Foods You Should Cross Off Your Grocery List
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We all know how much the mankind loves food. And in the present time, where everything around us is rapidly developing and booming, the food sector as well is taking a shot up. Today, we have access to food items at our nearest grocery stores that could earlier be found only in the other corner of the world. We can find the best of wines, cheese, fruits, and vegetables (the exotic ones) in our grocery store we pay a weekly visit to. But yeah, all of it comes at a price, an exorbitant one!
Trying out new things can be exciting and opting for ready-to-eat meats can be time-saving as well. But how sure are we when we pay those prices? Are those foods really worth the money? What if they’re doing more harm to our health than good? Let’s take a look at some of the foods that should be crossed off your grocery list — for they could be fakes, unhealthy, rip-offs, or just plain gross!
1. Cured And Smoked Meats
From those fancy restaurants that serve curated smoked meat to those hot dogs that you love to indulge in at home or on the street — you clearly need to give it a skip. Do you know why? Well, dear folks, such meats have been linked to various health conditions like migraines, cancer, high blood pressure, etc. Not to forget that such meats are rich in fats that clog our arteries. The cardiologists out there never encourage people to eat this kind of meats (1).
2. The ‘Blueberry’ Foods
Ah, blueberries… well, anything from a muffin to your breakfast cereal, those weight-watch granola bars to indulging ice creams — all of these food items that say blueberry on them; they don’t have any real blueberries! It’s plain artificial and all you get is just the flavor of blueberry. So, the next time you want to indulge in blueberries, just buy those fresh berries and eat them separately or with your cereals.
3. Parmigiano Cheese
As much as this cheese sounds fancy, the price tag it carries along with it is also quite fancy. From home chefs to Michelin star chefs, all of them swear by how a little shaving of this cheese atop your pasta or pizza can take its taste to a whole new level. But why spend so much on a block of cheese alone? Instead, you can look for other varieties of cheese like SarVecchio or Pecorino Romano — these offer the same taste (FYI). And they come at half the price of a Parmigiano.
4. Multi-grain Bread
When you read this food item on our list, we’re sure you are like “I knew it” in your head. Multi-grain breads are on the epitome level when it comes to junk food masqueraded with a healthy food tag. Whenever you buy a multi-grain bread make sure you read the ingredients list to find wheat as the main and the first ingredient. Otherwise, you’re just going for a bread that has a mixing of few other grains with the regular refined flour. If you really want to take the healthy route, we suggest you opt for brown rice, quinoa, barley, rolled oats, etc.
5. Tomato Pasta Sauces
Those jars that read ‘tomato spaghetti sauce’ they cost anywhere between $2 to $6. And the price of canned tomatoes is $1. So, the next time you want to make a yummy tomato sauce for your pasta, we suggest you take a cheaper, yet healthier route of making it out of fresh tomatoes or canned ones. All you need to do is puree the tomatoes, hop it onto your skillet, and let it simmer with some of your favorite seasonings. It’s going to take the same amount of time or even lesser when you need to go all the way to the grocery store to buy the readymade sauces.
6. Energy Drinks
You might look at an energy drink as a harmless caffeinated beverage, however, in reality, they are nothing but sugar bombs. Therefore, we suggest that you stick to your afternoon dose of a cuppa coffee or just pick foods that give you energy, like bananas.
7. Baked Gluten-free Foods
If you don’t have gluten intolerance or you’re not a celiac disease patient, then, please don’t opt for gluten-free baked foods. For they sure are gluten-free, but they also have additional refined flours used in them and are also packed with a crazy amount of sugar and artificial ingredients than the traditionally baked foods. Oh, and let’s not miss out on the fact that gluten-free baked foods cost twice as much too.
8. Protein Or Energy Bars
Many impulsive buyers stack on them thinking these will satisfy their hunger pangs in a healthy manner and that they are far better alternatives than the regular candies. The truth, however, stands that these protein or energy bars are rich in sugar and fat, and have calories as much as your regular candy bar. These bars are pricey too! We think that if you grab a bowl of yogurt with fresh fruits, that would be a better alternative!
Who had thought that these foods were better off when they are struck out from our grocery list, right? Well, at least now we know! Do you want to add any other food item to the list above? Let us know in the comments section below.
