Eastern Ontario Costco

**lizzyb** · September 23rd, 2009, 09:23 PM

Being a Canuckian hailing from Eastern Ontario I thought this rather interesting today. I had left for my usaly bi-weekly visit to Costco to stock up on all my good food stuff (read: clean eats). Like anyhwhere else in North America these days there isn't a shortage of rather obese individuals about, and especially in places like Costco. Lord knows I saw more than I wish I had anyways.
This brings me to the backbone of this post. Folks who eat way too much of too many of the wrong things just adore Costco for the variety and size of packaging of all the good ol' nasty foods that most of us fitness and health loving individuals would shreak in horror at the mere sight of the nutritional label! Hell, they had shrimp won-ton soup on a deal today with a sodium count of 14000mg

per serving!! Anyhoo, my point is that there really isn't a shortage of crapp at Costco to fill one's arteries and fat cells with. However.....I go to buy clean eats. It is the one and ONLY place that I can say has an even 50% split of garbage foods and totally clean good for you stuff. I seemed to have noticed a trend at my particular store where in summer seasons when we are all leaning.....the food choices one fit person would use are in abundance and in the fall when bulking you see more red meats and grains on the loose......I'm astonished at the responsibility this store takes in providing the consumer with totally clean foods at a reasonable price.....

I'd be curious to know what the food trends are in the US or anywhere else for that matter at Costco?

**ckn** · September 24th, 2009, 04:00 AM

Costco in the UK is great for non-food stuff but the food is generally substandard, it's either porky-people food or so poor quality that I automatically reject it. Their fresh meat section, for example, has some real bargains if you don't mind the quality or history of the meat, e.g. good quality farm, etc.

My local butcher has a list of the farms he gets his meat from, independently verified our local council, all free-range with good quality foodstuffs. Good quality treatment and food for animals = good quality meat.

**wil** · September 24th, 2009, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckn

Good quality treatment and food for animals = good quality meat.

Yeah I had a steak the other night and I could tell that cow was probably beaten on a daily basis before he got butchered.

**ckn** · September 24th, 2009, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wil

Yeah I had a steak the other night and I could tell that cow was probably beaten on a daily basis before he got butchered.

To me, it's a no brainer... a well looked after animal fed good quality food will provide better quality meat than one stuck in a tiny cage and fed the cheapest foodstuff available.

It's hard for many people to get this but the easiest way to see it is to imagine you are a cannibal, who would you rather eat: a McDonalds addict who hasn't eaten fruit or vegetables for decades or a well built athlete with a good diet and solid muscle mass? One is blubber and gristle, the other is bulky muscle (i.e. the tasty part)

I'm no bleeding heart liberal when it comes to food animals. Their job is to provide me meat on my table and if giving them a good life with good food means my meat is better then I'm happy to pay a bit more for that welfare.

**Italianangel** · September 24th, 2009, 10:10 AM

Hey, costco, I was just wondering if I should bother renewing, I rarely go, superstore is a bit more my speed with sizes, there is just 2 of us and we both eat so different most of the time.
But one thing.......and only because I have clients and have had clients who had health issues which affected their ability to lose weight OR caused them weight gain with treatment and meds and you would never know them to be sick to see them.........so you may assume they over eat or are inactive.........
in no way am I defending obesity in general because I am a trainer, beating fat is my deal but I have learned a lot about health issues being in this industry which has opened my mind and eyes up to the idea that its not always as simple as it looks.

**A1food4U** · September 24th, 2009, 11:27 AM

The problem here is a societal emphasis on "easy". As a food Pro I can tell you that the average individual out there looks at making say Mac n cheese from sctratch as an alien proposition. They have no problem feeding their families institutional boxed products with high sodium, trans fat and every food color under the sun. You can make a really tasty mac n cheese and keep nutritional levels balanced.

Too many out there don't give a rip about what they are doing to themselves or their kids. The kid part of the equation is the sad part. Moms and dads who are a bit heavy looking at there little darlings and making excuses for their inactivity and poor eating. Parents are the ultimate role models, Costco and other merchandisers sren't to blame. . . .

**pliny_2001** · September 24th, 2009, 01:29 PM

Costco here in the states is probably fairly similar; as the economic downturn hit restaurants, Costco started selling a pretty good selection of prime (not choice) cuts of meat. That said, I wouldn't eat either if given the option; the rumor is that Costco's prime stuff comes from Mexico and is only graded in the US, so it's USDA Prime but not USDA inspected. Not that the USDA label should help or hurt; they're so understaffed that no one's getting inspected. Anywhoo, I'm with ckn, local butchers, grass-fed cattle, organic or near enough to it. Feed lot beef isn't and will never be good for you (or guys at least, the extra estrogen probably won't effect women as much).

So we're looking at a lot of agri-businessed foods here in the US. I know my Costco gets billion pound bags of organic rice, but I'm not in the market; my apartment doesn't really have a panty for those sizes.

Glad to know yours is doing OK-ish, telling the manager you appreciate the options couldn't _hurt_ things looking forward!

**lizzyb** · September 24th, 2009, 06:21 PM

Great points guys!!
Yeah I know what y'all mean about the butcher too. I like to use a local farmer who raises her own cattle, chicken and turkey.....all fed good clean natural feeds, no hormones or other crapp and let me tell you, her beef is sooo lean and tender and it even tastes different than the crap we get at the grocers....same with her poultry too. They do gluten free x-lean sausage as well. It is also where I get my other meats from (emu and bison). In summer months I grow my own produce and only rely on retail for fruits and dairy and dry goods.

Funny after reading about the Mexican meat, I started to think about the 6kg bag of apples I had purchased and thought I'd be a rather poor Ontarian if I bought Mexican apples when our own fruit is in high season right now

........pleasingly the bag says in large letters "Produce of Canada" Woot!! However I did try something different there and it was a pkg of x-lean Kirkland brand ham (I'm not afraid of pigs, lol!!)....it turns out to be one of these Mexican/American meats and let me tell ya, the salt content and fat content as compared to where I usually purchase my fat free cold cuts (Loblaws Superstore), so yeah there are definitely things to keep an eye on as well. So I guess Canadian standards may be different than Canadian

Obviously when I was referring to "obese" peoples I was ONLY referring to the self induced variety who have done it all hand to mouth so to speak

Mind you I had a friend who swore her obesity was due to an anti-depressant she had been taking for OCD for many years.......some years later she came out to me, admitting that she was a bulemic and would eat like 6 cheeseburgers in one sitting from MickeyD's during a bingeing episode.......

**ckn** · September 24th, 2009, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A1food4U

The problem here is a societal emphasis on "easy". As a food Pro I can tell you that the average individual out there looks at making say Mac n cheese from sctratch as an alien proposition. They have no problem feeding their families institutional boxed products with high sodium, trans fat and every food color under the sun. You can make a really tasty mac n cheese and keep nutritional levels balanced.

I enjoy a burger occasionally. Home-made, of course, with the best quality steak mince, tiny amounts of seasoning (esp salt) and fresh veggies. Trying to compare a home made burger with a McBurger is difficult and the home made one costs less per burger than the McBurger.