10 Foods I’ve Stopped Buying ~ and I’d love to know, what’s on your no-buy list?
#1 ice cream
In fact I don’t even go down the frozen dessert aisle anymore, and when I have to, I literally avert my eyes (if I catch sight of those flavors, I’m a goner.) If it’s not in my freezer I’m not tempted to eat it, and if I’m really craving it I can make a pretty darned good homemade ice cream when the occasion calls for it.
#2 cold cuts
I grew up on cold cuts from the corner deli and I appreciate all they have to offer…roast turkey with coleslaw and Russian dressing on rye?…Heaven! Extra thin sliced Genoa salami? So good. But I’ve learned that they’re ticking time bombs, and I don’t want them in my body.
#3 bean sprouts
This one kills me. I adore sprouts, I’ve been using them since I started out on my own after college, a cheddar and sprout omelette was one of the first things I learned to make for myself. Sprouts are the perfect finishing touch in so many dishes, and I love to pile them on sandwiches, but it turns out they’re especially susceptible to bacteria that causes food poisoning. Even sprouting your own doesn’t solve the problem entirely, so sad.
#4 bagged greens
Even when I annoy the produce managers and methodically rifle through the whole row to find the most recent sell-by date, it doesn’t always guarantee me a fresh bag. It finally dawned on me that using a sturdy salad spinner isn’t that difficult, and the greens are so fresh and crisp.
#5 dairy milk
I’ve made the switch to plant based milks and I’m not turning back. Unless I need it for a recipe I don’t need to buy the ubiquitous quart of milk anymore. I make my own nut and oat milks as I need them, the Vitamix makes it so quick and easy, and I don’t miss that sour milk smell one bit.
#6 baby carrots
They’re yucky, period. They get slimy, and they are’t even real babies, they’re shaved down big carrots! Instead I cut up ‘grown up’ veggies and stash them in the fridge for snacking…much better.
#7 Nutella
I can’t even. I love it too much. And it’s not good for me. Unless I need it for a blog recipe ๐
#8 English muffins
For so long English muffins were my go to breakfast, but after a while I realized I was burning right through them and almost always ravenous before lunch. The latest breaking health news this month calls out the benefits of whole grains and high fiber for longevity and disease prevention ~ I’m going to go back to my favorite rustic whole grain breads, oatmeal, and bran muffins.
#9 fruit juice
I stopped buying juice long ago but clearly lots of others still do because there is so much real estate devoted to it at the supermarket. No added sugar doesn’t mean much since it’s naturally loaded with the stuff, not to mention plenty of calories, too. I’m better off grabbing a tangerine.
#10 salad dressing
Commercial salad dressing just doesn’t earn its spot in my (very small) refrigerator. Why would I buy it when I can get such creative results with my own collection of oils and vinegars?
Yep – Iโm the same as you!! And I have more on my list …. great post !! I think I will do one soon!!
Lol!!
Hi Sue, love your food blog. Iโm at a point in my life where I want to balance between pleasure and health. While many of those items are on my list, Iโm not going to say Iโll never going to buy them (except Nutella, which Iโve never bought before) . I definitely will have ice cream on occasion as well as a toasted English muffin. I have milk in my coffee every day. Stay away for the most part from packaged salad greens because not only do they not taste great, the packaging is very wasteful. I guess Iโm over lists and constantly saying โno!โ To myself. Sometimes Iโm going to say yes…and enjoy it without guilt.
I’m with you Karen, I have an even longer list of ‘iffy’ foods that I DO still buy, it’s all about choices.
I like your list. I’m with you on those bagged salad greens. I swear all I taste is preservative. Bottled salad dressing – check. Those silly carrots, check. Cold cuts, (except for an occasional nitrate free) check. I can’t remember the last time I bought fruit juice, check. I’ve never even tasted Nutella, check. I read that about sprouts a few years ago, so I haven’t bought any in a long time, check. I still buy dairy milk, I’ve never purchased or tasted any other. English muffins, I will always buy – I love my egg sandwich and benedicts. Things I’ve not purchased in a very long time, Soda Pop. It’s strictly club soda or seltzer water for me. And now Coke tastes so sweet I can’t stand it. Bagged Shredded cheese – never. I suppose I better throw in white bread. Even though every once in awhile I love a chicken sandwich on white bread with lettuce and mayo. And bagged popcorn. I have a stovetop Whirley Pop and we get along very well. ๐
omg you touched on one of my weaknesses…Skinny Pop Salt and Pepper. Yum.
Having eaten my last Gingerbread Cutout Cookie with Royal Icing (per your recipe) just yesterday!…..I must speak up for (most) commercial cookies as a “no buy”…..They promise so much and deliver so little!
Whereas, even my 3-and-a-half week old Gingerbread Man was so yummy, it outdid any storebought gingerbread cookie out there!
…just sayin’
Definitely packaged cookies, so disappointing. Except Oreo Thins ๐
This is a good list! Most of these I don’t buy, either. I don’t like Nutella for some odd reason although I do like hazelnuts and I like chocolate so no problem, there. I’m lactose intolerant no the milk and ice cream. I do almond milk so that’s my choice. I have some good salad dressing recipes but once in a while if I’m in a hurry, I’ll buy that.
It’s funny about Nutella, I didn’t like it for most of my life, but it crept up on me somehow. And I’m fine as long as I don’t take a spoonful. Once I do that, all is lost.
Cheese in plastic bags preshred of any type. A lot of it contains plastic in the cheese- cellulose. Also try to buy things with less plastic packaging. If we want fresh seafood we need to be more cognizant of the junk ending up in our oceans unnecessarily. Why did they start putting veg in plastic even the humble self contained coconut? Eggs are perfectly happy in cardboard I still like milk but buy Canadian that is not pumped with hormones as is done in the U.S.. Deli meat .. we have a local deli that make their own onsite. Not quite willing to give them up yet. All wrapped in paper though ? cheers.
I have to admit I’m still attached to shredded cheese…I’m obsessed with the new Tillamook farmhouse cut shredded cheese, it’s incredible.
Sue, you prompted a very funny old memory about how cheap parmesan cheese smells like old socks. My husband and his family were born and raised in the middle of North Dakota. My FIL was a shoe buyer for Montgomery Ward and it necessitated frequent moves as shoe departments were established all over the midwest. The first time my MIL went shopping in a supermarket, she ran past the deli counter because it smelled like dirty feet! As a Brooklyn-raised daughter of first-generation Italians, I laughed until I cried.
I avoid most everything you listed in your no-buy list. Since I live alone now, I try to shop for produce and staples when I need them. I just purchased a lettuce keeper from Amazon to kept iceberg lettuce crispy for when I make a wedge salad with homemade dressing (minus the bacon). I am trying to migrate to a plant-based diet, but sometimes those beautiful pork chops or shrimp sing to me.
Love your blog and have tried many recipes successfully. Look forward to trying many more!
Thanks Louise, love this! I’m actually fascinated by the connection between some aged cheeses and feet…another story for another blog I guess ๐ I’m intrigued by the different products that claim to keep greens fresher, I could use that.
My list is nearly identical to yours, just gelato instead of your ice cream! You won’t miss any of them one bit after that first fridge purge! Love getting your recipes in my inbox – have tried many and bookmarked others.
Thanks Janice ~ I’m planning to do a fridge purge post soon, this is fun!
Good Day Sue and thank you! I have only recently discovered you and certainly glad I did. I read through your list and have to admit, all of these except the cold cuts are on my list (there is a slice of rosemary ham in my frig right now gasp!). I think I have to add the greens/spinach you get in those hard plastic containers to my list. Regardless of the date on the side by the time I get to the bottom the remainder is slimy and nasty!
Hey Donna-Jane, welcome in! Rosemary ham is so good, I know. I think there’s room for discussion on the processed meats, some people think the nitrate scare is overdone, but I’d prefer not to take any risk. I do like the tubs better than the bags for greens, but yes, there always seems to be slimies lurking at the bottom ๐
I stopped buying regular sandwich meats long ago. I now only buy nitrate free ones! The food I no longer buy is grated Parmesan cheese tastes so much better to buy a wedge and quick grate what I need!
I agree about the shredded cheese, but I’ll go a step further and only buy the real deal Parm, it’s so $$ but so worth it. The cheaper stuff smells like dirty socks ๐