Grocery shopping can be very overwhelming, especially when there are so many products and places to shop at. With a few tricks and tips, Iβll help you navigate the grocery store to get the best quality products for the best price!
Your best choice is always to shop the outsides of the markets and to avoid the aisles (thatβs where the processed junk is). Even foods marketed as health foods are often ultra processed and should be avoided.
As a rule, our family tries to minimize the amount of processed foods we eat and try to make as much as we can from scratch. We do however use some bread and pasta swaps in addition to some dairy swaps and nut butters that are minimally processed.
We shop mainly at Sprouts and Whole Foods for specialty products and try to utilize local farmers and online butchers for local and regeneratively friendly meats and produce. We find that shopping locally and with online butchers is not only cheaper but also more nutritious and tasty. Often times, online butchers like US Wellness Meats will have sales where we bulk up on frozen meat!
We also love Thrive Market which is an online platform that sells healthy products at a discounted price (think Costco, both are membership based).
We also love Costco for some staples such as water, raw organic nuts, and sometimes they have bulk versions of healthy companies (for example they have Jojos Chocolate, wild planet sardines, Siete almond flour tortillas and Primal Kitchen sauces in stock right now)! Just make sure to read the labels since sometimes the formulations are different.
Protein πͺπ»
We get most of our meat and fish from online merchants such as US Wellness Meats, Northstar Bison, ButcherBox, White Oak Pastures and Vital Choice Seafood since those are places we trust in regards to quality and animal welfare. Check out my guides to regenerative agriculture, nose to tail eating, beef/bison, lamb, pork, and poultry!
ButcherBox is a great subscription meat service and we get a large box with cuts of our choice every month. We usually load up on their super yummy bacon, ground Turkey and Hot Dog sausages ππ» itβs very economical and we know we are getting high quality heirloom products!
US Wellness Meats is also great for all meats but I like to get poultry, beef and lamb here. They also make great organ meat sausages like Braunschweiger and Liverwurst.
Northstar Bison is my go-to for of course bison, and more βexoticβ meats like rabbit and elk. Their turkey legs and tomahawk ribs are also to die for ππ»
Using my referral link you can save 10$ on your first order
White Oak Pastures is also great for pork and poultry!
Whole Foods sells great prosciutto (from La Quercia) and Pork Liver Pate (Les Trois Petit Chochons). Thatβs the only deli meat we get, since deli meat is often times super processed and full of fillers.
Some grocery stores like Whole Foods also carry Force of Nature, which is a brand dedicated to regeneratively raising their animals with a species appropriate diet! They have regeneratively raised grass-fed and finished bison and beef, pastured heirloom chicken and pork, as well as some wild caught venison and boar. Usually I can find their burger patties and ground meats at the store, but their website also has steaks and sausages. They have a really yummy ancestral ground blend (meat and organs) which is a great way to eat nose to tail!
For other suppliers that practice regenerative agriculture, also called holistic management, check out the Savory Institute!
Many grocery stores also sell high quality canned SMASH fish and tuna. Our go-to brands are SafeCatch and Wild Planet (thrive market sells these brands as well) or Vital Choice Seafood. When buying canned fish, make sure itβs either in water or extra virgin olive oil!
Vital Choice Seafood is one of the only sources of fish filets/shell fish/scallops/etc that I trust. We love the King and Sockeye Salmons and the Nova Lox π
I recently discovered Rainbow King Foods which sell very high quality smoked and fresh trout! I love the product so much that I have started to work together with the company. You can get yours at a discount using my code CUREATED and this link!
My seafood guide can be found here
Eggs π₯: we get our pasture raised eggs from local farmers, but grocery stores also are selling a wide variety of pasture raised organic eggs! When buying eggs, look for pasture raised, and a verified humane label. Additionally, eggs should not be from vegetarian fed hens, since chickens are omnivores! Learn more about eggs here!
Veggies π
We eat a large variety of non starchy veggies and greens, most of which we get from local farmers or farmers markets. Itβs a lot cheaper and a great way to support local agriculture. When we donβt get something at the market, I always buy organic and ideally a heirloom variety (these are usually more nutrient dense). We donβt buy potatoes, legumes, pumpkins or any other starchy vegetables since those are inflammatory (they raise insulin). We eat the rainbow other than that!
Staples include: zucchini, bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, romanesco, bok choy, green beans, cabbages, carrots in moderation, spinach, Swiss chard, etc.
We also buy some frozen vegetables such as broccoli or Brussels sprouts which I love to throw into a stir fry for lunch when I donβt have much time! I usually get those at Sprouts or Whole Foods and find that frozen organic vegetables are often times a lot more economical than fresh ones. For some vegetables it really doesnβt matter .
I like Stahlbusch Farms brand frozen veggies since they are organic and farmed regeneratively πͺπ»
Salad and Herbs: we get these exclusively from a local hydroponic farmer, but I know that not everyone has access to these. Your best bet it always organic and if youβre buying salad, I recommend to buy a living lettuce π₯¬
You can also buy herb pots like basil and rosemary and keep those on your windowsill πͺ
Avocados π₯: ideally organic and if possible not-gassed. I am lucky to have a subscription with Avocado Organic which is a farm in California that grows avocados without any pesticides and herbicides. They pick the avocados the day of shipment and send them straight to my house. With proper storage, I have a perfectly ripe avocado every day π
Cooking Fats: we cook exclusively with ancestral fats which we purchase either through Thrive Market or at Whole Foods. Listed below are my preferred brands:
Olive Oil: we use Especially Puglia where we adopted an olive tree. We get freshly harvested olive oil sent to our house.
Avocado Oil: Chosen Foods is a great source
Coconut Oil: we use Nutiva which is sold at most grocers or on Thrive Market
Ghee: we use Pure Indian Foods Ghee exclusively since they are tested to be milk protein free. You can buy it directly from them or from US Wellness Meats
Butter: any grass-fed and pasture raised butter works but we love Lewis Road Creamery
Tallow and Lard: we use FatWorks sold both at Whole Foods and Thrive Market. Regenerative farms like White Oak Pastures or US Wellness Meats also sell lard and tallow.
Condiments: this is another category of products that we buy that are processed. Thrive Market and many grocers like Whole Foods and Sprouts have a wide range of paleo/keto friendly sauces.
We love Primal Kitchen and use their hollandaise, ketchup and ranch dips. Itβs all avocado oil based which is very important.
Chosen Foods sells our favorite mayonnaise which is based on coconut MCTS (itβs called Keto Mayo) but their regular avocado mayonnaise is super yummy (as is Sir Kenigstons avocado oil Mayo).
Raoβs Homemade is the only line of tomato sauces that we trust since they donβt use any funky oils or fillers! Itβs great for Bolognese Sauce, lasagnas or as a keto pizza topping π itβs sold both at Thrive Market and also many grocery stores
Whole Foods own 365 organic brand also has a yummy chunky salsa which is without any added sugars and tastes pretty good as well! I just advise you to always check the labels since formulations can change!
Nut Butters: most grocers or Thrive Market sell high quality nut butters. Check out my guide here!
My newest obsession is tahini from Seeds of Collaboration. You can get yours at their website and use code cure.eated to save 20%! I love the pesto flavor, itβs such a treat on roasted veggies or in my tuna pasta bowl π
Chocolate and Treats: my complete guide to chocolate is posted here but most grocery stores sell some sugar free brands including evolved chocolate and Jojoβs!
We get most of our chocolate directly from the supplier website to benefit from promo codes as chocolate can be expensive!
You can save on your order at Bulletproof by using code CURE.EATED at checkout. I love their milk style chocolate in both the original and almond variety.
The Good Chocolate is also a great alternative, you can also save some money by using my link. My favorite chocolate is the ginger or the coconut turmeric variety. They come in a few different sizes making them perfect for on the go!
Marigolds Foods also makes great fat fueled cookies, we love pecan chocolate crisp but they have other yummy flavors too. You can also save using code CURE.EATED at checkout
Body Health Bars from are Full of essential amino acids and come in 4 tasty flavors. We love brownie and mocha chip. These make a great workout fuel or treat with coffee! You can also save using my link!
Ke Fuels also makes yummy high fat bars which are really clean and are a great granola bar style snack!
Bread and Pasta Swaps: I have a whole guide posted here , most products I can get either at Whole Foods or Sprouts, Thrive Market or directly from the merchant online (look for promo codes π)!