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Welcome toGrocery Diaries, a new series that illustrates just how varied and personalized healthy eating really is.
Chelsea Kyle. Food Stying by Drew Aichele. Prop Styling by Campbell Pearson.
Why do they buy what they buy?
How much do they spend?
Who are they shopping for?
Chelsea Kyle. Food Stying by Drew Aichele. Prop Styling by Campbell Pearson.
If we were out of something, then the entire recipe would change.
At home Shauntrice ate very differently.
Whats more, her mom just didnt have access to fresh food at the local grocery store.
As an adult, Shauntrice wondered whether food affected her familys medical history.
Its important to mention that Shauntrices mom smoked, which is one risk factor for developinghigh blood pressure.
Over time, high blood pressure can lead to other medical conditions like a heart attack.
Glucose is our bodys main source of energy and we get it from food and drinks.
People with diabetes can develop issues like nerve damage, eye problems, and kidney disease.
To her, healthy eating means including a variety of fresh food in her diet.
I look at the colors in my basket.
Do I have an array of fruits and vegetables?
But this can be a hard goal to reach.
It was really important for me to do this, she says.
The community is predominantly Black, but we dont have a lot of Black businesses.
Its important to me that more Black businesses can make money.
Here are 10 items she eats in a typical week.
Shauntrice learned about plantains when she studied abroad in Trinidad during college.
I thought it was like a Trinidadian banana, she says.
I dont even know if I had heard the wordplantainbefore.
She says living in another country for a semesteropened her mind to foodthat she wouldnt normally try.
I was super picky before going out of the country, Shauntrice says.
I committed to myself that I would try new stuff.
I didnt want to disrespect people and their food.
Now fried plantains are one of her favorite snacks.
I really like when theyre blackened, she says.
She rememberseating ackee with salt fish(people often eat the two together) at breakfast.
At the time Shauntrice thought the large chunks of pale yellow fruit were scrambled eggs.
I thought, Maybe this isnt a chicken egg.
I didnt ask any questions, she says.
(She later learned about ackee from her professor.)
Shauntrice makes ackee at home whenever its in stock at her local African market.
Its not even always at the market that I go to, she tells us.
I usually call ahead and see to it its there.
Every three weeks Shauntrice drives three hours tobuy eggsfrom this farm owned by former NFL player George Wilson.
Its our best-selling item at the store, she says.
Shauntrice says Phonograph eggs taste noticeably different from the standard grocery store egg: Theyre delicious.
Theyre heartier, and the yolk is thicker.
Theyre much fluffier when youre making scrambled eggs or pancakes.
It was love at first taste when Shauntrice tried thisbanana peanut butterat a women-owned business pop-up event in 2019.
Theres little banana chips in it.
Its kind of like cookies and cream ice cream but with banana chips, she says.
It just tastes really good, and its super sweet from the banana.
I havent had a nut butter with that element in it.
She eats this on top of cinnamon raisin toast and in her smoothies.
Shauntrices friends frequently tag her in Facebook posts about Louisville businesses.
Thats how Shauntrice learned about Keith Griffith III, a 13-year-old beekeeper and owner of Beeing2Gether honey.
She loved his ambition and supports Keith by selling his honey at Black Market KY.
When I was 13, I wasnt thinking about starting a business, she says.
Thats amazing to me.
She likes to drizzle honey on her baked fish, in her smoothies, and on top ofpancakes.
Shauntrice carries meat from Black-owned farm Cleavs Family Market at her store and also buystheir ground meatsfor herself.
What I usually do is get hamburger and sausage, and I mix the two, Shauntrice says.
Thats how my great-grandmother used to make burgers, she says.
I go through so many of these every weekprobably like 20 packs, Shauntrice says.
I always crack one open in the car on the way home from Trader Joes.
Initially she bought these for Iniejah when he was a toddler but has grown to love them too.
In fact, she always keeps a few in her purse in case she wants acrispy snackwhen running errands.
Hes into making his own stuff.
I think he really just likes the independence, Shauntrice says.
Plus, he can unwrap one without worrying about cleaning up after himself.
Our first choice is the vanilla sweetened, but a lot of times thats out for some reason.
Shuantrice used to buy her apple juice from a woman named Ida, a local Louisville mom.
You would message her on Facebook with your order and she delivered it to your home.
So what made Idas juice so special?
Shauntrice says it reminded her of the fresh-pressed cider she likes to drink in the fall.
Ida doesnt sell juice anymore, Shauntrice says, so Shauntriceshomemade smoothieshave replaced her juice habit instead.
My favorite blend is probably one with cilantro, lime, and kale.
Its super tangy, she says.
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