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For many, grocery shopping is an incredibly overwhelming part of the week. Coming up with meals that you won’t get tired of is stressful enough, but knowing what foods are actually healthy and nourish your body can feel kind of hopeless. With social media these days, anyone can be an expert, and there is lots of inflammatory language out there about what foods are unhealthy or even dangerous. We’ve all been there at one point of another—meal prepping is so overwhelming that it’s easier to just give up and get takeout every night.
As enticing as that is, it’s not financially feasible for most people. How do you know what foods to avoid when grocery shopping to ensure you’re shopping with health and nutrition in mind? We asked Jamie Feit, MD, RDN, owner of Jamie Feit Nutrition, LLC and expert at Testing.com, what five foods you should avoid at the grocery store. Before you get into the details of foods specifically, Feit says it’s important to think about nutrition by aisle. “Have you ever heard to shop the perimeter of the store? It seems that processed foods, snacks, and high sugar foods are always located in the center” she says, “These are the foods that hinder our health and cause inflammation in the body.” Even if you buy things found in the perimeter of the store, there are still some foods that are marketed as healthy there that you should avoid.
Whole Wheat Bread
“Regular whole wheat bread is loaded with sugar, you can see it as one of the first three ingredients,” Feit says, “A healthy swap would be a whole grain bread where you can actually see the grains. Choose one that has a minimum of 3 g fiber per slice.”
Cereal Bars
“Even though they are marketed as healthy, these bars are loaded with sugar! A healthy swap would be a protein bat that contains both fiber and protein.” Additionally, if you want a quick and easy breakfast, consider opting for overnight oats. They are easy to make and require no prep in the morning, so you can sleep in later and save time.
Yogurt
“Many yogurts are marketed as healthy but also contain excessive amounts of added sugar. Choose a Greek yogurt instead that contains adequate protein and less sugar.” If you still want flavor and a little bit of sweetness, consider adding fresh berries to plain yogurt instead.
Spiced Nuts
Nuts are considered a healthy snack, but may not be as healthy as you think. “Many prepared spiced nuts contain sugar as one of the first three ingredients,” Feit says, “A healthy swap would be to get dry roasted nuts or plain ones and roast them with your own spices.”
Breakfast Cereals
“Cereals are loaded with sugar, even cheerios have sugar high up on the ingredient list. A healthy swap would be an alternative cereal that sugar is not one of the first three ingredients that also contains fiber.”
Ultimately, the key to making smart purchases at the grocery store is reading the ingredients carefully. “Sugar is hidden on food labels and can be listed under many different names. The best way to avoid purchasing unhealthy foods at the grocery store is to read food labels.”
Excessive sugar is one of the worst offenders to your wellbeing, and unfortunately present in most foods. Feit has one strategy that can use to know if something has too much sugar. “If a product has sugar listed as one of the first three ingredients, put it down and walk around the perimeter of the store to find something better.”
