As a former Trader Joe's employee and dietitian, I've tried a lot of popular products from the chain To me, Trader Joe's dark-chocolate peanut-butter cups and sweet-potato gnocchi are worth the hype. I 'm not totally sold on the chain's nondairy oat beverage or cauliflower gnocchi. Before I became a dietitian and intuitive-eating counselor, I worked at a Trader Joe's. Years later, I still regularly visit the grocer when planning my meals and following an intuitive-eating framework.
In fact, last January, I decided to finally look at my macros - how much protein, fiber, carbs, and other nutrients I was actually eating. I've always tried to eat "healthy," but I was nervous about tracking anything too closely. I came of age during the clean-eating era, of salads, raw vegetables, and the demonization of carbs. In college, that slid into disordered eating: severe under-eating as a way to avoid "danger" foods.
I remember as a kid I was obsessed with Halloween candy. It was the one day of the year where I could get as much candy, eat as much candy as I could. I had a one-track mind. I didn't find joy with Halloween because of the costumes or hanging out with friends. I'd just get a pillowcase and fill it up with as much candy as I wanted.