A nutritionist has revealed all the foods she avoids in the supermarket – and explained why you should ditch them too.
Sally O’Neilfrom Sydney, said that while no food is ‘bad’ in small quantities, there are certain unhealthy purchases that you should cross off your weekly shopping list.
The professional advises against using store-bought hot dogs, sausage rolls, frozen meat pies and salad dressing.
She would also never use coffee syrup or compound cooking chocolate, and stays away from tropical juice, corn nuggets and flavored baked beans.
“I’m not demonizing any food, and homemade versions of the products are a different story,” she said.
Sydney’s Sally O’Neil said while no food is ‘bad’ in small quantities, there are certain unhealthy purchases you should cross off your weekly shopping list
Sally doesn’t eat hot dogs, sausage rolls or frozen meat pies because the texture is ‘not even close to real meat’ and she doesn’t trust the ingredients.
“The meat inside is often questionable at best and mixed with extra waste like low-quality breadcrumbs and other fillers at worst,” she said.
The same applies to salad dressing from the supermarket: the nutritionist usually makes her own dressing with healthy ingredients.
“The sad truth is that, while convenient, bottled dressings are typically high in sodium, sugar, saturated fat and calories — even the organic ones,” she explained.
‘I usually buy tomato, sweet chilli and BBQ sauces. The rest of the time I make my own creamy dressings with Greek yogurt (extra protein) or avocado – or just good old-fashioned lemon juice and vinegar.’
A nutritionist has revealed all the foods she avoids in the supermarket – and explained why you should ditch them too
Sally also revealed that plain baked beans were perfect on their own and the extras are unnecessary.
‘Adding something like processed sausage, bacon or cheese is just low-quality nonsense, with a high sodium content that you don’t need. Baked beans (especially with less sugar) are a decent source of protein and fiber – and super affordable.”
In terms of drinks, Sally stays away from coffee syrup and ‘tropical’ juices.
‘Apart from the fact that the taste is rancid in my opinion and ruins good coffee, (coffee syrup) is pure sugar, flavors and colours. No big addition, just use real sugar, which is more natural,” she said.
In terms of drinks, Sally stays away from coffee syrup and ‘tropical’ juices
Bakers often fall into the trap of using ‘cooking chocolate’ instead of normal blocks
“And the ‘tropical’ flavor is a mix of reconstituted juice and flavored water, which is just as healthy.” We don’t need it!’
Bakers often fall into the trap of using ‘cooking chocolate’ instead of normal blocks.
‘It’s lower quality than the real stuff – and contains less cocoa butter and more cocoa solids. It melts more easily because of the higher fat content and the (bad) taste. Just buy normal, good quality chocolate.’
Last on Sally’s list is corn nuggets – a food trend she “doesn’t understand.”
“It’s a vehicle for counterfeit flavors and sugar,” she said. ‘Roasted chickpeas are a great substitute.’