Some Grocery Staples Aren’t As Helpful As They Seem
Grocery shopping is a lot more complicated than just checking off the boxes on your list. Filled with so many options that promise convenience and great taste, it's easy to get swept up by all these modern varieties. But the reality is, many of these grocery staples come with more drawbacks than you might expect. Instead of just mindlessly tossing them into your cart next time, here are 20 grocery foods that often do more harm than good when you make them regular parts of your diet.
1. Breakfast Cereal
There's nothing easier to whip out in the morning than a box of breakfast cereal and some milk, but convenience is often a double-edged sword. Sure, it'll save you time, but many varieties at the grocery store are loaded with added sugar while being low in things that matter, like fiber and protein.
2. Processed Deli Meat
Processed deli meats can come in handy when you need to make a quick sandwich for lunch, but everything from turkey to ham and salami contain far too much sodium and preservatives. Eating these heavily processed meats too often can lead to plenty of health concerns, especially when you're increasing your daily salt intake so drastically.
3. Frozen Pizza
Grocery store items that are inexpensive, tasty, and easy to prepare are usually also the ones that come with the most concerns. Just take frozen pizza for instance; it checks off all those boxes, but it also comes packed full of refined carbs, processed meats, saturated fat, and high amounts of sodium, all in one meal. Don't even get us started on the calories.
4. Packaged Pastries
The bakery aisle in the grocery store is one of the most tempting to get through, and more often than not, you'll find yourself reaching for a delicious pack of donuts, muffins, or other baked goodies. It's important to exercise restraint though, when these packaged pastries come packed with refined flour, added sugar, and unhealthy fats.
5. Instant Ramen
Instant ramen might've been your saving grace in college, but the truth is, the seasoning packets found in these meals contain a substantial amount of sodium you don't want to be consuming regularly. It doesn't help that the noodles themselves are generally low in fiber, protein, and pretty much everything else that matters.
6. Soda
It's easy to crave that unique fizzy sensation that only carbonated drinks can provide, but with soda, you're only getting all the bad stuff and none of the good. Not only are you drinking far too many calories in just a few gulps, but you're also downing high amounts of sugar just from one can or bottle.
7. Candy Bars
There's nothing wrong with enjoying a candy bar here and there, but grocery stores make it way too easy to grab a couple during every visit. It's important that you know on a nutritonal level, these sweet treats offer you essentially nothing but sugar, saturated fat, and calories.
8. Toaster Pastries
Toaster pastries are convenient when you want something sweet in the morning that'll take you no time at all, but remember, things that taste sweet typically aren't good for you. These goodies usually contain plenty of added sugar and refined flour, and definitely shouldn't be treated as an everyday breakfast.
9. Potato Chips
We swear there must be something magical about potato chips, or else how could we all down several servings just in one sitting? It's sad to acknowledge, but these snacks are calorie-dense, high in sodium, and don't offer much protein or fiber to actually keep you full. So while you're downing handful after handful, you're just putting unhealthy risks into your body.
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10. Microwave Popcorn With Butter
Yes, popcorn can be healthy, but the moment you buy a grocery store box that's heavily buttered, you can kiss the idea of "healthy" out the window. These varieties can contain a lot of sodium and saturated fat, and that's without mentioning the large jump in calories from these unhealthy additions. Sure, they're tastier, but they're also far more dangerous now, especially if you're planning on eating the whole bag.
11. Bottled Coffee Drinks
The idea of bottled coffee is great, especially if you're focusing on convenience, but these grocery store buys are far closer to liquid desserts than ordinary coffee. They'll give you the caffeine boost you're craving, but also way more sugar and calories than you might've expected.
12. Bottled Smoothies
Because smoothies are commonly associated with being a healthy drink, you might grab a few bottled options without a second glance. All you need is one look at the nutrition label though to learn that these bottles can contain way more sugar than you anticipated. Let's just say, when you don't make it yourself, there's much more than fruit blended in.
13. Canned Pasta
A handy pantry backup, canned pasta can seem like a good idea, especially when you're too lazy to be in the kitchen, but be careful. These have a major trade-off, which is that most varieties contain high levels of sodium, added sugar in the sauce, and little to no health benefits. They're good in an emergency, but not as a norm.
14. Sweetened Granola
Granola sounds automatically wholesome because it contains ingredients like oats, nuts, and seeds, but grocery versions are hiding more beneath the surface. Read the label and you'll find that generous amounts of sugar, syrup, chocolate, or sweetened fruit might be added, making the calorie and sugar content climb much too high.
15. Fruit Snacks
Having the word "fruit" in anything automatically makes it misleading. Because no, fruit snacks aren't necessarily healthy, and you shouldn't interchange these with actual fruit. In reality, most are sweetened chewy candies with limited fiber and health benefits.
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16. Canned Soup
Canned soup is one of the most convenient meals you can have at home, but many at the grocery store contain extremely high levels of sodium you need to watch out for. Be especially wary of cream-based ones; these can bring in extra saturated fat, too.
17. Bottled Salad Dressing
Salads are only as healthy as the ingredients you put in it, and the moment you drench it in a bottled dressing, we're guessing it's no longer the nutritious meal you planned it to be. Not only are bottled dressings high in calories, they can also contain substantial amounts of fat, sodium, and even added sugar!
18. Boxed Mac And Cheese
There's something nostalgic and comforting about boxed mac and cheese, and while enjoying it occasionally is perfectly fine, stocking up your pantry with dozens of boxes is very unhealthy. Sure, they're affordable, but that's outweighed heavily by the fact that they're high in sodium and calories and made with refined pasta.
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19. Coffee Creamer
A splash of flavored creamer might seem insignificant until you consider how much you're actually adding each morning. Many varieties contain added sugar, oils, and flavorings, and multiple servings can quickly turn ordinary coffee into a much sweeter drink. If you weren't mindful of how much you use before, here's your sign to pay attention.
20. Frozen TV Dinners
Frozen TV dinners were a classic solution to the problem of cooking on a busy night, but the compromise on nutrition make them an unappealing answer these days. Many traditional varieties contain high amounts of sodium, refined carbs, and small servings of vegetables. Definitely not something you want to make your nightly meal.
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