9 Items You Should Never Put in Your Grocery Cart

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Savvy shopping experts have cultivated strict no-fly zones for their grocery runs over the years. By analyzing nutritional labels and ingredients, they’ve identified sneaky culprits that they argue customers should avoid for optimal health and saving money.

Here are the items these shopping pros avoid at all costs and the options we recommend instead.

Sugary Cereals Lack Staying Power

Let’s start in the breakfast aisle, where boxes of kids’ cereals are tempting with their cartoon mascots and bright colors.

According to shopping experts, these childhood faves hide energy-zapping simple sugars within those crispy flakes and marshmallow mix-ins. They recommend skipping sugary cereals for lacking truly sustaining fuel. 

These pros opt instead for hearty steel-cut oats, nutrient-dense granola, or whole-grain cereals with adequate fiber. Paired with fresh fruit, these choices provide steady energy levels rather than quickly fading blood sugar spikes.

Nitrate-Laden Meats Raise Health Risks

Experts advise skipping processed meats like bacon, cold cuts, and hot dogs loaded with nitrate preservatives. Studies link those chemical additives to higher stomach cancer rates over time. Plus, most cured meats are filled with artery-clogging saturated fats.

These experts avoid them completely, choosing tofu, seitan, tempeh, beans, poultry or fish instead. If you can’t resist grabbing something from the deli aisle, experts suggest checking labels for nitrate-free options.

A Complicated Ingredients List Signals Trouble

Perhaps the top rule from shopping experts when scanning nutrition panels: if the ingredient list reads like an advanced chemistry quiz, you should pass. They say complex chemical additives or anything you can’t easily pronounce typically signifies heavy processing rather than whole-food goodness.

These pros stick to items with recognizable ingredients, like carrots, quinoa, almonds and other minimally processed staples. They insist clean, real foods give your body what it truly needs.

‘Healthy’ Imposters Mislead Shoppers

Don’t let package buzzwords fool you into grabbing foods like cookies, crackers or breads, our experts warn. Manufacturers often strip fat and then pump in sugar and salt to boost flavor, undermining healthfulness.

Instead, focus on truly wholesome options. Look for 100% whole wheat bread with adequate fiber and minimal added sugars. Shopping pros say prioritizing whole ingredients matters more than marketing gimmicks.

Canned Goods Carry Excess Sodium

While keeping canned veggies on hand is convenient, most brim with astronomical sodium levels. Some canned soup varieties even contain your entire daily recommended limit in just one bowl.

When possible, experts choose low-sodium or reduced-salt versions instead. Even better, they suggest cooking your soup in batches to control ingredients. Season dishes using more herbs and spices rather than defaulting to heavy salt use.

Pricey Superfood Powders Lack Payoff

Lining supplement aisles, exotic superfood powders tempt health-focused shoppers. But shopping pros say these spendy canisters often provide negligible extra nutrition for their premium price tags.

Instead, they stick to budget-friendly sources like ginger teas, pure cocoa powder, or Kirkland signature supplements verified for quality. These experts insist pricier doesn’t always mean healthier. 

Weight Loss Shakes and Bars Seldom Satisfy 

Perhaps lured in by dramatic before-and-after photos on packaging, the promise of effortless slim-downs draws shoppers to aisles of weight-loss shakes, detox teas and low-calorie snack bars. However, many experts argue these processed diet aids seldom leave you satisfied.

Rather than chemical concoctions, they suggest lean proteins like egg whites or plain Greek yogurt paired with fiber-rich complex carbs to supply lasting fullness. A simple apple provides sweeter satisfaction, too. For sustained energy minus the mid-morning crash, real whole foods beat supplements. 

Sometimes Nut Milks Fail the Frugality Test

While nut milk offers creamy dairy-free sips, mind the steep price tags of chic cashew, pistachio or flaxseed varieties. Our money-savvy shoppers insist that budget-friendly staples like soy or oat milk cost drastically less.

Experts use expensive milk alternatives mainly for splashes in smoothies or cereal versus guzzling full glasses. Or they make DIY nut milk from scratch by blending soaked almonds or cashews with water and then straining the pulp.

Satisfying non-dairy cravings creatively keeps their wallets intact.

Pre-Packaged Snack Kits Waste Money

Finally, in convenience zones near registers, retailers hawk grab-and-go snacks like cut veggies or trail mixes. Yet you’ll pay triple or more over DIY options according to experts. They assemble their own snack kits using reusable containers with budget items.

Getting your money’s worth calls for resisting pricey pre-packaged convenience.

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