Some people find grocery shopping fun and relaxing, but it can also be a stressful ordeal. This is even truer when you are accompanied by little kids! But the truth is that you might already be making your life more difficult before you even walk through its doors. How many unhealthy items do you have on your shopping list without knowing it? There are tasty food products that claim to be low-sugar and low-fat, but those labels do not always mean that it is good for you. It is a good idea to avoid these things on your next trip to the grocery…
Cheap Vegetable Oil
Did you think this cooking oil is your best bet? A nutritionist by the name of Lindsey Pine doesn’t agree. “Cheap refined vegetable oils are known for their high amounts of omega-6 fatty acid content. And while we absolutely need omega-6s to survive, our Western diets get way too much of them. [This] possibly [leads] to systemic inflammation, which can lead to chronic disease,” she explained.
Cheap Vegetable Oil
Cocoa Pebbles
We doubt that you are glad to head back to the office for another workday. Don’t you wish you are still a kid with no worries in life? You can take a trip down memory lane by eating a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles. Sadly, you will get a reality check once you check the nutritional value on the box. You will learn that a three-quarter cup of this cereal does not have any fiber at all. The coloring is allegedly a cancer risk too.
Cocoa Pebbles
Tofurky Kielbasa Sausage
You might grab a box of Tofurky kielbasa sausage if you are a vegan or vegetarian. Of course, this is not a requirement as anyone can pick it up. It would be a good idea to put it right back on the shelf, however. Eating one wiener alone will give you about 660 milligrams of sodium. This is a lot for something we see as healthy. Mind you, this is already a little less than 30 percent of the recommended daily intake.
Tofurky Kielbasa Sausage
Boxed Mac And Cheese
Don’t worry, we understand where you are coming from. When you are tired and have zero time to cook, you just want to eat an easy meal that does not need any preparation whatsoever. Janine Whiteson is a registered dietitian who would like to warn you off the famous boxed mac and cheese. She said, “[Boxed mac and cheese] has virtually no fiber and is made with additives and chemicals that have been banned in countries around the world. This dinner option is probably one of the worst supermarket buys with no nutritional value.” Isn’t it sad to hear that this is the case?
Boxed Mac And Cheese
Pre-Grilled Chicken Breasts
Fair enough, you will definitely save time when you use pre-grilled chicken products. However, they are far less healthy than the fresh alternatives. After all, they had to use a lot of chemicals to keep it preserved! “Pre-cooked chicken is often loaded with lots of bad stuff to make it have a longer shelf life – all the while reducing your life! All that added sodium will bloat you for days,” explained Watson.
Pre-Grilled Chicken Breasts
Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn
Are you getting bored of buttered or salted popcorn? You might be interested in the cheesy corn flavor if you want to mix things up. However, you should think twice before you grab a box of Smartfood white cheddar popcorn. A single serving of fewer than two cups of it has more than a third of an ounce of fat!
Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn
Cheez-It Snack Mix Double Cheese
We love a good snack every so often. However, it is a good idea to check out the nutritional info of certain items. This might be what it takes to convince you to hold off until the next proper meal instead. Half a cup of this Cheez-It Snack Mix already comes with 360 mg of sodium! No one likes bloating, right?
Cheez-It Snack Mix Double Cheese
Veggie Wraps
Sorry, but you are mistaken if you thought that you could not go wrong with veggie wraps. Whiteson said that they are not as good for us as one might think. “A basic tortilla takes about four ingredients to construct – flour, water, oil and salt – but some brands, like one that claims to contain spinach, uses no fewer than 30 ingredients,” she shared with Reader’s Digest. The healthy veggie in question does not cut it either: “Spinach falls under the ‘2 percent or less’ portion of the ingredients statement.”
Veggie Wraps
Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon
How intriguing does the turkey bacon by Oscar Mayer sound? Even so, it is not as healthy as one might think either. Allow us to share the truth with you. It is surprising to hear that a slice of this has more sodium and less protein compared to regular bacon! You might as well get the real deal instead.
Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon
Nissin Chow Mein Spicy Chicken Flavor
You might be hopeless in the kitchen, but we are sure that even you can make some noodles. We have something to tell you if your go-to instant ramen is the spicy chicken flavor of Nissin Chow Mein, however. The CDC says that you should not eat over 2,300 mg of sodium, as well as 22 g of saturated fat per day. A single bowl of these noodles will already make up half of the recommended daily take! Oof.
Nissin Cup Noodles Chicken Flavor
Lay’s Sour Cream & Onion Chips
Do you want to know just how nutritious a bag of chips is for you? There is no need to wonder any longer because we have the answer for you right here. When you eat only 17 chips out of a bag of Lay’s Sour Cream & Onion, you have already scarfed down ten grams of fat, as well as 160 calories to boot!
Lay’s Sour Cream & Onion Chips
Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon
Are you the type of person who eats Pop-Tarts for breakfast? If so, the least you can do is to be choosy about the flavor. Obviously, the brown sugar cinnamon offering is not the best choice if you are diabetic. After all, you are going to consume 30 grams of sugar in only two pieces of this toaster pastry. It is nearly as much as the daily recommended intake if you are a guy. For women, it is already more than that!
Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon
Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter
Less fatty peanut butter must be better than the regular, right? In some ways, it is. In others, it is worse! “Reduced-fat peanut butter may save you a few grams of fat, but the multiple types of added sugar and unnecessary fillers make it a very poor choice. So, choose real, natural-style peanut butter instead of the laboratory concoction,” said Lindsey Pine. We hope that this helps you make the right choice!
Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter
Boca Extra Large All American Veggie Burgers
No one can ever blame you for thinking that the Boca Extra Large All American Veggie Burger is healthier than the meaty counterparts. You should check out the nutritional facts at the back to see what we mean. A single patty has 26 grams, but this is pretty much offset by the nearly 1,000 mg of sodium in it.
Boca Extra Large All American Veggie Burgers
Hormel Pepperoni
How can you call a pizza complete if there is no pepperoni on it? Even so, you might want to avoid using this specific brand of the tasty meat. If you wanted to know why, the answer is that only 30 grams or an ounce of it comes with 14 grams of fat. That is already bad, but what makes it even worse is that it also has 150 calories.
Hormel Pepperoni
Bisquick Pancake Mix
We find it hard to resist pancakes when it is offered to us! Despite this, you might want to go with a brand that is not Bisquick. After all, the company has already admitted that the boxes have a lot of partially hydrogenated oils. That means that your stack will add more bad cholesterol to your body!
Bisquick Pancake Mix
Yogurt-Covered Raisins
Yogurt and raisins are both considered healthy food, so you would think a combination of these two ingredients would be nutritious as well. This is not the case. The sad truth is that these snacks are full of sugar and have too little calcium. You are not going to find much protein or fiber either.
Yogurt-Covered Raisins
Land O’Lakes Sharp American Singles
Do you ever feel overwhelmed with all the cheeses at the grocery store? We hope that this list will at least help you narrow down your options. Swerve Land O’Lakes sharp American cheese slices are not the way to go. A single serving has more than 300 mg of sodium, which is simply too much salt for anyone.
Land O’Lakes Sharp American Singles
Hillshire Farm Smoked Bratwurst
Some people think that the best thing to have come out of Germany would be Bratwurst sausages. This does not mean that the Hillshire Farm smoked bratwurst is good for you. One of these has over 200 calories and about 520 mg of sodium. The scariest thing about this is how much fat each sausage has. Can you believe that a single weiner has 19 grams of it? There are much healthier options out there.
Hillshire Farm Smoked Bratwurst
Bottled Peach Tea
Yes, flavored tea beverages are indeed refreshing. However, they are not very healthy either. Reader’s Digest even says that a few bottled peach teas contain nearly 40 grams of sugar. Do you want to know how bad that is for you? If so, you should know that is equal to ten teaspoons of the sweet stuff.
Bottled Peach Tea
Spam Lite
You would think that Spam Lite is a good choice for people who watch their weight. The can itself even says that there is less sodium and fat than the regular Spam. The kicker is that you will still get 580 mg of salt for two ounces of this cooked meat. Mind you, a tin of it clocks in at 12 ounces each.
Spam Lite
Kraft American Singles
When you bring home cheese slices, it is a given that they will be cheesy. You should know that a pack of Kraft American Singles is a “pasteurized prepared cheese product.” This means that they only have to be composed of 51 percent of actual cheese. If you take a close look at the label, you will see that it also has milk protein concentrate and whey. We have not even talked about all the additives in it just yet!
Kraft American Singles
Wonder Classic White Bread
There is no way you can miss all the loaves of Wonder Classic White Bread at the grocery store. This product is not all that nutritious, however. Reports say that two slices only have two grams of fiber. That does not sound good to us at all. You might want to look for an alternative for your sandwiches.
Wonder Classic White Bread
Oscar Mayer Smoked Cooked Ham
Are you having a hard time looking for a sandwich filler for lunch? Ham is one of the most obvious choices. It can be irresistible as long as you have the perfect condiments to go with it. The Oscar Mayer smoked cooked meat is very salty. In fact, every slice has about 200 mg of sodium!
Oscar Mayer Smoked Cooked Ham
Lentil Chips
Do you think lentil chips are as healthy as they sound? Varbanova, a nutritionist, wants to clear this up for Reader’s Digest: “Just because a product is ‘gluten-free,’ ‘non-GMO’ and a ‘great source of fiber,’ [that] doesn’t actually mean it’s good for you. Lentil chips sound healthy but contain potassium chloride, canola oil and calcium chloride – all ingredients that should make you think twice about picking it up.”
Lentil Chips
Bottled Green Tea
For the longest time, green tea was touted as a wonder beverage that will help with all kinds of ailments. In reality, it is a good idea to simply stick to loose-leaf. Adrienne Youdim is a doctor who explained why this is the case. “You may see trading your can of soft drink for a bottled tea as a healthy swap, but often bottled teas are high in sugar and even fructose corn syrup. Bottled green tea is essentially like drinking that can of soft drink you just gave up,” she explained.
Bottled Green Tea
Breakstone’s Cottage Doubles Honey Vanilla
A lot of weight watchers rely on cottage cheese when they get hunger pans. While Breakstone’s Cottage Doubles are less bland compared to other options, we advise against buying the honey vanilla flavor. The label says that a 4.7-ounce tub has 13 g of sugar and 400 mg of sodium! We’ll pass on this one.
Breakstone’s Cottage Doubles Honey Vanilla
Kellogg’s Honey Smacks
If you want to cut down on sugar, you might want to leave Kellogg’s Honey Smacks out of your cart. You will get 14 g of it in only one and a quarter cup of it. It only offers two grams of fiber as well. For people who can’t leave without the cereal, you should probably consider it as a treat and not a staple.
Kellogg’s Honey Smacks
Margarine
Butter has gotten a bad rep, which is why some people opt for margarine instead. Paul Salter does not think that this is a good idea. A dietitian, he shared this with Reader’s Digest: “Margarine is high in trans fat, which has been shown to lower ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and raise ‘bad’ LDL (and total) cholesterol.”
Margarine
Thomas’ Cinnamon Swirl Bagels
It is hard to argue that deli-made bagels are excellent. However, it is going to cost you a lot of money if you buy one for lunch every single day. This is the reason people instead turn to store-bought bread. In our opinion, you can do without Thomas’ Cinnamon Swirl Bagels. After all, they have ten grams of sugar and no more than three grams of fiber! That combo is not ideal no matter how you look at it.
Thomas’ Cinnamon Swirl Bagels
Frozen Whipped Cream
When Lindsey Pine spoke to Reader’s Digest, she warned us all about the “lower fat” frozen whipped creams at the store. “Just because something seems to have less fat than the real thing doesn’t make it the better choice. Whipped toppings are mixtures of hydrogenated vegetable oils, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors. Just eat real whipped cream to top your treat,” she explained.
Frozen Whipped Cream
Nissin Cup Noodles Chicken Flavor
This sure takes us back to our college days. Most broke youngsters have eaten their fair share of instant cup noodles. When you do not have money, you hardly think about the nutritional content of what you consume. We sure hope that you are in a better position now. Leave this one in the past as the chicken flavor of the brand comes with 1,070 mg of sodium in every pack. That is simply too much.
Nissin Cup Noodles Chicken Flavor
Bugles Nacho Cheese Flavor
On the topic of cone-like corn snacks, Bugles is the first thing that comes to mind. You are probably getting hungry at this point. If you really want to buy the nacho cheese flavor, you should know that there is a lot of saturated fat in each bag. As a matter of fact, one helping of it could already make up around half of the recommended daily intake of saturated fat!
Bugles Nacho Cheese Flavor
Johnsonville Beddar With Cheddar
Cheesy sausages might sound good, but we doubt that your body will agree with that. After all, a single pack of Johnsonville Beddar with Cheddar is quite unhealthy. Only one of these sausages will give you 17 grams of fat and no more than eight grams of protein. It goes without saying that this is not ideal.
Johnsonville Beddar With Cheddar
Canned Spaghetti And Meatballs
Do you like the sound of a can of meatballs and spaghetti? Try to look past the witty marketing and take the advice of Neda Varbanova. “The colors [on the can] are fun, but there’s nothing healthy about this concoction,” she told Reader’s Digest. This is a product that has way too much sodium and sugar!
Canned Spaghetti And Meatballs
Horizon Shredded Cheddar Cheese
If you have a salad and need shredded cheese, we recommend getting a whole block and shredding it yourself. The Horizon Shredded Cheddar Cheese has a lot of cellulose, which is also called wood chip powder. We are not messing with you! It apparently prevents the cheese from “caking.” No, thanks!
Horizon Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Buddig Original Beef
Even though beef slices make for awesome sandwich fillers, Buddig Original Beef packs are not the most nutritious choice for you and the rest of the family. Two ounces of it has seven grams of fat, three grams of saturated fat, and 600 mg of sodium. How hefty is that? Trust us, there are better options out there.
Buddig Original Beef
Bar-S Classic Bologna
Bologna is also known as baloney. No matter what you call it, you probably adore the deli sausage as much as we do. However, your body will thank you if you skip the Bar-S Classic Bologna offering as it is full of salt. Only a few slices have more than 700 mg of sodium. This is already more than 30 percent of the recommended daily intake. You are better off going with a different brand for your own sake.
Bar-S Classic Bologna
Creamy Spinach Dip
It is not a secret that leafy vegetables are good for you. This is the reason others assume that creamy spinach dip is perfectly fine. Sorry, but this is just plain wrong. Neda Varbanova, a food expert, said that some varieties of it have monosodium glutamate or MSG. If the reports are to be believed, the chemical can allegedly result in severe weight gain and mental health issues. We can see why some people would rather not risk it. If you simply can’t leave without it, you can probably make a healthier homemade one instead.
Creamy Spinach Dip
Spam With Real Hormel Bacon
We know that it sounds like a dream to combine bacon and spam. Nutritionists will not agree with you there. It might have a lot of protein, but it is also loaded with saturated fat. In fact, it has enough saturated fat to be equivalent to two bars of Snickers! It is best to steer clear of this one, folks.
Spam With Real Hormel Bacon