3 Grocery Items You Shouldn’t Buy for New Year’s Resolutions and 3 You Should
Written by
Jordan Rosenfeld
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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If you’re a New Year’s resolution setter, you may be looking to change something around how you buy, prepare or eat food as a way to nourish yourself better, or add in simpler routines.
As you hit the grocery stores looking for new foods and products, be careful that you’re not spending a lot of money on a food trend you’ve never tried or can’t afford, among many other reasons.
Here are three grocery items you shouldn’t buy to support a New Year’s resolutions and three you should.
Shouldn’t Buy: ‘Keto’ Protein Bars
If a change in your eating habits is part of your New Year’s resolutions, keep in mind that companies are quick to market products to every fad or diet, regardless of whether they’re actually the healthiest option for you. Take the “Keto” diet, a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet. Keto protein bars use ingredients to make them sweet that aren’t actually very good for you either. You can spend between $12 and $40 for a box of Keto bars, but you’re not really adding any nutrition to your life.
Should Buy: Low-Sugar Fruits and Berries
If you’re worried about carbs and sugars, turn to the natural fruits that have the least amounts of them, such as watermelon and most berries, from raspberries to blueberries. You can stave off a sweet craving, get all the benefits of nutrients and most grocery stores put their fruit on sale or offer discounts.
Shouldn’t Buy: Non-Dairy Creamer
If 2025 is a year you’ve resolved to consume fewer dairy products, you might want to rethink the non-dairy creamers. Before you panic, if you can’t drink dairy products, this doesn’t mean you have to forgo having something creamy in your morning cuppa. However, non-dairy creamers are loaded with health hazards like hydrogenated oils and high-fructose corn syrup, according to Prevention.
Should Buy: Alternative Milks
Instead of non-dairy creamer, just use one of the numerous alternative, non-dairy (typically plant-based) milks that exist in their pure form, such as oat, coconut, hemp, almond, cashew, pistachio, etc., or even a combo of several. Because there are so many brands and varieties, you should be able to find an affordable one, as well, which will likely be cheaper and last longer than a small container of non-dairy creamer.
Shouldn’t Buy: Energy Drinks
Determined to be more productive in 2025, set more goals and get more done? You might be tempted to start adding in some of those ever-so-cleverly marketed energy drinks. With their added vitamins and nutrients, they sound like just super-charged caffeine. Unfortunately, according to Prevention, they’re most often just packed with extra sweeteners and chemicals to mask the flavors of the ingredients that keep you buzzing.
Should Buy: Teas
In place of energy drinks, add in any naturally caffeinated tea, from Earl Grey to Yerba Mate, which you can drink hot or iced, with honey or no sweetener and for significantly less money. Mix it with a little juice, lemon or mint for extra flavor and zing. You’ll avoid all the additives of energy drinks and gain the health benefits as well as the zip of caffeine but without the later in the day crash. There are so many tea types and brands to choose from, you can easily find an affordable option.
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