Okay yes, a little more than half of what I get at the grocery store is produce (fruits and vegetables), but you gotta leave a little room for some fun. And being the health foodie I am, I personally feel I have found some of the best healthy alternatives to some maybe “less healthy” things. A healthy diet to me means prioritizing balance and having a deep love and enjoyment for the food you are eating. It’s also noticing how the food makes you feel after you eat it…and lets be real, sometimes the processed crap at the store doesn’t make us feel our best afterwards. So get in, we’re going food shopping.
First thing we’re picking up…PASTA. Yup, it’s my favorite food so obviously we are starting here. Hear me out, I love the “real deal” made from semolina flour and I definitely enjoy it in moderation. However, what is most important to me is making sure that the foods I eat on a regular basis are beneficial to my mental and physical well being. Below are some of my favorite pasta alternatives that help to keep me on this path. Alternatives that deliver great taste, with the added benefit of being loaded with fiber & protein to keep us feeling satisfied longer than traditional white pasta.
- Brown Rice Pasta (Gluten-Free):
- Jovial (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Tinkyada (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Trader Joe’s Brand
In my opinion, the taste of brown rice pasta is most similar to regular/white pasta
- Chickpea/Lentil Pasta (Gluten-Free):
- Barilla (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Tolerant Foods (found at Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
Pea & Lentil pastas are a great, comforting way to add plant-based protein to your diet
Pushing the cart right to my next favorite carb…BREAD. For so long I thought bread was the enemy and could never imagine eating one piece of bread, let alone two, which I now eat almost everyday. Unfortunately I think a lot of people feel the same way. Of course, the breads I prefer are loaded with nutrients. My absolute favorite is a sourdough bread. Did you know sourdough bread is filled with probiotics, making it easier on the digestive tract? I also like Ezekiel Bread, a flourless bread made from a variety of sprouted grains like barley, lentils, spelt, & soybeans. Ezekiel bread reminds me more of whole-wheat bread, but without all the sugar and funky ingredients that most brands add for more taste and additional shelf life.
- Sourdough Bread:
- Trader Joe’s San Francisco Style Sourdough Bread…my absolute favorite
- Bread Alone (found at Whole Foods in New York and some markets out east)
- Check your local Farmer’s Market for homemade sourdough breads
- Ezekiel Bread:
- Food For Life (found at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
Next stop…plant-based alternatives for milk, yogurt, cheese and butter. Dairy has become a very controversial topic however, by avoiding it, I’ve personally experienced a lot less bloat and gut issues and my skin is much clearer. However, all bodies are different and what works for one person may not work for another. If you find you can tolerate dairy, continue to enjoy it in moderation. With that being said, I’m excited to share some of my favorite plant-based dairy alternatives for cooking, baking and simply enjoying.
- Plant-Based Milks:
- So-delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Malk Oat or Almond Milk…such clean & minimal ingredients (found at Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Three Trees Milk…any and all of them are amazing. Another brand really prioritizing minimal/clean ingredients (found at Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Elmhurst Walnut Milk…simply water and walnuts…doesn’t get much better than this…PLUS, walnuts are a great plant-based source of omega-3s (found at Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Trader Joe’s Non-Dairy Oat Beverage…simply two ingredients oats & water at a really good price!
- Plant-Based Butter:
- Miyoko’s (found at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Plant-Based Cheeses::
- Kite Hill…their scallion cream cheese is a personal favorite and almost identical to regular cream cheese in my opinion (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Violife…pretty decent ingredients and amazing taste/texture when it comes to dairy free cheese (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Coconut Yogurt:
- Cocojune..the taste & consistency is thick & creamy like a Greek style yogurt (found at Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Lavva..clean ingredients with a delicious taste (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Dairy-Free Ice cream:
- Van Leeuwen…I’m going to assume most people have had, but if not, RUN to whole foods or any health foods market and get yourself a pint of any of their vegan flavors
- So Delicious…absolutely love their ice cream sandwiches (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
BEVERAGES…there are so many fun healthier carbonated drinks on the market right now, so I figured I’d share a few of my favorites
- GT’s Kombucha…kombucha naturally contains probiotics, which are the beneficial bacteria for our gut and this brand is my favorite because it doesn’t contain added sugars. The gingerade and trilogy flavors are my favorite (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Olipop…is a “healthier alternative” to soda because it has prebiotics and a cleaner list of ingredients than your typical soft drinks. You must try their root beer flavor…it’s identical to the original crap I used to love drinking out of the beer bottle with a straw (found at Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Drink Poppi…similar to Olipop in that the brand markets themselves as being “gut friendly” because their drinks also contain prebiotics. Poppi has fruitier flavors…the strawberry lemon one is my favorite (found at Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
Last on the shopping list, but certainly not least, SNACKS…because we all crave that crunch or sweetness at times
- Chips:
- Siete..amazing grain free chips. Sea salt and fuego flavors are favorites to dip in guacamole (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Trader Joe’s Grainless Cassava & Coconut Tortilla Chips…okay so, Siete chips were my favorite until I tasted these! Perfectly seasoned, crispy & crunchy
- From The Ground Up Snacks…I love dipping their gluten-free cauliflower pretzels in hummus and their cauliflower stalks are also a snacking fav (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Lesser Evil…oh boy, WARNING. Their paleo puffs are quite addictive…the “no cheese cheesiness” being a personal fav (found at Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Crackers:
- Mary’s Gone Crackers…made with whole ingredients like brown rice, quinoa, flax and sesame seeds. The original and herb flavor are my favorites (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Simple Mills…another brand that uses very few & whole ingredients. I love the Rosemary & Sea Salt crackers as well as their Mediterranean flavor pita chips (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Sweet Treats:
- Hu kitchen…I always have one of their chocolate bars on hand. A square or two is the perfect way to satisfy a sweet tooth (found at Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Purely Elizabeth Granola…while writing this post I was surprised at the fact that I almost forgot to mention this brand. I have been eating this granola for the past five years. I always have a bag of their original granola or pumpkin flavor in my pantry. A handful is a perfect lunch or dinner dessert in my opinion (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Unreal Snacks…this brand didn’t have a hard time coming up with their name because these are actually “unreal”. You could definitely mistake their peanut butter cups for Reese’s or coconut bars for Almond Joy’s in a blind taste test (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- Simple Mills…I’m not sure how they did it, but their crunchy chocolate chip cookies actually taste like Chips Ahoy (found at Stop n Shop, Whole Foods and most “health food stores”)
- GoMacro…I always keep a couple of their bars on hand. If you’re craving a “grab n go” sweet snack, I highly recommend their heartwarming retreat flavor that actually tastes like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. But honestly, all their flavors are BOMB (found at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and most “health foods markets”)
- Three Wishes Cereal…cereal was my favorite late night snack in college and still to this day I get heavy cravings for a bowl…I mean come on, who doesn’t?? The cereal I ate in college was typically filled with sugar (as most cereals are), but not this one! The ingredients are clean and minimal & taste and crunch are on point as well. I highly recommend the cinnamon and cocoa flavors.
Although I did put a few store locations where you can find these products, I do want to mention that I order a lot of these “pantry” type or “processed” foods from Thrive Market. Thrive Market is an online market where you can find a lot of these products at a discounted price (and they usually ship within two days). Trust me, this is not an ad…just a way to save some time and money!
Happy Shopping!
