SHOPPING TIPS FOR THE GROCERY STORE

In in my last blog, I talked about the importance of knowing the source of your food. As our food sources have become more contaminated, in my opinion, this should be a priority.  While finding locally sourced quality food is best, most of us still need to shop in the grocery store.  How do we shop for the best quality of food in the grocery store?  Most people are aware that the grocery store is set up so that all the fresh foods are on the outside and all the packaged processed foods are on the inside aisles.   This essentially is an attempt to get people to buy these processed foods.  Therefore, avoiding the inner isles except for necessities is a good start!

When we look at the fruits and vegetables in the outside aisles, it is best to buy organic, but for some this is not a reasonable choice.  Taking a little time to understand the fruits and vegetables with more pesticide content is a good start if you do not want to buy organic.  There are some foods that are heavily laden with pesticides, and these have been named “the dirty dozen” by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).  The EWG is a great place to find information on the quality and safety of not only foods but also household products.  The dirty dozen list for 2025 includes spinach, strawberries, kale (along with collard and mustard greens), grapes, peaches, cherries, nectarines, apples, bell and hot peppers, blueberries, green beans, blackberries and potatoes.  These foods are best bought organic.  Alternately, you can choose from the clean 15, which have the lowest pesticide residues.  These include pineapple, sweet corn, avocados, papaya, onions, sweet peas (frozen), asparagus, cabbage, watermelon, cauliflower, bananas, mangoes, carrots, mushrooms, and kiwi. 

Unfortunately, corn can be genetically modified (GMO).  The list from the USDA of Bioengineered GMO) foods includes alfalfa – grown to feed livestock, apple (ArcticTM varieties), canola, corn, papaya (ringspot virus-resistant varieties), pineapple (pink flesh varieties), potato, salmon (AquAdvantage®), soybean, squash (summer, coat protein-mediated virus-resistant varieties), sugar beet (not the red variety of beet) and sugarcane (from Brazil). Many processed foods also contain ingredients derived from these GMO crops, such as cornstarch and sugar.  GMO products are sprayed with chemicals such as Round up, which contains glyphosates that have health concerns.  Metabolic disorders, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, fatty liver and neurodegenerative diseases have been linked to this pesticide. In addition, these chemicals sterilize the soil, stripping it of nutrients and microorganisms needed for human health.

You can glean a wealth of information just by looking at the stickers on individual produce that have a Price look up codes (PLU):

1.        A 4-digit code that starts with a 3 or 4 is conventionally grown.  Consider organic and/or the clean 15, dirty dozen lists here.

2.        A 5-digit code starting with 8 means it is genetically modified and should simply be avoided.

3.        A 5-digit code starting with 9 is organic and is a good choice.

Another sticker to look for is Apeel, which is a company that produces Edipeel, a plant-based coating used to extend the shelf life of fresh produce.  They have also developed a version approved for certified organic fruits and vegetables that are labeled Organipeel.   There is controversy over the safety of  Apeel, even though it is a plant-based spray.  This particular spray is known to be processed using industrial petrochemical solvents that can leave heavy metal residuals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, palladium, and mercury.    While the shelf life is longer, there is minimal information supporting that specific nutrients are maintained for longer periods.  Therefore, buying local and fresh may still be better.

When you see a USDA organic sticker, that only means it is not sprayed with synthetic pesticides, but it can be sprayed with plant based.  For the most part, the plant based are more beneficial to the soil and the crops are rotated, both achieving more nutrients for the plants.   With a non-GMO project verified sticker, the produce can still be sprayed with pesticides.

As we continue to go around the outside of the grocery store, we find meats and seafood.  In my opinion, if the meat and much of the seafood are commercially processed, they are the worst purchases in the grocery store.  Commercially “grown” meat is typically void of nutrients you would find if they were grass fed, they are given hormones, antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals and often fed GMO (genetically modified) feed.  In addition, they are often full of stress hormones due to the living conditions.  All these things are passed down to you.  There are some grocery stores that offer humanely sourced with no hormones, antibiotics or GMO feed.  This would be the best option in the grocery store for seafood as well. Avoid farmed seafood and choose sustainably sourced wild caught.

Then the next section tends to be dairy. Dairy is sourced from animals; therefore, the same concerns apply.  There are now plenty of non-dairy options and for many people this is a better choice. Most people who eat eggs can very easily find someone locally to get their eggs, rather than commercially farmed chickens.  The labels on eggs in the store can be confusing.  Here is a quick look:

Free range – means they are not kept in cages

Pasture raised – continuous access to pasture with vegetation

Certified humane – farms meet animal welfare standards

Certified organic – fed non-GMO feed with access to the outdoors

When considering foods in the inside aisles, frozen fruits and vegetables are better than canned.  Glass is a better container for the foods than plastic or cans.   Looking for foods with 5 ingredients or less is another way to minimize unwanted chemicals.  There are even apps now that help you in the grocery store, such as Sift or Open food facts.

That is a general understanding of how to get the most nutritious foods for your money in the grocery store, although though there are many more labels to understand.  It does take some time to understand the ever-changing labels and products in the grocery store.  The focus should be on buying foods with the most nutrients and the least harmful ingredients.  Consider that food IS our medicine.  For some it takes some time to clear the palate of foods laden with salt, sugar, fat and chemicals.  But eventually, most develop an appreciation for how good a nutritious whole food with no or minimal additives tastes!