Food for Thought

We all know I can be a little too sensitive; a bit too concerned about what people think. This past weekend I realized it's starting to affect me at the grocery store. Does anyone else feel like a terrible person, particularly a terrible mom, when putting their items on the belt at checkout? Here's a sampling of my recent purchases:

1. Three boxes of sugary cereal
2. Two boxes of highly processed granola bars and Nutrigrain bars
3. Two boxes of Cheez-Its (BOGO sale)
4. Packaged beef roast with gravy (must be all-natural; it stays good in the fridge till May 3)
5. High sodium Campbells' Chicken Noodle Soup
6. Hot dogs (also all natural)
7. White bread
8. Genuardi's chocolate chip cookies (only because they were on sale)
9. Uncrustables with peanut butter and grape jelly on white bread
10. Benefiber chewables 

I don't know about you, but I definitely judge people make assumptions about someone based on what I see in their cart:

The college student:

• Ramen noodles
• Mac n cheese
• Energy drinks

The single guy:

• Protein bars
• Beer (in cool states where they sell beer at the grocery store)
• Microwave dinners

The "crunchy" mom (when not growing or raising their own food...)

• Organic fruits and vegetables
• Organic cereal
• Gluten-free snacks
• Free range chicken
• No red meat within 500 feet

The senior citizen:

• Single-serving meals
• Ice cream
• Coffee
• Bananas

The healthy exercise nut person:

• Vitamin water
• Vegetables
• Whole wheat pasta
• Fat-free yogurt
• Playtex Sport tampons

Yes, I can just imagine what crunchy mom and healthy exercise nut think of my selections.

Obviously there is a solution to this problem.

Supermarkets should designate lanes according to your shopping classification:

1. Single guys and college students
2. Senior citizens (they need their own lane because of speed, or lack thereof,  moreso than food selection. Mom and dad, this doesn't apply to you.)
3. Healthy people 
4. Moms like me

With everyone in their own lane, no one has to be uncomfortable. I think it's the best idea for grocery stores since they introduced those little carts with videos for the kids! And really, it's a much easier fix for my problem then, let's say, making healthier choices.

And for the record, it has occurred to me that I probably wouldn't need the processed fiber tablets if the only thing healthy in my cart wasn't the smallest head of broccoli I could find.