Look Who it Was Random video

Diet Buster: The Cost of Convenience

84 views · Published 4 March 2015 · 1:56 · Indexed 1 November 2026

Channel: Lee Health · 2015 · Science & Technology

Watch on YouTube

The typical American grocery store has something that appeals to just about every taste bud. Shoppers like Emily Weldon use it as a starting point.

“My husband and I like home cooking. So do my children and my grandkids,” says Weldon. 

But many people grab and gobble. Choosing ready-made foods instead of starting from scratch. Jeanne Struve is a registered dietitian with Lee Memorial Health System.

“We like things that are quick, easy, convenient. But unfortunately we’re paying a price for that with our health,” says Struve. 

Call it the cost of convenience. Studies find it is driving the trend to eat fattening food. Prepared foods are higher in salt, fat and sugar. They may be high in flavor, but it’s often at the expense of real nutrition.

“The more processed a food is, the less nutrition it has. And unfortunately people don’t realize that food manufacturers will add more fat, more salt, more sugar to a product than they would ever do themselves,” says Struve. 

One solution is to read the label.  A long list of ingredients usually spells trouble.

“And if there’s a lot of ingredients that you can’t pronounce, maybe put it back or if you haven’t a clue as to what those ingredients are that’s probably a very processed food,” says Struve. 

And be suspicious of words hyping health - that don’t deliver.

“For example, the pasta with spinach. All it is is a spinach powder. It’s not like you’re getting a vegetable serving in that,” says Struve. 

Emily knows what she’s getting and not getting; buying fresh and preparing it herself.

“I feel it’s better for you. It has less, stuff you really don’t want in the food,” says Weldon.  

One final morsel:  the perimeter of the supermarket is where you’ll find the fresh produce, meat and dairy.  Process foods are in the center aisles. So it pays to make the rounds.  

View More Health Matters video segments at leememorial.org/healthmatters/

Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

Visit leememorial.org

More from this channel