eat, you know, slow down. We created
something a few months ago called food Not Phones, which
is an initiative that says, you know, when you're eating,
whether you're by yourself or whether you're with family or friends,
put down your phone. I can't tell you how many
times I'm in a restaurant and I see two people,
(38:48):
typically a couple, that aren't even talking to each other.
You know, they're texting on their phones. Who knows they
could be texting to each other, which is sad.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
I've seen this before though, Yeah, yeah, exactly what you know.
Speaker 3 (38:59):
Let's pay attention. You know, you're in a restaurant for
an hour, enjoy your food, enjoy each other, enjoy your company.
Put down the phone.
Speaker 2 (39:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
And also that can lead to over eating too, if
you're not being conscious of the food that you're actually eating,
and you're mindlessly watching something and mindlessly eating, that can
also not be great for you either. And also you're missing,
you know, precious moments with your family.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
So I probably when I eat alone, I probably shouldn't
sit in front of the TV just because it makes
me feel like I'm eating with other people.
Speaker 1 (39:28):
It's my favorite thing in the world to do. But
we probably shouldn't know.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
We shouldn't What is your favorite grocery store and it
could be national or local or both?
Speaker 3 (39:37):
And why so I have a lot of favorite grocery stores.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
We're talking to the supermarket guru here.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
I know man Man loves the grocery store, but acquiring
minds want to know.
Speaker 3 (39:47):
I visit between ten and fifteen stores a week, so
I would say it depends on where you are in
the country. Obviously, love Wegmans for the northeast part of
the country. In the center part of the country, I
love HIV. It's an employee owned company. They've got about
four hundred stores. They really do a great job. Here
(40:07):
on the West Coast, Airwan and Gelson's in southern California
terrific all the nationwide. Among my top picks all the time,
Trader Joe's great retailer except for produce. I don't like
Trader Joe's produce.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
So many people say this. I like their produce, but
maybe I'm doing it wrong.
Speaker 3 (40:27):
Yeah, you're doing it wrong. May you and I have
to go shopping, you know, so it really depends on
where you are in the country. So I don't have one.
I have those that I listed, and probably there's another,
you know ten, depending on on where you go. But
you know, wherever your supermarket is, build a relationship with
(40:48):
that supermarket. Get to know the store manager, get to
know you know the butcher and the baker, and I
don't care if you're in the middle of the country,
in a dust bowl somewhere, you'll find a supermarket that
does you proud and gives you all the food and
information you need and you can have a joyous experience.
(41:08):
I know people who go to walmarts and have a
great celebratory food experience. Every time, it's about you. It's
not necessarily about the supermarket and how you shop and
the foods that you choose and how you manifest them
into a meal.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Phil thank you so much for taking the time to
talk to moll Night today before we go. How can
people find out more about the supermarket Guru, the work
that you do and if they want to get involved
in what you're doing.
Speaker 3 (41:38):
Sure it's easy Supermarketguru dot com and feel free to
always send me an email what you like what you
don't like about supermarkets. Feel free to bash stores or
feel free to give them accolades. Phil at supermarket guru
dot com.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
Thank you so much, Phil, We really appreciate it, and
thank you boy. Hopefully we will talk to you again
soon in the coming seasons.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
Would love to and let's go shopping together.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
Yes, please, I need help, Clearly I need lots of help.
I'm really hoping Phil is serious about that offer to
personally guide me through a future grocery store trip, because
I really need to rethink how I shop. But I
also loved what Phil said about being more mindful when
we eat, putting the phones down, turning the TV off,
(42:26):
which is going to be hard for me, and just
appreciating the food in front of you, and connecting more
with the flavors and textures on the plate. Here's what
else I'm putting into my mental kart from this conversation
with Phil. There's a huge advantage to going into a
grocery store in person if you're able to do so.
Aside from avoiding substitution mishaps and poor produce or meat
(42:48):
selections that can occur with grocery delivery services, going into
the supermarket can be an integral part of the human
experience and how we maintain connections to others. It sounds simple,
but after the last three years, even a simple greeting
and small talk from the cashier can make a huge difference.
In addition to taking careful stock of what's in your
(43:09):
fridge and cupboards, use your previous receipts to flesh out
your grocery list. It can also be helpful to consult
your weekly calendar so that you know exactly how much
you'll actually be eating at home. To avoid wasting food
at the bottom of your grocery list, make three blank lines.
This is where you can reward yourself with impulse purchases.
(43:31):
Don't be fooled by the end of aisle displays. It
does not mean that those products are on sale if
your schedule allows. The best time to go shopping is
when the store isn't crowded and you have the time
to commit to it. It's not only best for your
stress levels, but it's also best for your budget, because
then you're not rushing through, trying to get out as
quickly as possible and potentially buying more than you actually need.
(43:55):
Get a frequent Shopper card for the stores that you
visit and shop at most. They can help you take
advantage of a lot of great deals and make sure
that you are never paying for qu pons. Smaller, more
frequent trips to the grocery store can help you be
more mindful about what you actually need for upcoming meals,
and it's really great to help avoid food waste. It's
(44:19):
so important to read the ingredients list on the packaging,
know what you're buying, and know what you're putting into
your body. The closer you can get to fresh ingredients
from the earth with the things you buy and eat,
the better. Matt, I gotta say I've already started implementing
some of the things that you know, we talked about
with Phil. It's y. Yeah. So normally I will just
(44:39):
buy copious amounts of kale, but then I find myself
tearing off half of the bushel because it's like started
to kind of like turn like the yellowy color where
it's like that's not as great anymore, right, And so
but the other day I was like, you know what,
I'm gonna have kale tonight. So I'm just gonna buy
one thing of kale and cook it tonight.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
Yeah. He was so freaking proud of myself.
Speaker 2 (45:01):
Matt, it tastes it's so fish Yeah.
Speaker 1 (45:04):
Yeah, because even because you have the compost so it's
really easy to be like, oh, I'll just compost it,
but yeah, you are wasting food money in that you
are not eating the food.
Speaker 2 (45:12):
Yeah, it's been super super helpful to think about like
what do I actually need? And even what you said
about like plotting out how many times am I meeting
friends out for dinner this week? So in reality, what
do I actually need for even in the next like
five to seven days. But Matt, I can't believe this
is our says a female. Have you had a favorite
episode over the last sixteen?
Speaker 1 (45:33):
My favorite guest was then Jamie Paige. Oh yes, Jamie Page,
you know, and we've had one a lot of wonderful
guests on but like Jamie could not stop spouting complete
golden facts and truth, like she was so incredibly knowledgeable.
Speaker 2 (45:46):
I also felt that way about Sarah Rathner, who you
interviewed about credit cards, Like, oh god, that was another one.
There's so much good stuff on the cutting room floor
of that one too.
Speaker 1 (45:56):
I feel like, yeah, there's so much with retirement planning
that I want to get into here too, talking about
things that have helped us a lot this year, like that,
that episode has been huge for me.
Speaker 2 (46:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (46:05):
Part of why each of us wanted to do the
show is to like get into stuff that like we
personally like want to you know, I'm trying to grow
up here get a handle on it in our lives,
and my wife and I have done that, and we've
really we've seen a huge turnaround and just in our
overall happiness. That's like the first time I feel like
I might be able to retire and this could be Okay.
Speaker 2 (46:22):
That's incredible. I'm deeply, deeply jealous of you right now.
And because we.
Speaker 1 (46:27):
Go back and listen to episode one, ally, I know.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
No, honestly, that was such an eye opening that is
one going to write down just like getting my financial
stuff in order, we.
Speaker 1 (46:37):
Should do a multipart financial Episode one is like the
overview of like what is what you should be doing,
what is possible and then to get into each of
these steps in a little bit of specifics.
Speaker 2 (46:45):
Yeah, absolutely, Well, you know what You're gonna all have
to keep following us to hear about it next season
on grown up stuff, how to adult and remember you
might not be graded in life, but it never hurts
to do your homework.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
This is a production from Ruby Studios from iHeartMedia. Our
executive producers are Malli Sosha and the Matt Stillo.
Speaker 2 (47:06):
This episode was engineered by Matt Stilla.
Speaker 1 (47:08):
And written by Malli Soosha.
Speaker 2 (47:10):
With additional research by Nikkia Swinton and Kasby Bias.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
This episode was edited by Sierra Spreen.
Speaker 2 (47:16):
We want to thank everyone at iHeart and Ruby Studio
for letting us do this show and helping us make it,
including Ethan Fixel, Rachel Swan Krasnov, Amber Smith, Debragherett, and
Andy Kelly.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
We also want to thank all of you for listening
to the show. If you have been enjoying the show,
please rate and review on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen. We want to know what you
think of the show and what you want to hear
about and learn about for next season.
Speaker 2 (47:39):
And don't forget to follow or subscribe where you listen
so that you don't miss any updates on season two.
But until then, we love you all and thank you
for going on this journey with us.
Attention, all grown up stuff shoppers. The store is now open.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Do you remember the very first time you went grocery
shopping by yourself without the guidance of a more experienced
adult My first solo supermarket trip. It was to a
grocery store chain called Meyer in the middle of Ohio.
I was a freshman in college, living in the dorms
and relying mostly on the cafeteria for food, so I
needed a very small amount of things to just squirrel
(00:26):
away as snacks or breakfast in my mini frage or
closet for when I didn't have the time to stop
at the cafeteria. It should have been a fairly straightforward experience,
except for the fact that I was completely overwhelmed, and
I just remember thinking, how do people know which brands
to buy? Or what all these various labels mean? And
according to Nielsen IQ and the Food Industry Association, the
(00:48):
single store carries an average of more than thirty one
thousand products. It's a paradox of choice, which is also
the name of a book by Barry Schwartz about the
anxiety that all of this choice consumers. I hear you, Barry,
Decision fatigue is real. So how can we better understand
(01:10):
and dissect the grocery shopping experience while arming ourselves with
the knowledge needed to make the best decisions for our health,
our wallet, and potentially the planet. How can we beat
the supermarket slump and become champions of our carts? Also,
if someone can explain the difference between cage free and
free range eggs to me, that would be super helpful.
(01:32):
Start taking notes. Because this is grown up Stuff. Welcome
everyone to this season finale of Grown Up Stuff, How
to Adult, the podcast where we glow up and grow
up a little more each episode as we learn about
things like nutritional labels and why you should buy frozen
(01:54):
fish instead. I am your host and self identified impulse buyer, Molly,
and I am joined in person by my jolly and
learned co host Matt Still Oh, Matt, Happy holidays to you.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Holidays. Tis the season of gift giving, and I came
over to your apartment and I gave you a gift.
We Christmas married Christmas because you got me a gift
and I had to. I can't be given a gift.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
It was also your birthday gift because you are a
Christmas December baby, so it was a birthday gift? Can
you believe that this is the last episode of our
first season, our seison finale? As the French would.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Say, oh say many fee.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Tis the season when many of us will spend a
lot of time at grocery stores and supermarkets, either buying
ingredients for parties we're hosting, or at the very least,
grabbing box treats and bottled beverages to bring as hosting
gifts to the holiday parties that we're going to be attending. Matt,
let me ask something, do you enjoy grocery shopping? And
(02:59):
then follow up how often do you go? And do
you make a list each time? And do you check
it twice?
Speaker 1 (03:05):
It's been a learning process. It's a lifelong learning and
I have come to love the grocery shopping. I think
I evolved from going when I was hungry and grabbing
any cookies and cakes and pies that I would stumble
across on my way through the grocery store, to working
all the time and not going grocery shopping and convincing
myself I was like, well, when I tried a meal prep,
(03:25):
I never actually end up eating any of it, and
I waste all this food and then I end up
buying takeout anyway, so I might as well just cut
my losses only order take out and save money that
way also wrong. Had to learn this the hard way,
And the important thing that I've finally learned is that
you have to have a plan. You have to think
about what you want to eat ahead of time. Think
(03:46):
about the schedule for the week that you are buying for.
Are you going out with friends? Are you doing something
on Wednesday? I never know, really good point, so I
put together a couple of meals and then I'll plan
out dinners and so I go, what do I need
for this? When I need for that? And so on
they that Wednesday comes and I need to have my
chicken tick a misslid with brocoli and rice. I have
all the things that I need.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
For that, which that is what you made last night.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
You were telling me that's exactly what I made last
idea was absolutely fantastic. So yes, it has been a
big evolution. But yes, grocery shopping is very important and
if you have a plan, it can be very very
efficient and save you a lot of time and money.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
I have to say mine is like yours. I have
had an evolution of experience with grocery stores. But yeah,
I'm so glad that we're talking about groceries because, obviously, Matt,
that is the topic of conversation. We're going to dig
into it more and figure out what we're doing right
and wrong, and to help us make sense of it all,
we've invited the supermarket guru, Phil Lempert.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
For more than twenty five years, Phil has been an
expert and analyst on consumer behavior, marketing trends, new products,
and the changing retail landscape. He's been the food Trends
editor for NBC's Today's Show since nineteen ninety one, and
today he hosts a radio show known as The Lempert
Report and a podcast called Lost in the Supermarket, where
he discusses food news, consumer side trend these, product reviews,
(05:01):
and more.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Phil, Welcome to grown up stuff. Thank you so much
for being here. We are so excited to dig in
to all things grocery store navigating.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Well, thank you, Mollie. You know it's apropos because I
haven't grown up yet. Neither have please, So I want
to say that in the soupermarket, I might be an adult,
but other than that, not even close.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Oh you're in good company, My friend, you're in good company.
I want to start off with in this day and
age of the Instacart, the Fresh Direct, the Amazon, you know, grocery.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
The not having to leave your house, is it at.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Least occasionally important to still go to a grocery store
in person.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Absolutely, And to be honest with you, when we look
at the history of grocery stores, it's really been the
center of communities. And yes, during the pandemic, a lot
of people went to instacart and to shift and to
some of the other delivery services for a certain percentage
of the population. It's important. There are people who can't
(06:05):
leave their home physically, so yeah, it's great for that,
but when we look at the numbers, it has dropped
considerably since the pandemic. You're paying a delivery fee or
an annual membership, you are tipping, you can't use coupons.
The number one complaint of shoppers on instacart is the
quality of produce. The number two is meet you know,
(06:27):
we want to pick those things. So it's important that
supermarkets thrive. It's important that they really redefine themselves to
meet our needs as shoppers today. And that's a hybrid
model that we can talk about. But we love our
supermarkets and we love our food, so don't take that
(06:48):
away from us.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
For many of our listeners, the grocery store environment can
be kind of overwhelming. There's a lot of options, there's
a lot of items. What sort of strategies are mindsets
do you recommend to arm ourselves with to make it
feel more manageable in the grocery store.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
So the first thing you want to do, and I'm
talking about two things. One is saving money because that's
something that all of us are concerned about, and number
two is getting the foods that you want. So the
first thing you want to do is you want to
create your shopping list based on your last week's cash
register receipt. So if you look at your cash register receipt,
(07:25):
it lists every product that you bought by name, So
that's where you start. You take that shopping list and
you take inventory of your cupboards, of your freezer, of
your refrigerator. And the reason it's important to take inventory
is a lot of people forget what they've gotten their cupboard,
So take inventory number one. That way, you cross off
(07:48):
physically those items that you've got on your shopping list.
Then what you do is you look at what other
items you might want to have. You add that to
your shopping list. Then what you do is you there
are three horizontal lines, blank lines at the bottom of
your shopping list. We'll get to that in a second.
So now you're going to the store. What you don't
(08:09):
want to do is you don't want to walk into
the produce department. The stores are designed for you to
walk into the produce department. That's because that's aroma therapy,
all those great colors, all those great aromas that puts
you in a great mood. And when you're in a
great mood in the store, guess what you're going to
spend more. You're going to spend more time in the store.
(08:31):
You're going to buy more impulse items. So you go
into that unemotional part of the store where the boxes
and the cans and you know, the jars are there,
those brand names that you can't stand. Well, that's where
you start your shopping experience. Then from there go into produce,
then from there go into refrigerated, then from there go
(08:53):
into frozen. Part of it also has to do with
frankly good food safety techniques. You don't want to for
dairy and leave it in your cart for forty five
minutes before you leave, and then it sits in your
car for maybe fifteen or twenty minutes or thirty minutes,
depending on where you live in the country. Now understand
(09:13):
that as you're going through the aisles, the store has
designed them to get you to buy more. So the
end of the aisle, that big display that you see
doesn't mean it's on sale. It means it's a big display.
So what you always want to do. In fact, studies
show that only about forty percent of the time are
those products actually on sale. You want to look at
(09:36):
the sign with the price. If it's on sale, it'll
say save a dollar, save fifty cents whatever. If it
doesn't say that, guess what, it's not on sale. So
then we get to those three horizontal lines. We all
want to feel good. You know, the rule of thumb
when you go shopping is never go shopping when you're hungry, cranky,
(09:56):
in a good mood, or in a bad mood, because
you're going to spend more. So important exactly so those
three horizontal lines are designed to reward yourself. Oh, I
like rewards, So you might want some chocolate you might want,
you know, some ice cream. Whatever it is, indulge, enjoy,
but limit it to three items. That way, you're actually
(10:19):
gonna have a great shopping experience. You're gonna get what
you want, and you're not going to overspend.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
It's a carrot at the end of the stick.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
And again, shop around. If you like seafood, and I
happen to love seafood, I never buy it in the
fresh seafood department. And if you look carefully at those signs,
it'll say previously frozen next to the salmon. All shrimp
in this country, unless you're catching it yourself or you
live in New Orleans, is frozen. It says previously frozen
(10:48):
on it go to the frozen food case. And here's why.
In the frozen food case that fish not only is
it forty percent cheaper, but also it's been frozen once
on the boat. So if you're buying fresh fish in
the fresh fish department, what happens is it comes off
the boat, it goes to a distributor who defrosts it.
(11:09):
They put it on ice. It goes to the soup market,
where again it's put on ice. It has previously frozen
on the tag. It doesn't have the same texture, but
it's pretty. We love pretty. Go to the frozen food case.
Forget the pretty, save the money and get better taste
and better nutrients.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
One thing that my wife and I have started doing,
which has actually been really really huge, is like we
have like a weekly planner. So we're at the grocery
store and we're looking at our planner and going, oh wait,
on Wednesday, we're having dinner with our friends. So actually
we don't even need to plan a meal for Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Well, Matt, you're bringing up a really important point about waste.
You know, forty percent of all of our food in
this country is wasted number one. So one of the
best ways to save money and to help the environment
is don't waste food. So what you want to do,
You're not going to a store that has those stupid misters.
You know when you walk down the aisle the little
(12:03):
spray comes out. What some of the stores have is
they actually have thunder and lights, yes, you know, to
show you y'all.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Oh yeah, uh, which I used to enjoy that experience.
But you're telling me it's bad.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
No, no, you don't. Here's why. Number one. The next
time you're in a store that has it, crook your
head and look at the nozzle. Those nozzles are never cleaned.
Oh and most part of the nation when it comes
to our water supply, is horrible high levels of calcium
and other things those chalk up on those little nozzles,
(12:37):
so you're spraying that stuff on your produce. Number two
is water doesn't inhibit good growth of produce once it's picked,
when it's in the field, absolutely, but when it's sitting
in a supermarket refrigeration case, it actually denigrates the product quicker.
(12:58):
Now that's not only from freshness but a nutrition standpoint.
And then third, if you're buying some produce that is
done by weight, you're paying for water. So if in
fact you're going into one of those stores that has it,
make sure that you shake off that water off those
leafy greens also to keep it fresher longer. And if
(13:18):
you do have that, wrap it in a paper towel
before you put it in your crisper. That way it
will absorb any of that extra moisture.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Do you have recommendations for the best days and times
of the week for us to go to the grocery store.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Sure. Number one is keep in mind that now, because
of technology, grocery stores get delivery every day of the week.
Oh okay, it's not the way it used to be
where they got a truck on Mondays and then they unloaded.
So as far as what's on the shelves, no, it
doesn't make a difference. Most stores either do their circulars
(13:54):
Wednesdays or Thursdays. Those used to be called in the
newspaper business best food Day. So that's when products go
on sale. Okay, So what you want to do is
you don't have to rely on those paper circulars anymore.
Just go online to the website and then you could
see what's on sale. And the best time to go
shopping is when it's not crowded. And the reason for
(14:17):
that is psychological. If you can relax when you're shopping,
you're not going to buy impulse items. You're not going
to rush through. You're going to read those ingredients, you're
going to compare different products, you're going to look at prices,
You're going to spend the time. You want to go
into the store not harried and hassled, because then you're
going to spend more. And it's not going to be
(14:38):
a great shopping experience. Too often, food has become a
commodity in our lives where we just buy the same
stuff we fill our bellies and we don't know savor
the tastes. So let's not rush that process. Let's enjoy
it so that we can make intelligent decisions and savor
our foods.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Phil, I'm curious to hear your take on couponing and
grocery store discounts promotions. What are the best ways that
we can save money as consumers when going to the
grocery store.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
So let me start with frequent chopper cards. Yes, that's
number one. That's going to be your big saving Go
online to the store that you like, and shop around
to different stores to see what their specials are. Coupons
used to be terrific. When you looked at the newspaper
(15:29):
on Best Food Day, or you look at the Vlasses
or News America color inserts in the newspaper, they were
chock full of food coupons. Not so much anymore. One
of the best ways to get food coupons is called
the eight hundred number on every package on the products
that you like. Call them up and yes, you might
(15:52):
have to wait two or three minutes, but just say,
you know, I really like your product. I'm wondering if
you could send me some coupons.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
I never would have thought of that.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
Yeah, beware of these scams that are out there where
you buy coupons, and there's a lot of them online.
They say, you know, buy a subscription and we'll give
you coupons. All that they're doing is they're, you know,
scanning the internet and giving you coupons that are already
out there. So you should never pay for coupons. Number one, Yes,
(16:23):
use coupons, but a lot of those coupons are going
to be on the frequent chopper cards as well as
online for that retailer.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
I love the frequent shopper cards thing. I think I
say about five bucks every time I go to my
local grocery store because I'm on theres and over a lifetime,
I mean, that's a lot of saved money. Absolutely, So
I only go to the grosy store once a week,
or I only go once every two weeks. But another
way to go about it is to go grocery shopping
more often. Do you have a recommended way for what
(16:53):
people should do? Is one better than the other?
Speaker 3 (16:56):
So if you can, and that depends on where you live,
But if you can, the best rule of thumb is
to go shopping every day. If in fact you're just
shopping for a day or two days, you're gonna be
more thoughtful about the foods that you buy. You're gonna
buy fresher foods. You're gonna buy foods again, back to
the produce that has more nutrients because it's not sitting
(17:19):
in your refrigerator for a week or two weeks. Once
food hits your refrigerator, it starts to denigrate. You know,
we think that cold is a preservative in some ways, yes,
but not when it comes to nutrients or flavor or taste.
Think about when you buy blueberries at a farmer's market
and you taste when you go, wow, you know that's
(17:40):
bursting with flavor. Buy a refrigerated soupmarket blueberry, taste it
when you get home, and then taste it a week
or two weeks later. It's flavorless. And that's reflective of
the nutrient value and antioxidant value as well. So the
more you can shop more often, the better.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
I want to read a quote from a New York
Times article, and it says For years, food companies and
restaurants generally raise prices in small steps, worried that big
increases would frighten consumers and send them looking for cheaper options.
But over the last year, as wages increase and the
cost of raw ingredients used to make treats like cookies, chips, sodas,
and the materials to package them sored, food companies and
(18:23):
restaurants started passing along these expenses to customers. So I
want to kind of talk about that and how can
we figure out how to get the most for our money.
Let's assume we have time in our schedule to do
weekly shopping trips. How can we make sure we're not
wasting food? And what's the most important way to use
(18:43):
all of our food the food up that we buy?
And do you have any like good hodgepod recipes for like?
All right, this is what I've got. What do I
make out of this kind of a thing?
Speaker 3 (18:52):
So let me start with the New York Times quote
and your point we've seen on precedented price increases from
food companies. Let's remember that grocery retailers work on a
margin of about one to one and a half percent.
So when we go into the grocery store and we
(19:12):
see high prices, we blame the grocery store. They're not
to blame. The food companies are to blame. Yes, during
the pandemic, because of the supply chain issues, a lot
was exposed where, for example, one of the reasons that
we didn't have toilet paper during the early stages of
the pandemic is those factories that made toilet paper were
(19:36):
not designed for social distancing. They were designed for people,
whether it's toilet paper or chicken processing or meat processing,
to work shoulder to shoulder, and that wasn't possible. So
that's why those lines weren't as productive. So, yes, we
had issues with labor increases. We've had raw material increases
(19:59):
because of everything from climate change to the war in
Ukraine and Russia which has stopped wheat and oils from
being sent both here to the US as well as globally.
So as a result of all that, yes, there's price increases. However,
I spend a lot of time on these calls from
(20:19):
a lot of these major CpG companies that talk about
price increases, a lot of the soda companies in particular,
who basically are saying we're going to take three, four
or five six price increases a year, not because of
raw material cost we had that bump, but because consumers
will pay those prices and that's not fair. We're also
(20:44):
seeing something called slack fill and shrinkflation, where what we're
seeing is we're seeing less products in the bag. So
what we have to do when we see these products is, frankly,
we have to look at store brands. We have to
look at alternative and send the message to these companies
that we're just not going to take these price increases.
(21:06):
We're also seeing supermarkets and supermarket buyers and CEOs go
to these brands and saying, hey, we're just not going
to accept price increases. We are here to help our shoppers.
We want to see justification for these price increases. The
supply chain has been fixed, we have oil prices down,
(21:28):
We've made major advances in efficiencies in these food companies.
Prices haven't gone down. So what we should do is
buy store brands. Store brands have a money back guarantee,
so if you don't like it, bring the unused portion back.
Look at the ingredients and the nutritional information on store brands.
(21:50):
If they're identical. What that means is probably the name
brand is making that product for the store under their label.
Read the ingredients and nutritional information carefully so you know
what you're getting. Look at alternatives, and to your point, Molly,
don't waste. There's so much stuff that you could put
in your freezer, but always take a sharpie and put
(22:13):
the date that you froze it, because after about three months,
you're gonna lose flavor, you're gonna lose nutrients. And just
store foods properly.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
And when it comes to storing foods properly, you know,
I feel like a lot of people make mistakes on
this front, So I'm curious to hear what are some
of your biggest tips to do that. Like, I think
one thing that I've really learned is that, like if
I put bread in the fridge, it actually lasts a
lot longer. It doesn't go moldy nearly as quick. Are
there things like that that people can do to make
food lasts longer.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
Absolutely, And bread is a perfect example. And especially if
you're buying either organic or whole grain breads, sprouted breads,
put those in the refrigerator. Store things properly, use zip
lock bags. Even when I put things in the refrigerator.
I'm using the frozen zip lock bags because they're thicker plastic.
(23:04):
Use plastic containers to put it in. Make sure that
when you put things in the refrigerator or freezer that
you pull as much air out of that plastic as
you can, because air will capture moisture and again further
denigrate Never put coffee in the refrigerator a freezer. That's
a big no no because when you think about how
(23:27):
coffee is produced, coffee is produced by adding water to it.
So if you're in the refrigerator a freezer, there's water there,
there's moisture, So again it's going to denigrate the flavor
of those coffee beans if you're putting it in there.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
This reminds me of an age old debate we used
to have in my family, and that is do you
store a ketchup in the fridge or in the cupboard
after it's been open. Our thought process was, well, restaurants
early their ketchup bottles out on tables all day and night,
so the cupboard is okay, right, No one ever got
sick from the cupboard stored ketchup of my childhood, But
(24:10):
then there was a visit from college friends who pointed
out the refrigerator after opening label on the bottle, and
since then we've been a label abiding ketchup in the
fridge family. Here are a few other recommendations about the
best waste. To store your food safely and to avoid waste,
check the temperature of your appliances. The FDA recommends keeping
(24:32):
your fridge at or below forty degrees fahrenheit, and your
freezer should be at zero degrees fahrenheit. Don't store your
eggs or milk or other dairy products in the door
of your refrigerator. That area tends to be a warmer
temp than the rest of the fridge. Instead, use that
door storage for the more resilient items like condiments and seltzer.
(24:53):
Real Simple magazine recommends that, if possible, you should keep
your fruits and veggies separate from one another. They all
all emit different gases, which may impact the way the
others deteriorate. Real Simple also says to leave your produce
unwashed and in its original packaging in the refrigerator. This
goes to pretty much all produced with a few exceptions
(25:14):
like mushrooms and herbs. Apples can hang out a few
days at room temperature. After that, they'll last a little
bit longer in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Never
store your tomatoes in the fridge. The cold zaps the
flavor out of them and changes the texture for the worst.
Eggplants are also better off left at room temperature and
out of direct sunlight. Store meat in the coldest spot
(25:36):
in the fridge, in the back on the bottom shelf.
And finally, according to the FDA, used by dates are
prescribed by the manufacture as recommendation for best flavor and
quality of the product. That date is not a food
safety date. Use your best judgment. If it doesn't look good,
throw it out. That being said, baby food inform me
(26:00):
are the exception as those used by dates are food
safety dates. We'll be right back with more grown up
stuff how to adult. After a quick break, and we're
back with more grown up stuff how to adults. I
(26:22):
want to talk about what is worth the extra money
to buy organic and what we should just be buying
that's more traditionally raised or grown.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
So the first question we have to ask is why
do you want to buy organic? Number one is for
those people, and this is the answer that I hear
most times when I ask the question, most people think
that organics contain no pesticides, right, That's not true. There
are over one hundred pesticides that can be used with organics.
(26:53):
So if you're buying organics to avoid all pesticides, stop
fooling yourself. When it comes to produce, and I buy
certain organic produce, my rule of thumb is if that
has a thick skin on it, any residue of pesticides
and the like are not going to get through it.
(27:13):
So I would not buy organic oranges, for example. I
do buy organic blueberries and raspberries. If you're buying organic
because you care about the environment and agriculture processes, yes,
do it. But there's certain labels that are out there
that are misleading. If you're buying cage free eggs because
(27:35):
you think that these chickens are happy, go lucky chickens
running around, you're paying a buck extra for a dozen
eggs and throwing your money out because all that the
cage free regulation is is that the chickens have one
foot to turn around. That's it. If you're looking to
do good things with your eggs, then what you want
(27:58):
to do is you want to buy free rain eggs,
and that's even more expensive. So you really have to
figure out why do I want to buy these things.
Study after study has proven that there's no nutritional difference
between organics and non organics. When I look at produce
I happen to really like and buy personally, whether it's
(28:22):
organics that are grown hydroponically, bowery farms plenty, those brands
are vertical farms that use no pesticides. It's a controlled environment.
It's organic. They are at parody with the price of organic,
and they're much better product, much fresher products, and much
(28:43):
less impact on the environment. Also, let's not forget with
climate change, we're seeing a lot more pests, a lot
more diseases in our agriculture than ever before, So we've
got to move to more controlled environments to protect the
food safety aspect of our foods, the nutrients and the
(29:04):
freshness of our foods, and making it affordable for us.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Film makes a good point if you're trying to decide
between organic and conventional, first consider why you want to
buy organic in the first place. Many doctors and food
experts have a list of produce that they refer to
as the dirty doesn't for which they recommend purchasing organically
grown versions, most of which are those thin skinned fruits
(29:32):
and vegetables Phil mentioned. The Environmental Working Group identified the
following as the latest list of susceptible produce to pesticide residue. Strawberries, spinach, kale,
collared and mustard greens, peaches, pears, nectarines, apples, grapes, bell
(29:53):
and hot peppers, cherries, blueberries, and green beans. If your
motive for organic is more about environmental impact, you may
also want to consider buying local so that there's a
lower carbon footprint to get your food to you, or
products from vertical farming which reduces water usage.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
I think the important thing is to be skeptical. Like
one other gimmick is like around Thanksgiving, you see all
these turkeys that go, oh, not treated with hormones. Well,
it's illegal to treat turkeys with hormones, so it's basically say,
like not treated with poison exactly. Yeah, duh. So I
think if people are looking into buying something because it
has a label on it, just look into that label,
look into what it means. Always be skeptical and make
(30:35):
sure you know exactly why you want to buy it.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
Matt, you're right, and it's not only turkeys, but chicken
as well. Hormones are not allowed.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
I didn't know this. This is interesting.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
Yeah, not every label is truthful. There is no federal
regulation for the words all natural, so anybody can put
all natural on a product doesn't mean anything. Yeah, so
we just have to be smart. Read the ingredients, read
the nutritional information. Turn around that package, read what's on it.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
There are lots of different claims on food labels, and
they can all feel like they're saying the same thing
but means something very different. For example, that classic Green
USDA organic label on a product with multiple ingredients, that
just means at least ninety five percent of those ingredients
are certified organic. The one hundred percent organic label is
(31:29):
reserved for products like produce, eggs, fruit meat, or other
single ingredient items. It can be used on multi ingredient
items if all the ingredients are certified organic. Made with
organic means at least seventy percent of those ingredients are
certified organic, and just the label organic ingredients, well, that
(31:53):
means that less than seventy percent of the ingredients in
that product are certified organic. It's also important to note
that all natural or natural does not indicate organic, and
the two are separate. Natural just means it's naturally occurring
like an egg. Of course, it's natural. It comes out
(32:13):
of an animal naturally. One area of labeling I've been
struggling a lot with these days is in the egg category.
I've been searching for delicious eggs with deep rich orange
yolks ever since my trip to the UK this fall,
and I've been trying to decipher which labels on the
cartons equate to a fresher tasting and healthier looking egg.
(32:35):
Here's what I've found. According to Consumer Reports, pasture raised
has no real meaning. However, if the eggs have Certified
Humane or American Humane certified labels, that means the chickens
have access to a pasture with space to do things
like pecking for seeds and bugs. Similarly, farm fresh doesn't
(32:56):
mean anything either. As Consumer Reports puts it, the farm
these eggs are coming from could be a big building
down the street where the chickens are packed into cages.
Free range means the birds are cage free and must
have access to the outdoors, but that can still mean
they're packed in pretty tightly. Both indoors and outdoors. A
(33:18):
combo of free range with that certified Humane or American
Humane certified labels means the birds of ample room to
roam outdoors. Though, and as Matt and Phil have noted
anything that claims to be hormone free, congrats, they're simply
advertising that they're following what is legally required of them
to raise meat and eggs for consumption. Both Matt and
(33:42):
I very recently spent a lot of time in the
UK and the EU. They do things a little bit
differently in their grocery stores. They don't refrigerate their eggs
or their butter. And why do we do that here?
Speaker 3 (33:56):
Well, in America, we believe that anything refrigerated is better,
you know, So it starts there. Also, back to our
earlier conversation, people shop daily in the UK and in
the EU, so their turnover is faster. When you go
into the produce department here we see huge bins of apples.
(34:21):
For example, those apples are there for display. Most apples
in the country have been picked about a year, year
and a half before they get to the supermarket. They're
in cold storage. So when we go in we see
these bright red apples or yellow apples or green apples.
You know, they're not fresh. They've been around for a while.
(34:42):
But the stores in Europe have smaller displays and they
have more turnover, so the eggs don't need to be refrigerated.
I've got a farmer's market around the corner from me
every Sunday and they're selling eggs not in refrigeration, and
they're the best tasting you know, I ever had. We've
(35:03):
got to get past this mentality of food lasting forever.
I call it the Tweakie effect. You know that what
we need is we need to have products that have
a shelf life of one hundred years on it.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
No, we don't.
Speaker 3 (35:15):
We don't need that, we don't want that. We've got
to clean up our act. And the good news is
I live in California, and California is passing laws and
regulations to avoid putting a lot of these preservatives and
colorings into our food supply. And because California is the
number one state in the nation as it relates to
(35:39):
population and economy, what you're going to see is you're
going to see these food companies change their formulas because
they're not going to have a formula for California for Skittles,
for example, and a different one for New York. They're
going to follow suit and follow the regulations that California
has and I've seen it, you know, California, Berkeley, California
(36:03):
started the ban on plastic bags, and now it's throughout
lots of the nation. So what starts here in California
goes to the rest of the country.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Thank you, California, You're welcome.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
Yeah, and I'm so glad you mentioned that California band
because yeah, this is very recent and it's kind of
also started a conversation on what other ingredients should we
be looking out for.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
I would also love to plug Yuka. Are you into
Yucca phil that aps? Yes, So that's a great app
that you can download it. You can take it to
the gros story. You can scan different products and it
will tell you on a scale from zero to one hundred,
how healthy that product is based on the ingredients in it.
And I actually found out a lot of things in
my house that have dangerous carcinogenic ingredients in them. And
(36:47):
it also does like skin products and shampoos and stuff
like that too, So that's another I would highly recommend
people download at that app you will end up changing
everything that you use in your house as a result
of it. But it's pretty amazing.
Speaker 3 (36:59):
And points the other app that you might want to
look at us how good from an environmental standpoint. That's
a great one as well. Just to be fair and
to be honest, nutrition science and science evolves. So when
we take a look at a lot of the preservatives
or additives that were approved in the nineteen fifties, we
(37:21):
didn't have the science and the technology to really look
at how harmful they could have been when they were approved.
So it's not that a lot of these things were
approved with the intent of making harm or killing us
or you know all that stuff. At the time, the
science showed that they were good. So what we need
(37:44):
the USCA and FDA to constantly be doing is re
looking at the science and evolving with us and making
sure that as new science comes up, they reevaluate certain products,
pull certain products off the shelf, and again to Matt's point,
the fresher that we can buy, the closer to nature
(38:07):
that we can buy, the less preservatives, the less additives,
the less artificial sweeteners, the less sugars, all of that
give us a healthier lifestyle, give us a better body,
give us a better mind. Mindfulness is so important as
we related to our food and the way we cook,
(38:28):
the way we eat, you know, slow down. We created
something a few months ago called food Not Phones, which
is an initiative that says, you know, when you're eating,
whether you're by yourself or whether you're with family or friends,
put down your phone. I can't tell you how many
times I'm in a restaurant and I see two people,
(38:48):
typically a couple, that aren't even talking to each other.
You know, they're texting on their phones. Who knows they
could be texting to each other, which is sad.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
I've seen this before though, Yeah, yeah, exactly what you know.
Speaker 3 (38:59):
Let's pay attention. You know, you're in a restaurant for
an hour, enjoy your food, enjoy each other, enjoy your company.
Put down the phone.
Speaker 2 (39:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
And also that can lead to over eating too, if
you're not being conscious of the food that you're actually eating,
and you're mindlessly watching something and mindlessly eating, that can
also not be great for you either. And also you're missing,
you know, precious moments with your family.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
So I probably when I eat alone, I probably shouldn't
sit in front of the TV just because it makes
me feel like I'm eating with other people.
Speaker 1 (39:28):
It's my favorite thing in the world to do. But
we probably shouldn't know.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
We shouldn't What is your favorite grocery store and it
could be national or local or both?
Speaker 3 (39:37):
And why so I have a lot of favorite grocery stores.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
We're talking to the supermarket guru here.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
I know man Man loves the grocery store, but acquiring
minds want to know.
Speaker 3 (39:47):
I visit between ten and fifteen stores a week, so
I would say it depends on where you are in
the country. Obviously, love Wegmans for the northeast part of
the country. In the center part of the country, I
love HIV. It's an employee owned company. They've got about
four hundred stores. They really do a great job. Here
(40:07):
on the West Coast, Airwan and Gelson's in southern California
terrific all the nationwide. Among my top picks all the time,
Trader Joe's great retailer except for produce. I don't like
Trader Joe's produce.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
So many people say this. I like their produce, but
maybe I'm doing it wrong.
Speaker 3 (40:27):
Yeah, you're doing it wrong. May you and I have
to go shopping, you know, so it really depends on
where you are in the country. So I don't have one.
I have those that I listed, and probably there's another,
you know ten, depending on on where you go. But
you know, wherever your supermarket is, build a relationship with
(40:48):
that supermarket. Get to know the store manager, get to
know you know the butcher and the baker, and I
don't care if you're in the middle of the country,
in a dust bowl somewhere, you'll find a supermarket that
does you proud and gives you all the food and
information you need and you can have a joyous experience.
(41:08):
I know people who go to walmarts and have a
great celebratory food experience. Every time, it's about you. It's
not necessarily about the supermarket and how you shop and
the foods that you choose and how you manifest them
into a meal.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Phil thank you so much for taking the time to
talk to moll Night today before we go. How can
people find out more about the supermarket Guru, the work
that you do and if they want to get involved
in what you're doing.
Speaker 3 (41:38):
Sure it's easy Supermarketguru dot com and feel free to
always send me an email what you like what you
don't like about supermarkets. Feel free to bash stores or
feel free to give them accolades. Phil at supermarket guru
dot com.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
Thank you so much, Phil, We really appreciate it, and
thank you boy. Hopefully we will talk to you again
soon in the coming seasons.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
Would love to and let's go shopping together.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
Yes, please, I need help, Clearly I need lots of help.
I'm really hoping Phil is serious about that offer to
personally guide me through a future grocery store trip, because
I really need to rethink how I shop. But I
also loved what Phil said about being more mindful when
we eat, putting the phones down, turning the TV off,
(42:26):
which is going to be hard for me, and just
appreciating the food in front of you, and connecting more
with the flavors and textures on the plate. Here's what
else I'm putting into my mental kart from this conversation
with Phil. There's a huge advantage to going into a
grocery store in person if you're able to do so.
Aside from avoiding substitution mishaps and poor produce or meat
(42:48):
selections that can occur with grocery delivery services, going into
the supermarket can be an integral part of the human
experience and how we maintain connections to others. It sounds simple,
but after the last three years, even a simple greeting
and small talk from the cashier can make a huge difference.
In addition to taking careful stock of what's in your
(43:09):
fridge and cupboards, use your previous receipts to flesh out
your grocery list. It can also be helpful to consult
your weekly calendar so that you know exactly how much
you'll actually be eating at home. To avoid wasting food
at the bottom of your grocery list, make three blank lines.
This is where you can reward yourself with impulse purchases.
(43:31):
Don't be fooled by the end of aisle displays. It
does not mean that those products are on sale if
your schedule allows. The best time to go shopping is
when the store isn't crowded and you have the time
to commit to it. It's not only best for your
stress levels, but it's also best for your budget, because
then you're not rushing through, trying to get out as
quickly as possible and potentially buying more than you actually need.
(43:55):
Get a frequent Shopper card for the stores that you
visit and shop at most. They can help you take
advantage of a lot of great deals and make sure
that you are never paying for qu pons. Smaller, more
frequent trips to the grocery store can help you be
more mindful about what you actually need for upcoming meals,
and it's really great to help avoid food waste. It's
(44:19):
so important to read the ingredients list on the packaging,
know what you're buying, and know what you're putting into
your body. The closer you can get to fresh ingredients
from the earth with the things you buy and eat,
the better. Matt, I gotta say I've already started implementing
some of the things that you know, we talked about
with Phil. It's y. Yeah. So normally I will just
(44:39):
buy copious amounts of kale, but then I find myself
tearing off half of the bushel because it's like started
to kind of like turn like the yellowy color where
it's like that's not as great anymore, right, And so
but the other day I was like, you know what,
I'm gonna have kale tonight. So I'm just gonna buy
one thing of kale and cook it tonight.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
Yeah. He was so freaking proud of myself.
Speaker 2 (45:01):
Matt, it tastes it's so fish Yeah.
Speaker 1 (45:04):
Yeah, because even because you have the compost so it's
really easy to be like, oh, I'll just compost it,
but yeah, you are wasting food money in that you
are not eating the food.
Speaker 2 (45:12):
Yeah, it's been super super helpful to think about like
what do I actually need? And even what you said
about like plotting out how many times am I meeting
friends out for dinner this week? So in reality, what
do I actually need for even in the next like
five to seven days. But Matt, I can't believe this
is our says a female. Have you had a favorite
episode over the last sixteen?
Speaker 1 (45:33):
My favorite guest was then Jamie Paige. Oh yes, Jamie Page,
you know, and we've had one a lot of wonderful
guests on but like Jamie could not stop spouting complete
golden facts and truth, like she was so incredibly knowledgeable.
Speaker 2 (45:46):
I also felt that way about Sarah Rathner, who you
interviewed about credit cards, Like, oh god, that was another one.
There's so much good stuff on the cutting room floor
of that one too.
Speaker 1 (45:56):
I feel like, yeah, there's so much with retirement planning
that I want to get into here too, talking about
things that have helped us a lot this year, like that,
that episode has been huge for me.
Speaker 2 (46:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (46:05):
Part of why each of us wanted to do the
show is to like get into stuff that like we
personally like want to you know, I'm trying to grow
up here get a handle on it in our lives,
and my wife and I have done that, and we've
really we've seen a huge turnaround and just in our
overall happiness. That's like the first time I feel like
I might be able to retire and this could be Okay.
Speaker 2 (46:22):
That's incredible. I'm deeply, deeply jealous of you right now.
And because we.
Speaker 1 (46:27):
Go back and listen to episode one, ally, I know.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
No, honestly, that was such an eye opening that is
one going to write down just like getting my financial
stuff in order, we.
Speaker 1 (46:37):
Should do a multipart financial Episode one is like the
overview of like what is what you should be doing,
what is possible and then to get into each of
these steps in a little bit of specifics.
Speaker 2 (46:45):
Yeah, absolutely, Well, you know what You're gonna all have
to keep following us to hear about it next season
on grown up stuff, how to adult and remember you
might not be graded in life, but it never hurts
to do your homework.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
This is a production from Ruby Studios from iHeartMedia. Our
executive producers are Malli Sosha and the Matt Stillo.
Speaker 2 (47:06):
This episode was engineered by Matt Stilla.
Speaker 1 (47:08):
And written by Malli Soosha.
Speaker 2 (47:10):
With additional research by Nikkia Swinton and Kasby Bias.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
This episode was edited by Sierra Spreen.
Speaker 2 (47:16):
We want to thank everyone at iHeart and Ruby Studio
for letting us do this show and helping us make it,
including Ethan Fixel, Rachel Swan Krasnov, Amber Smith, Debragherett, and
Andy Kelly.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
We also want to thank all of you for listening
to the show. If you have been enjoying the show,
please rate and review on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen. We want to know what you
think of the show and what you want to hear
about and learn about for next season.
Speaker 2 (47:39):
And don't forget to follow or subscribe where you listen
so that you don't miss any updates on season two.
But until then, we love you all and thank you
for going on this journey with us.
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