The other day, my husband and I were grocery shopping. (CJ was happily sitting in the cart, ripping coupons off shelves as we drove past.)
It’s never a good idea for us to go together, because it typically goes like this:
1) I put things in the cart, 2) Jay questions my choices, 3) I get annoyed and defensive.
“Are we really going to eat all that fruit? I just threw out a bunch of bananas.”
“Why are you buying THAT?”
“How come we’re not getting any chips?”
This round, his critical focus was drawn to the items I selected that were overly “expensive” … the organic, the wholesome, the au naturale.
“Jen,” he said, “did you realize that you just picked out the MOST EXPENSIVE yogurt?”
“I know,” I responded wearily, “I don’t like to buy things with a lot of artificial additives… dye, flavoring… it’s just toxic. I don’t want CJ eating that.”
Riiiiight. It wasn’t until we were standing in the checkout line that I realized my own hypocrisy. Sitting right next to the very expensive, very organic yogurt, was this:
That’s right, NEON blue, I-dare-you-to-find-an-apple-that-color, so-artificial-you-can-hardly-call-it-applesauce applesauce.
When I picked it off the shelf and dropped it into the cart I was thinking, “hmm, this could be a good way to get CJ to eat more fruit.” But now I wonder, doesn’t the BLUE DYE off-set any possible value of what little nutrition is left in the applesauce?
Yes, these are the questions that plague a mother’s soul.
***
Did you enjoy this post? Why not subscribe to email updates or the RSS feed.
Like what you're reading? You can help me achieve my life-long dream of publishing a book by supporting this blog, which is a platform that can help me get published! (Click here to learn more about my book) There are lots of ways to show your support:
- Subscribe by RSS or Email
- Like Absolutely Bananas on Facebook
- Share this post on Facebook (click the link below "Related Posts")
- Tell a friend about Absolutely Bananas
- Leave a comment. They're like candy, but without the calories. :)
xo Jen
May 22, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Oh this is such a pet peeve of mine…why they have to add dyes to almost every food imagineable?
Does yogurt really need to be neon blue? Applesauce orange?
Coloring is even added to salmon to make it look pinker. YUM.
I try to not buy anything with dyes added. But I tell ya, it’s getting harder and harder ;)
May 22, 2007 at 9:52 pm
Your shopping expeditions sound so much like ours, it has me laughin’, I’ll tell ya.
Neil once bought the “cheap” yogurt for the girls. Till I asked him to read the ingredients list to me. We buy the expensive stuff now.
May 23, 2007 at 12:02 am
Ah yes. Very much like my holier-than-thou grocery cart until the last items hit the belt! Even the cashier noticed once and made a comment about my girlies beloved Pocky sticks coming after all my virtuous groceries!
May 23, 2007 at 1:59 am
After the bright blue poopy diaper I changed when Nicholas was 2, I avoid all food that is not its natural color
May 23, 2007 at 2:03 am
Hubby and I cannot go grocery shopping together. Apparently, I’m too slow and read too many labels.
May 23, 2007 at 5:36 am
Hubby and I can now go grocery shopping together without too much questioning of each other’s choices. Of course, it only took about 10 years!
May 23, 2007 at 6:00 am
everything has something in it. everything.
i’ve never understood yellow cheese but i LOVE it :)
May 23, 2007 at 7:05 am
Well when it comes to groceries its always different choice…so like Stephanie said it takes some more time…haha
New here just wanted to say hi…oh you have a very interesting blog on parenting…
Parenting
May 23, 2007 at 3:03 pm
Hey, so nice to have found this blog of yours, so interesting. I sure hope and wish that you take courage enough to pay me a visit in my PALAVROSSAVRVS REX!, and plus get some surprise. My blog is also so cool!
May 23, 2007 at 5:45 pm
Yeah… Hubby and I went shopping last night without the kiddos and by the end of it I squealed, “YOU ARE WORSE THAN ALL FOUR KIDS PUT TOGETHER!!!!” We laughed, but I wasn’t kidding…
May 23, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Do you know how I decide whether or not to buy something? If it’s worth the arguement of justification to Hubby. If it’s not worth the battle, it goes back on the shelf.
May 23, 2007 at 7:15 pm
LMAO Oh your conversation sounds like mine with DH at the store! He gripes constantly about my choices.
May 23, 2007 at 7:44 pm
Did you ever get a chance to try the green or purple ketchup? It wasn’t right. Not at all. I don’t think they make it any more, that’s how very wrong it was.
May 24, 2007 at 1:01 pm
hehe. That’s why shopping alone is so much fun!
I was about to ask about the blue applesauce turning poop blue but Shauna already answered that.
LOL
Funny post!