5 Things to Leave Out of Your Grocery Cart

The best thing you can do for you and your family is to be an educated shopper. There are so many products on the shelves that claim to be “healthy,” but, in fact, are not healthy at all. Don’t be fooled by the marketing. Read your labels, and try to stick to your list. We all want to look and feel our best, so what we put in our carts matters…a lot.

Here are 5 things that I recommend you ALWAYS leave out of your grocery cart:

1. Agave Nectar

For years, agave nectar has been touted as a healthy and natural sweetener, but experts have recently found it to have more fructose than high fructose corn syrup! A few alternatives to agave nectar are stevia or coconut palm sugar. Remember a little bit goes a long way. Try halving the required amount of sugar next time you’re baking something sweet.

2. Gluten Free Packaged Foods

Many of us have to stay away from gluten for health reasons, but it does not mean we get to load up on gluten free cookies, crackers and cereal. These are not health foods! Their ingredient lists are just as long as your everyday processed foods. If you are avoiding gluten, try sticking to whole, gluten free grains such as quinoa, brown rice and millet.

3. Green Juice

Green juice can be extremely healthy, but the ones you have to lookout for are the ones made with more fruit than greens. The sugar adds up quickly! Ideally, green juice is only sweetened with lemon or a green apple.

4. Instant Oatmeal

Instant oatmeal might be convenient, but most are loaded with added sugar. Your best bet is to stick to either steel cut or old fashioned oats.

 5. Margarine

For years, margarine has been considered a health food because it is lower in saturated fat than real butter. Margarine is made with vegetable oil which is extracted from corn, soybeans, or safflower seeds. Then, it’s into a solid by steaming it, followed by emulsifying, bleaching, and then steaming again to remove chemical odors. I don’t know about you, but I prefer that my food does not go through this lengthy process. I am sticking to real, grass-fed butter or ghee.