{"id":1886,"date":"2011-11-11T12:53:06","date_gmt":"2011-11-11T16:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.100daysofrealfood.com\/?p=1886"},"modified":"2021-07-29T11:02:24","modified_gmt":"2021-07-29T15:02:24","slug":"real-food-tips-buying-real-food-from-a-mainstream-supermarket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.100daysofrealfood.com\/real-food-tips-buying-real-food-from-a-mainstream-supermarket\/","title":{"rendered":"Real Food Tips: Buying \u201cReal Food\u201d from a Mainstream Supermarket"},"content":{"rendered":"

Obviously not everyone lives in a town with a Whole Foods or Earth Fare down the street. Readers actually write in quite \"\"frequently saying they only have access to stores like Walmart or Food Lion, which can make finding all the \u201creal food<\/a>\u201d items on their list challenging at times. So whether your health food supermarket is just too much of a hike or you don\u2019t have one at all\u2026this list is for you. And, as always, leave any additional tips in the comments below!<\/p>\n

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  1. You\u2019ve heard it before and it\u2019s true\u2026shop around the perimeter of the store<\/strong>. There are a few exceptions like whole-wheat flour, brown rice, and 3-ingredient crackers, but other than that most fresh \u201cwhole foods\u201d like produce and dairy are located around the perimeter of the store.<\/li>\n
  2. When shopping for produce buy organic whenever possible<\/strong>, especially if the item is on the dirty dozen list<\/a>. If your store does not offer any organic fruits or veggies then check to see if a local farmers\u2019 market or C.S.A. (Community Supported Agriculture) program might offer produce that hasn\u2019t been sprayed with chemicals. Remember that not all local farms can afford to be \u201ccertified organic\u201d so just ask how they grow\/treat their crops.<\/li>\n
  3. If you can\u2019t find much in the way of fresh organic produce then check out the frozen section for produce<\/strong> instead. As Michael Pollan says, \u201cThere is nothing wrong and actually a lot right about frozen produce\u201d because it is picked and frozen at the peak of freshness. <\/li>\n
  4. When selecting seafood choose wild-caught over farmed<\/strong>. You never know what farm-raised fish are being fed, and animals that eat the most natural diet possible are not only the healthiest animals, but also the healthiest for you. This is why wild animals are a great source of nutrition!<\/li>\n
  5. If it is available, buy grass-fed humanely raised beef<\/strong>. Organic beef is certainly a good choice, but that could just mean the cows were fed organic corn. Cows are designed by evolution to eat grass and just like in the case of fish, the healthiest cows are going to provide you with the most nutrition. Your local farmers would be another great resource for finding good meat products.<\/li>\n
  6. Avoid items that list \u201cwheat<\/a>\u201d or \u201cenriched wheat<\/a>\u201d as a top ingredient<\/strong> and instead go for 100% whole-grain or whole-wheat products. Good-tasting sandwich bread<\/a> that\u2019s made with 100% whole-wheat (and not a lot of unnecessary additives) is one of the hardest \u201creal food\u201d products to find in a mainstream supermarket, so this might be an area where you want to consider making your own bread or trying to find it through a local bakery instead.<\/li>\n
  7. Avoid products \u201cthat have some form of sugar (or sweetener) listed among the top three ingredients\u201d<\/strong> according to Michael Pollan. And don\u2019t be fooled if you don\u2019t see the word \u201csugar\u201d on the list. Sweeteners come in many different forms from brown rice syrup to molasses to cane juice to honey.<\/li>\n
  8. According to Pollan, \u201cAvoid food products that make health claims\u201d<\/strong> because chances are if they are trying to shout out to you that the product is \u201chigh in fiber\u201d or \u201ccontains whole grains\u201d there might be some sort of catch. Only trust what you find in the ingredient list because there is no other way to truly know what\u2019s in your food. And don\u2019t overlook the apples in produce that aren\u2019t working as hard to get your attention.<\/li>\n
  9. Speaking of the ingredient list buy products that either don\u2019t have a list<\/strong> (because they are a 1-ingredient whole food) or that display a short list of ingredients that you can easily pronounce and understand.<\/li>\n
  10. If your local store simply doesn\u2019t carry ingredients like organic brown rice, raw nuts, whole-grain flours, coconut oil, or organic dried fruit then consider ordering those in bulk online<\/a><\/strong>. It could actually be cheaper than buying them from a health food store anyway.<\/li>\n
  11. Whether it is from your supermarket or a local farmers\u2019 market, when you find something good do not be afraid to stock up so you can preserve it for later<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  12. When all else fails consider growing your own produce.<\/strong> You don\u2019t need an elaborate garden to get started\u2026a pot, some soil, a bag of organic fertilizer and a few seeds will do.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For some specific brands of \u201creal food\u201d products that you might be able to find at mainstream supermarkets check out these posts\u2026<\/p>\n