Grocery Shopping in Europe and the United States - Is there a Difference between the Continents?

One of my favorite things to do in other countries is visit the grocery store.  The different types of foods, and the packaging and layout of what is available fascinate me.  On my last trip I must have visited at least 6 or 7 markets.

What are some of the main differences?

Layout (road map) – in America once you’re inside the store you are bombarded by the huge bags of chips or jumbo bottles of soda on sale.  Containers of processed foods full of sugar and multiple ingredients are everywhere, especially on the aisles.

In Europe they still have boxes of cookies and chips but they are contained within their perspective aisles with less variety.  The ends of aisles contain food products that usually correspond with the aisle or a pickup food item for a quick meal such as some cheese, a sandwich or a drink.

Variety (options) – in Europe the amount of foods that can spoil are more prevalent– i.e. more fresh food abounds.  There are many aisles of meats, cheeses, yogurts, fresh fruits, vegetables, etc. which are within the store, not just the perimeter.  In America food that spoils exists but is contained within the perimeter of most stores.

Less Sweet - both countries like their sweets – no doubt about that.  However, in Europe the plain varieties of great tasting yogurts abound.  Yogurts with sugars exist, but are not the norm.  Foods in Europe contain sugar but not to the sweetness of American foods.

Jams and Peanut (nut) Butter – a side point but one of interest.  The Europeans are very into their jam they have on bread in the morning.  America has jellies and jam but not in the varieties and amount in Europe.  If you want peanut butter in Europe you will have to search for it and if you do find it, there may only be one brand similar to a Jiff or Skippy.  I did not find any natural nut butters, at least in the regular grocery stores.

Cheeses (grass fed dairy) – cottage cheese does not exist in France or at least none of the stores I visited.  I purchased something that looked like cottage cheese but it ended up being a whipped cheese that I did not care for.  Of course the French like their frommage and the variety of cheeses are astounding and overwhelming.  You could spend hours educating yourself on the types of cheeses, and each region in France has types that are common or can be purchased only in that area.  The entire dairy comes from grass-fed cows (versus corn fed), which is preferable since grass-fed products contain richer amounts of omega-3 fats.

Ingredients – I spent a few hours looking at labels to compare.  In America a packaged food could contain 50 ingredients and purchasing items with less than five ingredients is challenging.  I found European packaged foods to have much fewer ingredients – somewhere between 5-10 but not at the level in America.

GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) – when Europe heard about the studies related to GMO’s many countries did away completely with GMO’s.  Studies are mixed but this controversy is definitely one to keep in mind.  In America, the 4 major GMO’s are corn, soy, canola/canola oil and sugar (anything not listed as 100% cane sugar).

Is there a take home message in all this? 

Grocery stores in Europe are much easier to navigate with healthier options resulting in a healthier diet.  There are more real whole fresh foods, with less processed foods, and processed foods that contain fewer ingredients.  Unfortunately Europe is heading towards our way of eating more than a few years ago versus Americans going towards the European way.

If both countries embraced the original diet of clean whole non-processed foods with minimal sweets and treats the world would be a healthier place free of many Western disease processes. 

Coming back to America, I will miss the amazing plain organic yogurts and cheeses.  However, since my favorite food is peanut butter if I lived in Europe I’d have to make my own – a risk I’d gladly take living in a healthier eating environment. 

Navigating the Grocery Store Maze

A few years back I heard Marion Nestle speak at a conference and I was intrigued at her research on food politics and how the food industry invests money to manipulate us to buy their products, without us even knowing they are doing so.

She discussed certain rules that govern supermarkets:

1. They put the produce or flowers first to entice you into the store.
    
2. They expose products as much as possible (aisles, special displays, etc.).  The more products you see, the more you will buy.
    
3. They put high profit items at eye level.  Processed junk foods that are nutritionally depleted are highly profitable.
    
4. They use sugars to add value to foods such as large containers of soft drinks.
    
5. Manufacturers use the words “nutrition” and “health” to sell foods.

I started to notice all the distractions of pretty processed foods full of color and intrigue.  The more I noticed the more I realized how most Americans are influenced unknowingly by these tricks.

So how can you as a consumer navigate the waters of the grocery store?

1. You’ve heard this before but shop the perimeter of the store as much as possible.
    
2. Stick to fresh whole foods, preferably without a label and if something does have a label try to limit the number ingredients to less than five.
    
3. Make a list before going to the store and stick to it.  You may have to put on blinders to get past all the processed foods.
    
4. Don’t be fooled by the labels on the front such as “lowers cholesterol.”

It is possible to get in and out of grocery store without being submarined.  You just have to stick to what you need and then go on autopilot. 

Remember the food industry is not going to send you a get-well card if you have a health issue.   Give a message to the food industry and take control of your health with how you spend your dollars at the market. 

Designer Food Worth the Extra Cost?

Jumping off grocery store shelves are foods laced with specialty food supplements.  Are these “foods” worth the extra cost?  Can they really improve your health or are these products just another way to allure us to buy something that is “good” for us?

Omega3-laced eggs and milk.  Calcium supplemented chocolate chews and orange juice.  Vitamin C supplemented “energy drinks.”  Just how practical are these foods to our needs?

A typical omega-3 supplemented egg provides about 200 mg. of omega 3 fatty acids – sounds good so far.  However, if you break it down a typical omega 3 gel supplement has 1000 mg. of total omega-3 fatty acids per capsule.  Therefore, you are only getting about a fifth of a capsule in an egg. 

In addition, the most important thing to know about omega 3’s in HOW much DHA and EPA you are receiving in your supplement (see blog 7/5/09).  A 1000 mg. capsule of Carlson Super Omega 3 Fish Oil Capsules has 200 mg of DHA and 300 mg. of EPA. The outside of the bottle says 1000 mg. of omega 3’s but that is TOTAL marine fats. 

Therefore, your omega 3 eggs costing you about 60-80 percent more than regular eggs are not worth the extra cost.  The wiser investment is to take the supplement and consume regular eggs.  The same is true for most all of these “foods.”  Manufacturers are just using buzzwords to entice us to buy their products to improve our health and well-being. 

Eating clean food with no food label or less than 5 ingredients is the start.  Then consuming a balance of protein, low fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, good fats from omega-3 rich foods (fish and ground flax seed), and monounsaturated sources (avocados, olive oil) is the next step.  An important supplement may be fish oil or Vitamin D (see blog 7/12).