How to buy chemicals-free food at the grocery store
| March 30, 2010 | Filled under How-To Articles, Real Food |
Every shopping trip for me is a quest to find healthy food. You may find me in the store reading size 6 font Ingredient list and trying to decipher that recycling code on the bottom of the milk container.
You will never find me in the canned food aisle though. I am boycotting BPA. I am also rarely in the processed foods section, the chemicals galore. 
In the perfect world, I would buy meat, dairy, produce, and honey from local farmers. I might even grow some vegetables myself. I would buy grains (preferably, whole), flour (preferably, whole wheat), sugar, bread, and spices (without MSG) in a grocery store. Well, the world is not perfect. And I am still looking for the local farms.
To make my life a little easier I put together a checklist. It is not a perfect list, it is just our shopping guidelines. The best way, of course, is not to buy anything processed. I am getting there.
Here are my guidelines:
1. Buy organic produce. I am also trying to save money, therefore, I buy organic only fruit and vegetables which have high pesticide residues when grown conventionally (The “Dirty Dozen“):
- Peach
- Apple
- Bell Pepper
- Celery
- Nectarine
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Grapes (imported)
- Carrot
- Pear
Source: Food News
Not sure if it is organic? Take a look at the round sticker on each individual vegetable:
If the number on the sticker starts with
9 – it is organic
3 or 4 – it is conventional
8 – it is genetically modified
2. Do not buy anything in cans, no matter what the ingredients are. BPA content in cans is dangerous, especially for kids.
UPDATE: Eden uses BPA free cans for their beans. Their tomato cans still contain BPA, though.
3. Buy antibiotics and hormone free meat and dairy. As for milk, I make sure it is also Not Ultra Pasteurized.
4. Do not buy food packaged in containers mark
ed with a Recycle c
odes 3, 6, and 7. Plastic Containers labeled with the Recycle code 7 can contain BPA, but not always do. For example, even though Gerber baby food is packaged in number 7 plastic containers, it does not have BPA. Another example is Dole Fruit cups - they have no BPA either. I actually asked them about it since I could not find this information online. They responded that none of Dole’s plastic containers or plastic packaging contain BPA. I still buy food packaged in Plastics 2 and 5, which are considered to be safe.
UPDATE: Good News: Del Monte and Dole do not package their fruit in Plastic # 7 anymore, only #5!
Make sure to avoid Plastic # 6, polystyrene. Styrene is a possible endocrine distrupter/carcinogen. Amazingly, Stonyfield uses plastic # 6 for their 6 Pack Baby Yogurts. Therefore, stick to Stonyfield yougurt containers which are 5.3 oz and larger (these are Plastics 2 and 5, which are ok). Check out this article on The Daily Green for more details.
5. Avoid products with corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, preservatives, artificial colorings and flavors. Here is the break down of these:
5.1 Artificial sweeteners:
- aspartame
- corn syrup
- high-fructose corn syrup
- sorbitol
- Sucralose (which is Splenda) – there is even a book written about its dangers.
- It is a good idea to avoid sugar altogether. Have you seen this article on sugar (Is Sugar Toxic?)
5.2. Trans fats:
- partially hydrogenated vegetable oil
- mono- and diglycerides. This is also a source of trans fats. This is a new way food manufacturers found to slip trans fats into their products without labeling them.
- hydrogenated vegetable oil
5.3 Artificial flavors and colors (we try to avoid all of them, so I don’t have a list).
5.4. Preservatives and food additives:
- TBHQ
- BHA, BHT
- sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite,
- sodium bisulfite, sodium caseinate
- benzoic acid, sodium benzoate
- MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein
- sulfites, sulfur dioxide
- lactitol, maltitol, mannitol
- carrageenan ( I wrote about carrageenan here)
What about you? What do you look for when you buy groceries?
New post – My checklist for chemicals at the grocery store – http://mybusychildren.com/my-checklist-for-chemicals-at-the-grocery-store/
Although I understand your stance I can not truly go along with what you have said right here.
Thank you ! This information is very helpful for me !
Excellent list. Thank you!
What are some examples of what you do buy that is already packaged?
Hi, Jennifer:
I buy a lot of products by Kashi – their cookies, frozen food, cereal.
I buy Stoneyfield Organic yogurt, but only in Plastics 2 and 3.
Pomi tomatoe sauce packaged in Tetrapak cartons. Organic Apple Sauce in glass jars (although i need to do more research about PVC and BPA content in jar lids).
I buy Horizon Organic Pasteurized (not Ultra Pasteurized) milk.
We buy private brand oatmeal – Organic Kroger Instant Oatmeal.
I usually buy bread in the Bakery section of the store – fresh bread does not have mono-glycerides like breads sold in the bread aisle.
I am planning to write a post about each food product next week… Thanks for stopping by!
Very helpful list! I knew about the canned foods, but was not aware of the meaning of the numbers on plastic containers.
Thanks for the list. Pretty much what I follow. I don’t know what to do with the cans I bought before…so they sit on the shelves
Right, I have a whole top shelf of my food cabinet filled with canned food, most of it was bought by guests of our house
Donate it to the Food Bank.
I’ve also read that “autolyzed yeast extract” is MSG. Have you heard of this as well?
Nothing in cans then? Ugh. I use A LOT of canned beans, especially black. Why can’t things just be made safely for us? I don’t get it.
Came over from Musings of a Housewife…
Thanks for the list!
Elaine: you are right, glutamic acid (which is MSG) and its salts can be present in other additives, including hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts, and protein isolate
popped on over from Musings…and am looking for some clarification.
I am curious about your inclusion of Stevia in the list as an artificial sweetener? It is derived from a plant…how can it be considered artificial? It’s my understanding that it’s a safe alternative natural sweetener.
Also, how can fructose and dextrose be considered “artificial” when those sugar compounds occur naturally in fruits, veggies and other starches?
Thanks!
Hi, Kar. Thank you for stopping by.
You are right about Stevia, it is a natural sweetener. I read a lot of research about adverse side effects of Truvia. So I added Stevia to my list since Truvia is made of Stevia. After I looked into this further, turns out Stevia is relatively safe, while Truvia has multiple side effects. I should replace Stevia with Truvia on my list, thanks!
As for dextrose and fructose, they are natural sugars. However, when they are used as food additives, we consume much more refined sugars. Also, a lot of fructose and dextrose are derived from corn syrup, which I avoid by all means. In additional to all the well known issues with corn syrup, it contains mercury…
Thanks for this list. I am also making some major food purchasing changes and I found your list helpful. Keep up the good work. I’ll subscribe to keep my eye on you!
Marina, this is an excellent list! In fact, I think I need to print it out and bring it with me to the grocery store. Maybe I will…
Thank you, Stephanie, for stopping by! You are so lucky to have a Trader Joe’s nearby. They have a lot of healthy stuff there. But I still check labels
I heard if you get tomatoes in a glass jar, they don’t have the BPA in them…is that right?
(I came over from Musings as well).
Sari:
Bionaturae’s glass jar lids are BPA free but their lining is made from a PVC-based organosol lacquer.
Alternatively, you can always get Trader Joe’s or Pomi tomatoes in carton packages
I also avoid maltodextrin, it is a form of MSG and gives me migraines…
Oh, I have a Trader Joe’s nearby, terrific! Thanks.
[...] published the list of chemicals I avoid a couple of days ago. This and next week, I will jot a few notes about my checkpoints by [...]
Thanks for this list. Much of it I am getting better at, but I need to clean out my food storage cabinet and get rid of a lot of plastic, I”m sure. I follow another blog, kitchenstewardship.com, that has been really helpful for me – great tips and recipes!
Someone told me ultra pasteurized organic milk was better. What is the difference between ultra and just pasteurized and which is better.
Jo-Lynne explains the difference here… Thanks!
http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2010/03/random-reader-questions-vol-7.html
Hi there, I just finished reading some of your posts and found you to be quite informative. Thanks.
@FriedOkra Check this list, #4 … does that help?? http://bit.ly/czRVN5
@ItsCome2This Yep that's it! Such a great compilation of what to avoid/lookfor. Thx! Here it is @willblogforshoe! http://twurl.nl/zu05y0
I really enjoyed this post, especially the “examples in this post” portion which made it really easy for me to SEE what you were talking about without even having to leave the article. Thanks
I will take it with me to the store
[...] high in fat, the good fat as opposed to the bad fat) Here is a mom who has kindly given a list of chemicals to avoid while shopping. Again, great information but I have to take baby steps. If I try to [...]
Stumbled for sure!
Very good tips! I follow many of these but not all. I did not realize that about the number/sticker coding – that’s very helpful. Actually, I’m pretty bad about checking for plastic #.
And I use cans. Tons and tons of cans. Have you found any beans that aren’t in cans? I especially can’t get away from buying canned beans. We go through canned beans like mad. Lily can recite the different varieties in her beloved bean salad and chili. I do not like the dried beans you have to boil, bleh! Maybe if I boiled them with some flavoring but it takes forever.
Aleksandra´s last post ..Wordless Wednesday – Blue Lolly Pop Joy
The only kind of beans in BPA free cans is EDEN – here is what the can looks like – http://www.edenfoods.com/store/images/products/zoom/103000.jpg
All 33 Eden Organic Beans including Chili, Rice & Beans, Refried, and Flavored, are cooked in steel cans coated with a baked on oleoresinous c-enamel that does not contain the endocrine disrupter chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA).
I am use to cooking beans myself. the secret is to soak them overnight in PLENTY of water. And then cook for about an hour or less, depending on the bean type on LOW setting.
The sad part is that my kids (bth of them) still refuse even to try beans. Such picky eaters
wha a cute little carriage for kids—more store should offerthis!! keeps them busy
[...] food additives are an absolute “no no” for kids? I wrote a list of foods and ingredients we buy and avoid in this article. What would you add to the list or take [...]
Thank you for this helpful guide. There’s so much confusing info out there on this subject, it’s nice that you distill it down to the essentials.
RT @mybusychildren: How to buy chemicals-free food at the http://mybusychildren.com/my-checklist-for-chemicals-at-the-grocery-store/
Hi, great info here, lots of notes taken down and I shall have them to hand at the store!
My son loves tuna and im slightly concerned now after reading about BPA, do you know of any tuna tins that dont contain it?
I ve read quite a few articles about BPA in cans. It looks like all cans have BPA in the lining, even if no plastic lining is clearly visible. UNLESS there is a statement on the can that it is BPA free. I know EDEN foods cans do not have BPA but EDEN makes primarily canned beans.
I would say, go with tuna in pouches, it is BPA free
Hello…
I just wanted to let you know, I really like the written material on your blog. But I am using Firefox on a machine with version 9.04 of Xubuntu installed, and the design of your blog isn’t correct. Not a important problem, I can still read…
This is an interesting read. I don’t however, agree with most of the points posted in this article. Keep up the excellent writing, i’m sure other readers appreciate the high quality of content.
There is a site that offers free stuff online. I couldn’t believe it was real, until I saw other people really getting their stuff. It’s called opbids.com. Here’s a link to some of the free stuff that they offer: http://opbids.com/apple-ipad-2-free-offer/
Keep up the great work!
Create about current trends and latest technology.
Your website forgot to mention aspartate, Aspartic Acid, Acesulfame, Acesulfame K, and Soda Bicarbonate
[...] year we try to take steps towards eating real and natural foods. These are the changes we made in the past [...]