Sadventure Completed #33: The honest supermarket...

As with all these things, once you embark on a Sadventure people suddenly suggest you do all sorts of related things...

With my no sugar challenge, and the subsequent discovery that even Salt & Vinegar crisps are off the menu, I've been tasked with watching something I'd really rather not.

Horizon: The Honest Supermarket, BBC2.

First up: Bottled Water. I don't bother with it so this didn't bother me. Most bottled water is tap water anyway. Bottled water ain't that great for you, it's certainly not better than tap water. Unless you live somewhere where access to clean water is limited. Like half the countries I've lived in.

Natural Sugar Snacks: The word 'Natural' can be put on anything. As can 'Wholesome'. Everything that occurs, not necessarily in nature, is 'natural' apparently. Just like the unicorn poop that I fertilise my tomatoes with. Or that blue mould on my bread. Doesn't make me wanna eat it.

Fresh Fish: Don't eat it. Cripes, at this rate, you could consider my diet healthy! But, yup no ambition to now either.

Vegetables: Pesticides used to the nth degree. As long as that's not sugar, I should be okay. There's more toxins in a cup of coffee they reckon than in non-organic veg. Yay!

However, a scientist has just discovered that combinations of pesticides are feminising rats. I've idea whether this is a bad thing (or not). It might mean less football on TV long term with any luck.

Carbon footprints: The more methane-farting animals you eat, that is all meat bar chicken, the higher your footprint. Cheese, thankfully, is more efficient. No more Peruvian asparagus though. Bread is the most wasted product in the UK. The birds in my garden aren't wasteful thankfully.

Processed food, e.g. pizza: Have hair, nail and bristle added to the dough in the form of E920. Have cat, am used to added hair. His claws I've not yet devoured though. Is it harmful - no, it's natural! For now, the high sugar content means they are off the menu for now anyway. However, they ain't healthy, not even the vegetable ones.

Sodium Nitrate: which is added to processed meat, e.g. pepperoni is carcinogenic.

Palm Oil: Has destroyed many a rain forest, and palm oil plantations are soundless - the result of the absence of wildlife. This does trouble me. Palms are fast-growing, and provide abundant amounts of oil.

Sugar!!! Is there any health benefits from switching sugars, e.g. white to brown. The healthiest sugars are from fruit because they are slower-releasing, but worse than white sugar is coconut sugar. Basically, the marketing is very misleading - Date syrup, honey and algave all have the same effect as white sugar.

Supermarket shopping is a sensory experience. Our senses are manipulated by the packaging, the smells, the muzak, the images, the words, as well as, of course, the layout of the supermarket. Nose pegs, blindfolds, earplugs and a shopping list are essential preparations for shopping. Best you go on a full bladder too to minimise your running around time.

Quite an interesting programme. I'm still in the 'I'd rather not know camp' but hey ho. The palm oil, however, does trouble me. A lot.

#supermarkets #supermarketshopping #pizza #palmoil #fish #vegetables #bottledwater #sodiumnitrate #natural #wholesome #carbonfootprint #sadventure