The week of Christmas 2012, I went with my family to Cheesecake Factory for dinner. I’m not a huge fan of this place because they don’t have a gluten-free menu and their menu is so enormous it’s impossible to make a choice. But my family wanted to go, so I went with them.
Afterward, we decided to check out the new Trader Joe’s grocery store that had recently opened (since it was in the same plaza as the restaurant and all). I spent a couple years of my life in Southern California, so I’m very familiar with Trader Joe’s (though these days I much prefer Whole Foods). I love exploring grocery stores, so I jumped at the chance to check out the new TJ’s.
So there we were, perusing Trader Joe’s, walking up and down aisles adding an item to our baskets every now and then. I had just added a jar of virgin coconut oil to my basket (I couldn’t believe how low the TJ’s price was compared to other grocery stores in my area!) when I rounded the corner near the bread aisle. I wasn’t looking for bread for myself (I’m gluten-free, and 99% of stores don’t offer fresh-baked versions of gluten-free bread), but my not-gluten-free husband likes to make sandwiches for work.
I walked over to the bread area and that’s when I saw it. A whole end-cap display of them.
At first I thought my eyes were failing me. There’s no way that box said what I thought it did.
I edged my way through the crowd of holiday shoppers and grabbed a box off the shelf. A box of brownie mix.
A box of brownie mix called: Trader Joe’s Reduced-Guilt Brownies.
Reduced-Guilt Brownies
Now mind you there are ads everywhere for diet programs and eating this way or that way. There are ads telling you that Cheerios are good for lowering cholesterol (riiiiight…) and that you can lose weight by shaking some mysterious seasoning on your food before you eat it.
And while all these ads piss me off in their own way, this box of reduced-guilt brownie mix just really fucking pissed me off.
This is not an attack on Trader Joe’s, they are just playing to society’s beliefs and profiting from it, as we should expect any company to this day and age. What this is an attack on, is the idea that we should feel guilty for eating a brownie!!!
That’s what truly pissed me off.
Why do desserts have to be tied to feeling guilty? Why?! Whose hair-brained idea was that? Because I’d like to kick his ass.
First off—there are plenty of ways to make desserts from real, whole food, that way you’re doing some good for your body, mind and creativity while enjoying your treat at the same time. (Eating real food is such a win-win!)
Don’t believe me? Here are some examples:
Second off—if you eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of vegetables and fruits, it’s perfectly and totally fine to have a brownie every now and again.
It just bugs me that society tries telling people—and especially women—that you have to associate certain feelings with certain foods. I say fuck that!
If you want to eat a brownie, you should eat a damn brownie and not feel at all guilty about it (now if you eat a whole pan of brownies in one sitting, that may be another story…).
Brownies are one of those delicious things that make life even more enjoyable. Why take that away from yourself?
Be A Badass, Guilt-Free
Things like Trader Joe’s Reduced-Guilt Brownies are one of the reasons I run programs like Badass Writers Bootcamp. Because I want you to see that there isn’t just one way of doing things. And that you don’t have to listen to the media or your friends or family or anyone else about what you should eat and how you should live.
The only person you should listen to is yourself. You’re the only one who really knows what’s right for you, your body and your life.
Example: Some people think I’m nuts for being gluten-free and dairy-free (two+ years and counting now!). I’ve heard “I could never do it” so many times I can’t keep count anymore. There are even some people who will try to encourage me from time-to-time to cheat by eating something that has gluten in it!
But I don’t give in.
I don’t give in because I know what foods work best for my body, and which ones don’t. And I stick to that.
Finding what works best for me has made such an amazing impact on my life and my creativity. I have so much energy now and my creative well is always full because I nourish my core source of creativity every day.
You can find what works best for you, too.
In Badass Writers Bootcamp I’ll guide you through a discovery process that will put you on track to a happy, healthy, balanced life, no more yo-yo dieting, no more giving up anything, no guilt.
I am a stand for writer-preneurs having happy, healthy, balanced lives, and making an income from their creative gifts. Join the next round of Badass Writers Bootcamp and finally take charge of your health, your life and your creativity.
The doors to Badass Writers are opening again on January 22. I’m giving early-access (on Monday January 21) to all the dedicated people on the VIP interest list. If you want to get in before everyone else, sign up for the VIP list here.
Image Source: TraderJoesRecipes.net
I admit it. At first, I thought the the box was cute–you know, instead of “sugar free” or “fat free” they were guilt free…I now see the error in my ways. And while you made me laugh out loud with just how pissed-off you got about it, I understand your passion for this.
I hate fat free, sugar free, diet anything! I think the more we move to these items the worse our health gets. And you are soooo right, balance is the key and knowing our own bodies.
Whew. I will say, I was impressed with the price of TJ’s Coconut oil too (I put that stuff in everything!). Thanks for the rant.
I admit the play-on-words things is cute. But for me it was the straw that broke the camel’s back in a sense. I just get so annoyed with society trying to make people associate certain foods with certain feelings. No, you don’t have to feel guilty for eating a brownie! Sometimes eating a brownie is the best thing you can do for yourself. Other times, it’s not. Only you can be the determiner in that.
I love coconut oil!
This is such an awesome post, Jennifer! I agree with you wholeheartedly. This guilt crap is so messed up and wrong.
Totally! This guilt crap is the reason so many women have messed up self-esteems and poor relationships with their bodies.
LOL You are very determined to steer people to eat in a healthy, not-out-of-the-box processed foods way! I understand YOUR biggest reason for living this way is due to your allergies which I am starting to think that everyone has a mild allergy to gluten. Lets look at the spelling & meaning in part, of that word: G L U T en! I have to admit that I sometimes get heartburn & have to stop & think did I eat a bread product at some point that day/evening? Yup! Pizza last night so at 2-3 in the morning it got me! I will learn eventually but I LOVE bread! Not slice bread of any form. I mean the good yummy bad for you loaded with carbs bread (Panera’s, Brueggers, local bakery, etc)and I have to also admit that I did once many years ago give “breads” up and I did in fact lose weight. Not much but enough where it was noticable and I did actually feel better. Cheers to you Jennifer! Keep pushing for your beliefs. We’ll all get it sooner or later! P.S. I love your new picture
Thanks for your comment, Denise! I’m not really pushing my beliefs, so much as I’m pushing people to move outside their comfort zones and discover what works best for them! I’m not telling people to eat gluten or not eat gluten. I’m not telling people what to eat at all. I’m telling them to finally figure out what works for their bodies–so they can live at their very best, both health-wise and creative-wise. Eating foods that are damaging to our bodies does nothing but ruin our health. And if you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything. But when you have your health, you can have it all. Just saying!
That is so funny you mentioned the Trader Joe’s “guilt free” brownies…I refuse on principle to buy anything that has “guilt” on the label (Guiltless Gourmet, etc.)! Lol! Of course that didn’t use to be the case. For way too many years I obsessed constantly over which foods were “good” or “bad”, based on the teachings of the latest diet guru du jour. Jen, I’ve told you a million times, but Bootcamp was truly instrumental in **finally** getting me to listen to myself and choose foods that work for me consistently. And yeah, sometimes that is a brownie or some dark chocolate! : ) But just as importantly, I’ve let go of any judgment about how someone else wants to eat. We all have different finger prints, so why is it so hard to grasp that none of our digestive systems, taste preferences and food tolerances are going to be exactly the same?
Mary–you seriously have such a way with words! I swear I’m gonna hire you to be my Badass Writers Bootcamp copywriter! You’ve hit the nail on the head, yet again with this statement:
“We all have different finger prints, so why is it so hard to grasp that none of our digestive systems, taste preferences and food tolerances are going to be exactly the same?”
EXACTLY! Every accepts that no two people have the same finger prints (and accepted the same about snowflakes) and yet people are floored when you tell them that not all our digestive systems and bodies are the same and therefore we all need different foods in our diets.
I have a vegetarian friend who ate that way for 10+ years and then she recently decided to eat just a little bit of meat to see how she felt. Turns out, her body functions better with small amounts of high-quality, grass-fed meats in it. So now she’s a “flexitarian” which allows her to eat what she wants when her body wants it.
I’d love to be your copywriter, Jen…sign me up! : ) What you’re doing with Bootcamp is really important in terms of empowering people to trust themselves in their food/health choices, and I’ve been so happy to be part of it. As for being a “flexitarian”…I love that! It perfectly expresses the philsophy of doing what works for you. I’ve actually been watching a lot of food-oriented documentaries lately, which I never used to do because I would freak out that I was “wrong” for not being a vegan, or 100% organic, or whatever the filmmaker was espousing. But now I can pick and choose tidbits that I feel will really work for me, and just let the rest go without the guilt of not following any one program to the letter. Very liberating!
It’s totally liberating! And, again, you’ve nailed it: “now I can pick and choose tidbits that I feel will really work for me, and just let the rest go without the guilt of not following any one program to the letter.”