Fresno Fresh & Easy opening day 13JAN10



This is a good thing no matter how you slice it. And the best thing is the location: another grocery store in downtown Fresno!

We just did our grocery shopping on sunday so I didn't really need anything except cookies and a 24oz. bottle of beer. No single bottles of beer but they did have my favorite Loacker cookies for $2 a bag.

I was disappointed to see their reluctance to go below the $3 an item price point, something that The Joe does well.

We will definitely shop there from time to time, but I was disappointed in the stocking of major brands like Coca Cola and Fruit Loops, which I think is somewhat responsible for the fattening up and dumbing down of America.

A piece in the Fresno Bee yesterday said that "Americans are still among the chunkiest folks on the planet, with 68% of adults overweight or obese."

New data based on surveys by the AMA and published by the Center for Disease Control says that not only are adults overweight but 17% of children are obese, too.

40 years of advertising, telling the American people that eating cold cereal and drinking soda pop is good for you is partly to blame for this epidemic. That's why I look for foods that are low in fat, salt and sugar. But, it's an acquired taste.
It takes a long time and a lot of will to get off the unhealthy diet and start to enjoy healthier foods.

One way is to try to find foods that are healthier but are just as satisfying. But, it is difficult to do that when your choices are so slim as are found in most chain store supermarkets. There are about 5 corporations that sell most of the food in the US and they are the kings of high fat, high salt and high sugar content.

That's why I appreciate the selection at Trader Joes. They are the kings of Budget
Gourmet, quite unlike Whole Foods which is king of Expensive Gourmet. The Joe consistently finds ways to include fiber and reduce fat, salt and sugar in great tasting foods that have a relatively low price.