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?
I have stopped buying 9 out of your 10 groceries. Fat free milk is the one I still purchase. I do occasionally buy a salad dressing for my husband to be perfectly honest.
I have been a fan of yours for a long time. Your recipes are wonderful!
Thanks Elaine I so appreciate (and depend upon) the support of readers like you <3
I appreciate this list. In addition, if you have lupus, be aware that alfalfa sprouts are known lupus triggers, and this is another reason to avoid them (see Dr. Donald Thomas’s book, The Lupus Encyclopedia). Furthermore, the possibility of bacterial contamination of sprouts is a risk factor for anyone on immunosuppressants.
I didn’t know either of those things Sabra, thanks.
Hi Sue. New to your blog and absolutely love itโyou are one talented cook! Bays makes a multi-grain English muffin which is delicious.
http://bays.com/multi-grain/
I don’t purchase canned soup or pretty much canned anything except for Tomato Sauce and Green Beans with No Salt Added. I don’t drink milk because I am Lactose In-tolerate, so I use milk in cooking and baking only. I don’t purchase store-bought cookies, pies or cakes. I own an online bakery so why buy when I can bake it from scratch and I know exactly what I am eating. I do purchase Ice Cream, but I am very specific about the brand and the flavor. I don’t eat ice cream very often. I throw more away then I eat because it freezer burns. I prefer fresh organic carrots to bagged ones. I do purchase bagged lettuce, but It’s usually Romaine and I re-wash it before serving. I do make my own salad dressing, the ones in the store just don’t cut it. I am very particular about my deli meats and cheeses, I only purchase Boars Head and even that is only their Turkey and their Imported Cheeses. I don’t stock Nutella, but purchase it and use it in certain recipes and even then I purchase just what I need so it’s not in the pantry. I am not a bean sprout fan, so no purchases there. I don’t eat any pork at all and very little beef. Mostly Fish, Turkey and Chicken are cooked in our home.
As far as cans go for me it’s mostly beans and tomatoes. But those two things are the base of so many meals, and I really appreciate the convenience.
After a news report about people dying or being incredibly ill from eating assorted bean sprouts and consuming the peel on long English cucumbers we stopped buying them years ago. Ditto for bagged salads and greens as recalls from health dept. are pretty constant with them including organic.
If I do happen to purchase cucumbers they will be Persian/mini’s but to this day I would never serve them with the peel still on.
Dislike nut milks of every kind be they homemade or purchased from health food store as I cannot abide the taste or texture. We do keep ice cream in the freezer for grandchildren and great grandchildren visits but it’s otherwise ignored by this grandma and grandpa. Don’t like or buy Nutella or store bought cookies ( with the exception of Oreo’s once in a blue moon )so no problem there. Any deli meats purchased for sandwiches or homemade pizza are hormone/chemical free, they’re more expensive but worth it.
Don’t drink much dairy milk but have no problem with buying it as Canadian milk unlike American milk is sans hormones and all the other nasty stuff added to American milk.
Fruit juices are a once in a blue moon purchase for us as one of us has diabetes where a small piece of fresh fruit is a much wiser choice for a diabetic. Only time fruit juice’s are in our fridge would be for family gatherings or BBQs where the adults like it as a mixer in cocktails and of course for the youngsters who enjoy fruit juice instead of pop.
Although I think your list is inspiring and a great goal to adhere to eventually, I myself would be hesitant to make such a strong decision/promise to myself so early in the new year as it’s far to easy to fall back on that decision/promise on stressful “what the heck can I make for breakfast or lunch or dinner that’s quick and easy” days we deal with so often.
Canned soup is an item on my do not buy list- too much salt in most of them.
Wow, I didn’t think of canned soup because I literally haven’t bought it in decades. I do buy broth and stock, though.
I am so happy not to buy any shortening, anything containing aspartame, no margarine, no prepackaged meal things like hamburger helper, no TV dinners ( ever in my adult life. Too many as a fall back for my mom.), no cool aide (not even as a kid). I am surprised now when I read the weekly grocery ads; โno, no, no…โ I am so much more aware what is real food and what isnโt. Same is true with food ads on tv. Bad!
I’m so with you on artificial sweeteners, I don’t do any of them, in fact, they scare me. I used to over-do it with Tab when I was in college and I’m sure I poisoned myself. But frozen dinners? Guilty. I love them, what can I say?
Except for milk and Nutella (for holiday cookies for the neighbors, wink wink), I’m with you on the rest of the list. Mr. Squash retired from public health and I never heard him say a good thing about sprouts. Once I bought a bag of spring greens and there was some sort of glob in the middle of the bag. He sent it out to be analyzed and they could not figure out what it was. I also never buy hot dogs – a friend once told me how they’re made, not to mention what’s in them! Now that we live where we can grown a wonderful veggie garden, I no longer buy tomatoes at the supermarket. They have NO flavor and I prefer to go without a fresh tomato in the winter.
Cheers!
Candace
Hi Sue, thanks for the eye-opening post. I especially want to thank you for the ‘How to make almond milk’ post.
Go Skinny Pop!
Love your blog and your recipes. I agree with you on most of this list of what not to buy. However, what is wrong with bean sprouts? Very curious, searched the internet and noticed positive reviews.
The problem with bean sprouts is that they are one of those produce items that is prone to carrying bacteria that can cause serious food born illness (the bad stuff like Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli.) It has something to do with bacteria that is already on the seeds as they’re harvested, and then the warm humid conditions that it takes to sprout them. Apparently you can’t just wash off this type of bacteria, so you take a risk buying and eating sprouts, unfortunately.
That being said, we take a lot of risks with the food we eat, and some people are willing to take that small risk. I’m going to look into it further and see if I can find a way to safely sprout seeds at home. I’ll post it if I succeed.