How to choose the healthiest foods at your local grocery store.

A virtual Grocery store tour

I am, for the most part, a proponent of organic foods. Occasionally I have people push back and question whether organic is worth the price tag when compared to conventional when the nutritional content has been shown to be very similar or even the same. My answer is that while that may be true, purchasing organic is the best way to reduce the occurrence of chemicals like herbicides, pesticides, and preservatives in your food supply. Which then leads to the question:

Why are chemicals like herbicides, pesticides and preservatives problematic? After all they are regulated by the USDA/ FDA to be at “safe” levels.

My answer: We have all heard that our soils are becoming depleted of vital nutrients and this is why we need to supplement with vitamins and minerals. Chemicals on top of depleted soils just compound the issue and make it that much harder for our bodies to cope and obtain the nutrients we need to maintain health.

My goal when sourcing food is to attain the highest nutritional value, with the lowest chemical content, at the best price that fits in my budget.

Personally, to do this, I source my family’s nutrition several different ways. I grow a fair amount, purchase meat in bulk locally, and I utilize bulk co-op type organizations.

Now I know that not everyone has the time or energy to source their food from several different establishments. So to simplify, I want to take you on a virtual tour of your local grocery store so you can get an idea of what to look for and how to choose the healthiest products from your average local chain grocery store.

Before we start I want to give you 3 quick tips for picking out the healthiest foods.

Always read the label – even if it’s a product you’re familiar with and have read the label before. I have seen companies change owners and the recipe without announcement so I always read the label and double check the ingredients.
Get to know ingredients – at first all you really need to know is If you can’t pronounce its name you probably don’t want it in your body. With time as you read labels, get curious and utilize online searches you will become familiar with ingredients.
Prioritize organic and pasture raised as much as possible

Typically the first department I see when I walk into my local store is the Produce dept. so we will start our tour there.

Produce:

Purchase organic whenever possible for the best chance at avoiding herbicides and pesticides especially items that you consume the peel or outer skin. If on a budget, you can utilize the Environmental Working Group dirty dozen list www.ewg.org to help you prioritize the items you definitely want to purchase organic. This organization tests 46 items every year and publishes the results starting with the 12 items most contaminated with pesticides. The top items for 2024 are: Strawberries, spinach, kale, grapes, peaches, pears, nectarines, apples, peppers, cherries and green beans. If any of these items are on my list I’m definitely buying the organic version.

Meat/Eggs:

I have heard functional health practitioners state that there are vital proteins and vital fats but no vital carbs. I tend to agree and while I am by no means against quality carbs if your body tolerates them well. I do put a big emphasis on protein whether I am preparing a full meal or just a snack. Unless someone has an issue digesting meat, quality meat and eggs are THE best way to obtain vital nutrients, Vitamin A (retinol), B12, Carnitine, Carnosine, Creatine, D3, DHA, EPA, Heme iron, and Taurine. Pasture raised/grass fed meat, eggs and wild caught fish contain much higher amounts of these vital nutrients Plus vitamin K2 which is essential for avoiding dental caries in children and osteoporosis in adults. If you look at the coloring of a pasture raised egg versus a conventionally raised egg there is a noticeable difference in the color. The pastured egg will have much deeper pigmentation signifying the higher nutritional content

There is definitely a good, better, best scale when it comes to meat and eggs.

Before I lay out how I prioritize my purchases I want to explain the difference between ruminant and non-ruminant animals.

Ruminate animals are those that have 4 stomachs including the rumen which holds specific microbes that ferment plant material to break down and convert the plants into proteins and vitamins. Examples of ruminant animals at the grocery store will primarily be beef, bison and lamb. Occasionally you might find some goat, elk or deer.

Non-Ruminant animals are those with a single compartment stomach such as Pork or poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, goose.)

I have heard several natural health practitioners state that they feel more comfortable with meat from conventionally raised ruminant animals because the microbes in the ruminant stomach help to process and convert the undesirable parts of the grains they are fed, whereas the non-ruminant animals aren’t able to do this as effectively. So if you are on a budget they suggest purchasing organic chicken & pork and conventionally raised beef and lamb.

To summarize:

Good is any minimally processed meat that you and your family enjoy eating.

Better is prioritizing and purchasing non-ruminant (chicken & pork) animal products organic.

Best is purchasing all animal products (Ruminant and non-ruminant) pasture raised or grass fed, organic.

Eggs

Until recently the majority of eggs sold in Washington state were from laying hens kept in cages in barns. In 2019 a law was passed and took effect Jan. 2024 requiring all retailers in WA to sell cage free eggs.

Cage free means they are kept in barns just not in individual cages. They are not on grass or in sunlight and are fed GMO grains.

Free Range hens have access to the outdoors and sunshine and are required to have a minimum of two square feet of roaming space, so probably not getting access to grass.

Pasture raised hens are required to have at least 108 square feet of outdoor space. The nutritional content in these eggs is much higher because of the fresh grass and bugs the hens have access to.

Organic simply means their feed is certified organic. They might be raised in a cage free barn or a free range/pasture. The package might give details about living conditions or you might need to contact the farm to inquire. Organic eggs usually have higher nutritional value because the feed is a higher quality.

Dairy

Milk

If you can find Raw dairy products that are non-pasteurized, non-homogenized at your local store, buy that! Raw dairy has all the enzymes intact making it the most nutritious and easiest to digest. However it’s difficult to find because it has been demonized by big corporations, the history of which is too lengthy and disgusting to address in this article.
My local store doesn’t sell raw dairy but does carry the next best thing and that is milk from Twin Brook Creamery. It comes in a glass bottle, it is vat pasteurized, non homogenized, from Jersey cows that are grass fed most of the year.
Low Heat or vat pasteurized milk is not heated to the level of ultra pasteurized milk, so it retains more natural enzymes and nutrients.
The purpose of ultra pasteurization is to kill any pathogens that might be in the milk. Pathogens shouldn’t be a problem if the cows are well cared for, healthy, and proper sanitization methods are followed. With Ultra pasteurization the product lasts much longer on the shelf which is a benefit to retailers.
I have heard it said that most of the local stores’ dairy section is so processed and dead that most of the products could be vacuum sealed and kept unrefrigerated, retailers don’t do this in order to keep customers feeling good about what they are buying.
Homogenization of milk is done to make a more uniform product and eliminate the cream line that forms with non-homogenized milk. Some say it has no effect on the health benefits and others highly disagree.
Bottom line – prioritize grass fed and organic dairy products

Butter

When it comes to butter, prioritizing grass fed is again very important. When you look at conventionally raised vs grass fed butter you will notice the grass fed has a deeper yellow color, this indicates the superior nutritional content.
Most of all you want to look for pure butter without any additives and definitely avoid margarines or spreads made with industrial GMO or bioengineered seed oils (Corn, canola, soy,) many of the packaging of these products states that it is heart healthy which it most certainly is not. These oils are highly processed and inflammatory.
If you are lactose intolerant or need a high heat cooking oil, pasture raised ghee or clarified butter is an excellent option if you tolerate it. Because of the nutritional content I have seen the reversal of cavities in children by increasing ghee and cod liver oil in the diet. However the recommended product to do this would be high vitamin butter oil paired with a quality cod liver oil. High vitamin butter oil is similar to ghee but uses a process that retains more of the nutrients when compared to ghee which is heated to separate the milk solids. I note this here just to point out the power of small changes to the diet and spending a little more for higher quality, can have a big impact on your health.

Cheese

Look for real cheese without strange ingredients. Most yellow cheese is colored with Annatto which is a natural plant based food coloring extracted from annatto seeds. Purchase block cheese and shred it yourself. The reason you want to avoid purchasing shredded cheese is it often contains cellulose, a fiber derived from wood that has been linked to inflammation, weight gain and digestive problems.

Yogurt & sour cream

Look for products with minimal additives, preferably organic. Brands such as Nancy’s that use quality ingredients with live cultures and offer more full fat options which is important for the developing body and brains of children.

Frozen

Frozen fruits and vegetables are a good option when fresh is not in season. Many studies have shown that vegetables picked at the peak of ripeness and then frozen have comparable nutritional content as their fresh counterparts.
While we are in the frozen aisle, let’s discuss ice cream and ready made meals. Here you really want to do your due diligence looking at ingredient labels. There are some really decent options out there that can save you from the drive through. In fact our go to convenience food is frozen beef patties, it’s a single ingredient and can be prepared and ready to eat in minutes. You want to avoid long unpronounceable ingredients, dyes, flavorings and those industrialized seeds oils that seem ubiquitous in processed food.

Canned goods

Even more convenient than the frozen aisle (unless you are missing your can opener), canned goods can save you time, money and your health when compared to drive thru options. I look for items sold in glass jars (as metals cans can have questionable toxic liners) and also free of additives and dyes. If you haven’t paid attention to what is in your canned pickles it can be quite shocking, most grocery store brands contain Yellow #5 which food dyes are linked to hyperactivity in children and are carcinogenic meaning they can lead to cancer. If you can find a pickle without the food dye it will probably contain polysorbate 80 which can alter the gut microbiome and increase intestinal permeability AKA leaky gut. When I need pickles I usually look in the refrigerated section first to see if the store carries naturally fermented pickles.

Bread/Pasta/Cereal/Crackers/Chips

I address all grain items together since they are all very similar in what you’re wanting to look for. First I always recommend buying any grain product organic because of the way that our grains are raised and harvested. Conventionally grown grains that are sold in America are highly contaminated with glyphosate, which is the primary ingredient in roundup. This is the major concern with genetically modified crops because most GMO crops are roundup ready meaning they have been genetically modified to be sprayed with during their growing season and they won’t die eliminating the need for the farmer to weed these crops. All other grains that are not genetically modified, such as oats, still have a high contamination, if not higher because they are sprayed with roundup right before harvest to dry the grain out to make it easier to harvest.
The next thing you want to look for in these products are the kind of oils or fats being used. Many contain genetically modified inflammatory industrial seed oils. Such as soy corn, cotton canola. Organic versions of these will not be genetically modified, but can still cause inflammation in some people. There are brands out there that use quality oils like olive, avocado or animal fats.
If you can find sprouted grain versions, purchase those whenever possible. Sprouting the grain makes it easier for your body to digest, and also increases the protein content.
Lastly, I’d like to address a couple of issues regarding products marketed directly to children. Studies have found that the addition of a cartoon or mascot made products much more desirable and even TASTE better to young children. This would not be quite so concerning if those products actually contained good ingredients, but many of them, especially cereals contain food dyes which are carcinogenic meaning they cause cancer and are also found to be causing hyperactivity in children. Additionally almost all box cereals and crackers contain preservatives like BHT and TBHQ. BHT in particular is also used as a medication to treat HIV and genital herpes.

Coffee/Tea/Drinks

Nowadays it’s so easy to grab a cup of coffee while you are out as many stores have a coffee stand right inside the store. If you do get coffee or tea at a stand, I suggest you bring your own reusable cup. Disposable cups release a lot of toxins especially when hot liquid is added. The plastic in the lid and lining in the cups start to degrade quickly and you end up drinking a lot of micro plastics and various chemicals, so bringing your own cup is better for you and for the environment.
A better choice is to brew your coffee or tea at home so that you have full control over the ingredients in your drinks. When purchasing coffee or tea, prioritize organic to avoid pesticides and read the ingredient label to watch for added food dyes, and natural flavors (which aren’t so natural). When I first really started reading food labels, my son and I were horrified to find that one of our favorite teas had natural flavors listed twice on the ingredient label.

Cleaning Supplies/ Cosmetics

I recognize these are not edible products. However, your skin is your largest organ connected directly to your digestive system making one long continuous loop. The skin is very absorbent and so my personal rule is: If I can’t eat it I’m not going to use it to clean my house or put it on my skin. For household products, I avoid unrecognizable ingredients, especially fragrance. The majority of cleaners I use in my house, I make myself from a mix of baking soda vinegar, essential oils and vodka. I write the recipes right on the bottle with a sharpie so it’s easy to mix up more as soon as I need it. For cleaning products or cosmetics I can’t make myself, I use the environmental working group www.ewg.org skin deep database to look up safety ratings before I purchase.

This concludes our tour. It can seem like a lot of information to take in but I encourage you to start with the small step of paying attention to the ingredient label of the foods you are buying. Small changes in your food purchasing habits can have a big impact, elevating your health to a higher level.

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