Trader Joe's

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AnaNotBanana
AnaNotBanana Posts: 963 Member
in Food and Nutrition
For a long time I've avoided the Natural Food aisle and grocery stores like Trader Joe's and Whole foods because of some misconceptions (I thought food would be too expensive, I thought I wouldn't like "natural" foods). Yesterday I took a trip throught he Natural food aisle and was surprised to find there was food there that looked yummy and was good for me.
I'm going to get adventurous this weekend and go to Trader Joe's to see what I can find. Does anyone shop at Trader Joe's regularly? Are there any "must haves" or things I should avoid? Any suggestions would help. Thanks!
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Replies

  • elyse0210
    elyse0210 Posts: 142 Member
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    I shop at Trader Joe's all the time! I always make the whole wheat coucous salad. The recipe is on the website. :) They also have really good snacks like pita chips, crackers and dried fruit. Check the labels first if you are looking out for sodium or sugars.
  • mlh612
    mlh612 Posts: 311 Member
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    Love Trader Joe's!!! In the chip section, there might be "Lentil Curls".... Sometimes they have them and sometimes they don't.. They are awesome and you can have 30 curls for 130 calories if I remember right... If you like hummus, their roasted red pepper hummus is great with the flax seed tortilla chips... Have fun shopping!!!
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,006 Member
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    I love trader joes, one of my must haves in the winter is their spiced chai tea it is so yummy and not very many calories I think like 80 a cup, another thing I love is their hummus or their chicken chow mein. their are alot of other things I get their but these are things I get every time I go
  • Margiesgettinganewbody
    Margiesgettinganewbody Posts: 2 Member
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    I LOVE TJ's and they are way cheaper than Whole Foods. They have a wonderful selection to choose from just make sure you check the serving size on the label. If your looking for an alternative to regular milk try the Vanilla Hemp drink. A lot people switch to soy milk to help with calories, but it has estrogen in it making harder for women to loose weight. They also have an almond milk for a great price.
  • TammyK777
    TammyK777 Posts: 230 Member
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    I <3 TJs!! I think you'll be amazed how NOT expensive they are!
  • gambitsgurl
    gambitsgurl Posts: 632 Member
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    I haven't been there (but LOVE fresh market) but my MFP friend http://www.myfitnesspal.com/platoon shops there enough that I'm thinking about investing in some of their stock
  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
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    Remember TJ's is not a "health food" store (like Whole Foods is) so read the labels. They do have some healthy items - like the low carb tortillas and I love their ground turkey and fresh turkey half breast (to roast and have for sandwichs or salads all week). Their pre-packed almonds are 200 calories - vs the smaller 100 cal pack by Emerald. I do like their Omega Trek mix once in awhile. I am trying to stay away from grains and breads (still have some) but they have many choices. They have a great fat free half n half that I put in their Toscano Low Fat Marinara to cut acidity. Oh and greek yogurt.
  • slg334
    slg334 Posts: 25
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    OMG...you must try the Trader Joes' Mac and Cheese, it's to die for. Everytime I check out at the register, they always you have our most popular item...
  • jennievh
    jennievh Posts: 45 Member
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    First, if high-fructose corn syrup is a concern of yours, I have to say that I have YET to find it in ANYTHING from TJ's. Their stuff is pretty healthy!

    Do be careful on the frozen foods--some of them have wacky serving sizes (like "serving size 1 cup; servings per package 1.5") that'll give you more calories than you had thought! I have complained about this (who's going to eat 2/3 of something and then save it for later or something?).

    Also, some of the simmer sauces (the Korma sauce in particular) are pretty high in fat (but very, very tasty!). So keep an eye on those. Other than that, wholesome ingredients, incredible prices, great produce, and fantastic service! I buy like 98% of our groceries there and go next door to the Safeway for Fresca. :)
  • 00trayn
    00trayn Posts: 1,849 Member
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    I live across the street from Trader Joes, needless to say I'm in that at least weekly. I love Better N Peanut Butter, it's a lower calorie peanut butter (100 calories) and a lot less fat and sodium than regular PB. I also like their Sandwich Slims for sandwiches and burgers. I love that the store is nice and small, I don't get overwhelmed with options like in Wegmans or Whole Foods. Good salad dressings too...
  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 1,607 Member
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    I love Trader Joe's! I'd say about 75% of my groceries come from there. It is not a health food store but they do have tons of healthy options. Just watch the sodium on the prepared foods and eat them in moderation. The things I love and get all the time there are greek yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken sausages, natural peanut butter, whole grain white wheat bread, whole grain tortillas, whole grain british muffins. They have some great snack items that are better than eating greasy potato chips or doritos, just check the nutrition info. I also love their frozen pesto pizza, bean & rice burritos, veggie burgers and chicken enchiladas.
    I think I could list more but I'll stop lol.
  • summerjoy0621
    summerjoy0621 Posts: 29 Member
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    We don't have Trader Joe's :grumble: but I see alot of my friends get stuff from there when I am scoping out their food diary. Wish I had one in Texas, but I guess I will have to find something equal. :brokenheart:
  • phoenixrising31
    phoenixrising31 Posts: 15 Member
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    Are you talking about the frozen trader joe mac n' cheese? It is not healthy at all from what I remember, but it was the best mac n cheese I've ever tasted and I don't like mac n cheese.
  • candlegal
    candlegal Posts: 220 Member
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    I love:heart: Trader Joes's we finally got them here a couple of years ago. Yes be careful they have some really good things there that are sooooooooo good but too much is not good. I am speaking of their triple nut crunch OMG! to die for, I can't buy it any more too dangerous to have in the house. Their cashew cookies also to die for. They do have good healthy food and I agree they are surprisingly not expensive. Have fun and look at everything, ours does alot of sampling of stuff. Enjoy!!:flowerforyou:
  • candlegal
    candlegal Posts: 220 Member
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    I love:heart: Trader Joes's we finally got them here a couple of years ago. Yes be careful they have some really good things there that are sooooooooo good but too much is not good. I am speaking of their triple nut crunch OMG! to die for, I can't buy it any more too dangerous to have in the house. Their cashew cookies also to die for. They do have good healthy food and I agree they are surprisingly not expensive. Have fun and look at everything, ours does alot of sampling of stuff. Enjoy!!:flowerforyou:
  • Joscelle
    Joscelle Posts: 93
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    Ditto the others - love TJ - most of the time though, I have a hard time because they have the best snacks ever! Cookies, chocolate, etc. - all reasonably priced too (things I used to consume in one sitting). Other than that, the other stuff is really pretty tasty as the others have said.
  • jenlawton
    jenlawton Posts: 18
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    My new favorite super food is quinoa (pronounced ween-wa) it is a spectacular food and the health benefits are out of this world! Check it out, many great recipes to be found!
  • Laceylala
    Laceylala Posts: 3,094 Member
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    Love Trader Joe's!!! In the chip section, there might be "Lentil Curls".... Sometimes they have them and sometimes they don't.. They are awesome and you can have 30 curls for 130 calories if I remember right... If you like hummus, their roasted red pepper hummus is great with the flax seed tortilla chips... Have fun shopping!!!

    I. Love. Lentil Curls. OMG they are so good and high in protein too!

    Pretty much everything at that store I :heart: big time.
  • pragya728
    pragya728 Posts: 250 Member
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    I looove Trader Joes. I shop there all the time.

    I always get the multi grain savory thin crackers. I love them with some cheese as a snack. 17 crackers have 130 calories.

    If you like Mango, they have a great Mango and Cream icecream bar. It only has 60 calories in it. And 9 grams of sugar.

    The 3-seed sourdough bread is yummy with a 100 calories in each slice.

    A couple different types of hummus is really good too.

    High Fiber, low fat cereal is good.

    There are many others, but I don't think you want to see a whole long list :-) By the way, you can find all the items listed above on MFP's food lists if you want to look at nutrition information about these items.

    I hope this help. Have fun shopping :-)
  • YourFriendBecky
    YourFriendBecky Posts: 229
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    From the freezer section: teriyaki BBQ chicken (YUM and only 150 cal/cup), orange chicken, roasted corn (we put it in quesadillas with goat cheese), bouillibaise (seafood soup), wild salmon, asian vegetable stir fry, quick-microwave brown rice, mini ice cream sandwiches with oreos and mint ice cream, mango sorbet, eggplant hummus, mushroom turnovers, mini quiches, and, and and ...
    : )

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